3 Independence Day Crafts You Won’t Want to Miss

Firecrackers, face-painting, and a Liberty Bell craft are fun ways to make Jesus’ love shine on Independence Day!

1. Firecrackers

These “firecrackers” bring a burst of Jesus’ love on Independence Day.

You’ll need:

• Bible
• cardboard paper towel rolls cut in half
• various colors of long metallic paper strips
• star stickers
• glitter
• glue
• construction paper
• scissors

Directions:

First, decorate the cardboard roll with stickers, glitter, and construction paper. Then cut out a circle of construction paper big enough to cover the bottom of the cardboard roll. Glue or staple the circle to your cardboard roll. Lastly, fill the cardboard roll with long, metallic paper that dangles out the open end.

Talk Teaser:

Ask:

• How is God’s love exciting (kind of like a firecracker)?
• Once you’ve experienced God’s love, what do you want to do with it?

Read aloud Matthew 5:16.

Ask:

• What are things we can do to shine brightly with Jesus’ love—like fireworks?

2. Face Painting

Use this easy recipe for face painting for an Independence Day craft with kids.

Have children don their paint shirts. Using red, white, and blue face paint, paint freedom symbols on each child’s face. Use a separate paint brush for each color. You may want to paint flags, fireworks, smiley faces, crosses, or stars.

Keep face paint away from children’s eyes, and tell children to keep their hands away from their painted faces until the paint is dry.

To make your own face paint, you’ll need:

• 1 cup solid vegetable shortening
• 1 cup cornstarch
• food coloring

Directions:

Mix shortening and cornstarch until there are no lumps. If the mixture is too thick, add a few drops of water; if too thin, add 1/4 teaspoon of shortening at a time.

Divide mixture into three bowls. Use food coloring to make one bowl of red paint and one bowl of blue paint. The remaining bowl is your white paint. Paint can be refrigerated in a sealed plastic container for up to three days.

3. Liberty Bell Independence Day Craft

You’ll need:

• red and blue construction paper
• red, blue, and silver star stickers
• markers
• scissors

Introduction:

Say: There’s a bell in America called the Liberty Bell. Have any of you seen pictures of it or actually seen the real bell? This bell is a symbol of the freedoms in America. It’s engraved with the Bible verse “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” (Leviticus 25:10) Liberty means freedom and it’s something that’s been important to America from its beginning.

Ask:

• What do you think it means to “proclaim liberty throughout all the land?”
• What about “unto all the inhabitants?” What might that mean?

Read aloud Luke 4:14-19.

As the scripture from Isaiah said, Jesus came to set people free. He freed people from illness, death, and sin. In fact, Jesus freed us all from being separated from God because of sin—which is the wrong things we all say and do sometimes.

When Jesus died on the cross, he took the punishment for our sin. But, because he’s God’s only and powerful Son, he came back to life! Now, when we believe in, follow, and have a friendship with Jesus, we receive his gift of forgiveness and freedom from sin’s cost. That is a freedom worth celebrating, too!

Ask:

• How can we help others know about the freedom Jesus gives?

Say: Let’s create a liberty bell greeting for someone you know who needs to hear about the freedom Jesus offers.

Directions:

Pass out craft materials. Have children draw a bell, or provide simple patterns for them to trace. Then have children cut out their bell shapes and decorate them with the markers and stickers. Next, instruct children to write a simple greeting to someone they know who’s sad, lonely, or needs encouragement.

Say: When you give this message to your friend, tell him or her about Jesus and what it means to be free from sin. Close with a prayer for the people who’ll be receiving the bell cards.

Looking for even more great ideas for Independence Day? Check out all our 4th of July posts. You can also find year-round craft ideas in Makerific WOWS!: 54 Surprising Bible Crafts! For even more ideas and daily posts of inspiration, follow us on Facebook!