Fourth of July with Teens

Independence Day. Pool parties. Beach time. BBQ. Fireworks.

If you’ve got teens, I’ve got a few ideas to get them involved with holiday fun.

Celebrating July 4th with Teens

• Invite friends over for a day of pool or beach fun. At this age they want to hang out with their friends. Be the host and you’ll still get to spend the holiday with them. And know what they’re up to while getting to know their friends. I want to be the place that my son’s friends all want to hang out at – give them a space to hang and LOTS of food.
• Red, white, and blue beach balls. Beach balls are a cheap way to add festive fun. Kids always find a way to create some kind of game with them. My son loves to play baseball with them – Wiffle ball bats work great in the pool area.

• Sparklers. Sparklers (if legal where you live) are relatively harmless, cheap, and fun once the sun goes down. They can write messages and see if their friends can read them. Also fun for photography…it’s all about the gram.
• Red, white, and blue cold treats. It’s hot and teens eat a lot so stock up with lots of cold treats.
  • Bomb pops
  • red, white, and blue Otter Pops
  • Ice Cream Sandwiches dipped in red, white, and blue sprinkles
  • Snow Cones – we have a snow cone machine and always stock a variety of syrups. It’s always a hit for summer parties.

For more food ideas, check out our Easy Fourth of July Snacks post

• Selfie station. I found some fun cheap selfie props at the dollar store. You could also make your own or buy a few inexpensive props from dollar bins or thrift stores (red and blue feather boas, silly hats, clip-on bow tie)

• Sunglasses. Put out a basket of fun patriotic-themed sunglasses. Guaranteed they’ll have fun with them. And take more selfies. Teens still like to have fun but in their own goofy ways. I picked up a bunch of patriotic-themed sunglasses from the Target Dollar Spot bins.

• Fourth of July Pedicures and Manicures. Check out the DIY HERE
• Make Fourth of July Tie-dye t-shirts. Get a few white cotton T-shirts and red and blue tie-dye kit to make fun shirts. Teens are all about tye-dye clothes right now.
• Patriotic tattoos. order a pack of patriotic tattoos – fun and easy to remove
• Make s’mores. S’mores are fun and easy. If you don’t have a fire pit, just use your oven or microwave. Get creative and go beyond the traditional graham crackers and milk chocolate – pretzel thins, chocolate chip cookies, Ritz crackers, and Reese’s peanut butter cups are all so yummy.
• Go watch fireworks – bring chairs, blankets, and snacks, and invite their friends too. Never too old for fireworks.
• Water balloons – water balloons are always a blast when it’s hot. We’re loving these reusable water balloons that don’t leave waste everywhere.

Do you have any ideas to add to this list to keep teens involved in having Fourth of July fun?