A fun and engaging way to celebrate the 4th of July holiday is with festive, summery recipes that little ones can help prepare and enjoy! In this article, we share simple, low-cost recipes that bring color and fun to the holiday. These patriotic snacks are great for enjoying the 4th of July, while also encouraging learning and skill-building with young children.
Cooking with young children is not just enjoyable, it’s also full of rich learning and skill-building opportunities. When little ones measure ingredients, they are practicing early mathematical skills. Combining items together by stirring, mixing, and pouring, is an engaging sensory experience that also supports fine motor development in hands and fingers. Cooking with peers also promotes collaboration and team-building skills such as communication and turn-taking!
This simple and healthy recipe uses only a few ingredients: blueberries, bananas, strawberries, and some large skewers to make festive fruit kebabs! Young children can help prepare these by washing the fruit, slicing bananas (with a child-safe knife), and putting the fruits on the skewers. The best thing about these is that they can be easily customized based on what you have available. Swap in raspberries or red grapes, instead of strawberries or use marshmallows in place of bananas for more of a sweet treat!
This festive recipe is a fun way to invite children to be creative! By offering a few simple ingredients, children can make their own, patriotic toast. You’ll need: sliced bread (option to toast the bread if you prefer), cream cheese (or greek yogurt), strawberry jam, blueberries, and bananas sliced into half circles. Start by spreading a thin layer of cream cheese or yogurt on each slice of bread, followed by a layer of jam. Finally, place the blueberries and bananas to look like an American flag. Depending on the age of the children in your care, they might be able to spread their own cream cheese/jam or you can prepare it ahead of time and encourage them to place their own fruit.
This recipe makes for a great 4th of July lunch or afternoon snack! You’ll only need a few ingredients: pizza dough, pizza sauce, string cheese, and pepperoni slices, cut into star shapes with a cookie cutter. To get started, you’ll roll out your pizza dough and then cut it into circles using a cookie cutter or the lid of a jar. If you want to save a step, build your pizza on English muffins instead! Then, invite little ones to help by adding the pizza sauce, a few pieces of cheese and a pepperoni star onto the pizza base. Once they’re ready to go, bake them in the oven at 425° F until they are golden brown and ready to serve!
This recipe is fun, simple, and can be easily customized based on what you have available in your pantry. The trail mix gets its red, white, and blue colors from patriotic m&m’s, along with a variety of cereals and snacks, such as graham crackers, pretzels, and Chex. Finally, top it off with some mini marshmallows for an additional sweet treat and texture! Some other fun things you might consider adding could include Cheerios, peanuts (as long as you don’t have any children with allergies), chocolate chips, raisins, and more! Little ones will love dumping in various ingredients and helping to mix everything together!
Family Fun Nights at Burlingame Library 
