Flag is June 14th! Why not use this holiday to teach your kids about flag facts? Although this day isn’t widely celebrated, it commemorates an important event in U.S. history. It’s also a good way to get your kids in the mood for Independence Day and give them some background knowledge about the flag before July 4th rolls around. Looking for some fun, kid-friendly Flag Day activities? Here are a few of our favorites!

Flag-Hanging Ceremony

Unless you always display an American Flag in your yard, hanging the Stars and Stripes can be a novel experience for your kids. Take some time to raise the flag in your yard or on your balcony with extra fanfare! If you have younger kids, you can play patriotic music and maybe even bring out some noisemakers. Older kids will benefit from reading guidelines for respectful flag display. You can find the official rules in Public Law 94-344, although there are many quick guides available online.

Bake All-American Goodies

What kid doesn’t love anything covered in frosting? Make Flag Day extra special by baking patriotic treats with your kids. Red, white, and blue frosted cookies are always a winner, and cupcakes are also a lot of fun to create together. If you want to try something a little more elaborate, you can make a fruit pizza using sugar cookie dough for the crust, white frosting for the sauce, and summer berries for a flag-inspired topping.

Draw the Flag

Help your kids become familiar with the American Flag by drawing their own version. Pre-schoolers can use crayons to decorate a coloring page, while elementary school kids can study the flag and try to replicate it. Remind them to count the number of stars and stripes, and discuss how each of the stars represents a state and each stripe represents an original colony.

Tie-Dye Patriotic Clothing

Put a fun twist on a classic summer activity! Tie-dying is a favorite childhood experience, and it produces something that you can enjoy all season long. Besides, there’s no “wrong” way to do it, so even less artistically inclined children (and adults) will be able to make something to be proud of. All you need to tie-dye your own patriotic clothing is a dye kit and white t-shirts. Although there are red, white, and blue dye kits on the market, you can just as easily purchase a multi-color kit and save the other colors for later. Once you’re done, you’ll be ready for Independence Day, the 4th of July, and the rest of summer!

Do a Puzzle Putting together an American Flag puzzle is a fun way to spend time together as a family. You can make this a summer-long project, if you buy a puzzle with many pieces and construct it a little at a time. This is a great way to keep kids busy and away from screens during long summer days. Or, get an easy puzzle and finish it in an afternoon.

Plant a Garden

Celebrate Flag Day with a fun outdoor activity! To make a miniature patriotic garden, you’ll need red, white, and blue outdoor paint, terra-cotta pots, and appropriately-colored flowers. This is a two-day project. On the first day, encourage your kids to paint stars and stripes on their terra-cotta pots. Once you’ve allowed the pots to dry overnight, you can help them to plant red and white flowers in the pots.

Make a Wreath

Don’t have space for a flag in front of your home? You don't need a "flag day" pole to show your spirit. You can still get into the Flag Day spirit with this easy project! Get the whole family involved to make a red, white, and blue wreath for your front door. To make this craft, you’ll need red, white, and blue construction paper. Have everyone I the family trace their hands on the paper. Cut out the handprints, and glue them in a circle, palms in and fingers out. Use a bright ribbon to hang the wreath on your door. If you’re feeling fancy, you can let your kids decorate the wreath with glitter.
Visit the Library

The library is a wonderful place to visit in the summer. If you need to get the kids out of the house and away from the television, there’s no better place to go! Challenge your kids to find as many books as they can about the American Flag. Allow each child to pick one or two favorites from the pile to check out and bring home.

Make an Internet Scavenger Hunt

Older kids tend to appreciate activities that involve surfing the web, so why not incorporate their technological skills into Flag Day? Create an online scavenger hunt to encourage your kids to learn about the American flag. You can include such questions as, “Who made the first American flag? How many stars did the original American flag have? When did Flag Day become a holiday?” Don’t forget to hand out prizes for correct answers! If you have teens who are interested in helping, you can task them with creating the scavenger hunt for younger kids.

Go Sight-Seeing

How many flags can you find in your neighborhood or town? Go on an outing to count the flags. Can you find the biggest flag in town? Which street has the most flags? End your excursion with a trip to the store or ice cream shop for patriotic popsicles.

There are many ways that you can make Flag Day a special holiday for your kids! Give them a sense of patriotism and a new appreciation for the Stars and Stripes. The whole family will be sure to have a blast with these all-American summertime activities!