Today’s post is jam-packed with fabulous ideas for celebrating Canada Day with kids!
We are truly lucky to live in such a huge, beautiful country with all the freedoms and rights that we have – and we need to celebrate that! This is no time to be modest, you fellow Canadians, let’s be proud and teach our kids to be thankful for our amazing home.
CANADA DAY ARTS & CRAFTS
Tin Can Windsock
These hand-printed windsocks look so great outside blowing in the wind! Perfect for the front door or porch. Click here to find instructions.
Canada Day Streamer Wands
So much fun for a parade or just running around the yard!
You Will Need:
- Wooden Dowels
- Red and white ribbon
- Hot glue
- Red and white wooden beads
- Red and white striped paper straws OR red and white acrylic paint
Cut 4 or more pieces of ribbon. Choose different lengths – some short, some long. Hot glue them to the end of the wooden dowel.
Glue a wooden bead on the end.
To decorate the wands, paint them with red and white paint, or feed a red and white striped straw over the dowel and secure them with hot glue before adding the ribbon and bead!
Maple Leaf Printing
This paper can be used to make special placemats for a Canada Day dinner, or as paper for cards, or just for the sake of it!
You Will Need:
- Red paper
- White acrylic paint
- A maple leaf 3″ cookie cutter
Pour out some white paint and show your child how to dip the cookie cutter into the paint and then make prints onto the paper! Easy, but attractive.
Canada Day Doorstep Decoration
Perfect way to decorate the front of the house or the front porch or the balcony!
You Will Need:
- A large empty coffee tin
- White and red acrylic paints
- Glass Beadsand gems to decorate can
- A variety of Canada themed pinwheels, small Canada hand flags , etc. to place in tin
and gems to decorate canPaint the can white. Trace a maple leaf onto the can with pencil and fill in with red paint. Alternately, you could have your child make their handprint on the can. Or – just have them decorate any way they like using red and white paint and items!
Fill with dirt or sand and place in a few Canadian pinwheels, streamer wands, flags!
Maple Leaf Rubbings Art
A classic activity for super-easy fun! Kids love how the leaf imprints magically appear!
You Will Need:
- A few maple leaves
- Red or white paper
- Red or white crayon with paper removed
Have fun finding a few maple leaves in your neighbourhood. Show your child how to place them under a piece of paper and roll a crayon on its side to get a copy of the leaf’s print!
Fireworks Painting
Create some colourful fireworks on paper to celebrate!
More Great Crafts from Canadian Bloggers
1. And Next Comes L has some cute Canadian Peg Dolls you can make out of clothes pegs!
2. How Wee Learn has a “hands-on” Handprint Canada Flag that your little ones can paint themselves!
3. East Coast Mommy has a FREE printable Canada Day Fan that little hands can cut out and colour!
4. Mama Pea Pod has some sweetPatriotic Fireworks Hair Accessories for girls.
CANADA DAY SENSORY ACTIVITIES
Fireworks in a Jar
Make a bang with bubbly fireworks in a jar using red food colouring to celebrate Canada’s birthday!
Canadian Flag Rice Sensory Bin
Please click on the photo to find the instructions for this fun flag-themed sensory bin!
Celebrate Canada Sink or Float Water Sensory Activity
Click on the photo to find the instructions for this wet and fun sink or float science activity!
Red and White Flag Playdough
Use some red and white dough to talk to your child about our Canadian flag and how it is one of our country’s symbols!
You Will Need:
- 2 cups flour
- 2 cups water
- 2 Tbsp Cream of Tartar
- 2 Tbsp Oil
- 1 cup salt
- Red food colouring (I use Wiltshire for the vibrant colour!)
- A maple leaf 3″ cookie cutter
- Optional: red glitter
Mix the dry ingredients together. Add the water and oil. Cook over medium-low heat until the dough no longer looks wet. Allow the dough to rest for 1 minute away from heat. Knead in the food colouring.
Once your playdough is ready, colour about 2/3rds of it red and leave the rest uncoloured. Create a Canadian flag for your child, or with your child, out of playdough!
This recipe makes a really soft and easy to manipulate dough. It also lasts for over a month if kept stored in a plastic bag.
And Next Comes L hasSix Sensory Activities for Canada Day including amaple scented texture playdough recipe (can you say YUM?), Canadian flag light box play ideas, and a Canadian flag sensory bottle!
OTHER CANADA DAY ACTIVITIES and IDEAS
Canadian Flag Toast
What a great way to start the day on July 1st! The first time I made this, my son didn’t feel like eating breakfast, until he saw this awesome toast! Then he gobbled it all up and wanted seconds!
You Will Need:
- Raspberry jam
- Bread
- Butter or margarine
- A maple leaf 3″ cookie cutter
Toast your bread. Cut out a Maple leaf and then spread on your butter and jam to make it look like our flag!
Canada Day Scavenger Hunt
Send the kids off on a fun and educational Canada Day scavenger hunt created by My Nearest and Dearest.
DLTK’s Home has a huge collection of Canadian songs, colouring pages, crafts, games, recipes and party ideas!
Today’s Parent magazine has a free printable Canada Day Collage Card that you can use as an invite for a Canada Day party.
Our family has had a lot of fun creating and making many of these crafts and activities that celebrate our amazingly beautiful country and we hope that you do too!
