Last year when Bubby was 2.5 years old, I started teaching her the basics about the 4^th of July.  I told her it was the American flag’s birthday, because at that age she was really starting to grasp what birthdays were all about.  So this is what she learned at that age:

• The date: July 4^th

• It is the American flag’s birthday (because she had no concept yet of what America or the U.S. meant, but did know what the American flag was)

• What the American flag looks like- stars and stripes, and colors red, white, & blue

• The flag has several names: American flag, Stars & Stripes, Old Glory, Star Spangled Banner

• Usually people set off fireworks to celebrate

Now that Bubby is another year older (3.5 yo), I am able to build on her prior knowledge.  This year we talked about:

• Vocabulary: independence, freedom, anthem

• The Declaration of Independence (I have a laminated copy she can look at)

• Important men signed the Declaration because they didn’t want the King of England telling them what to do in America, especially since he lived so far away! (We looked at a map to see how far it is from America to England.)

• Important people during this time:  She loves cutting and gluing so I copied a worksheet with the pictures of 8 important people with a short description.  She put them on construction paper and is learning the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Patrick Henry, and King George III.  I didn’t go into any more detail about who these people were this time since it is a lot of information, but will definitely be able to build on this next year.

• Symbols of America: Statue of Liberty, Liberty Bell, Bald Eagle.  I printed out drawings of these (and a few other pictures) from the internet which she colored and we put them together into a 4^th of July coloring book.

• Washington D.C. is our capital and where the President lives and works (and locate it on a U.S. map)

• The “Star Spangled Banner” is our national anthem (and we listened to it)

I hope this gives you some ideas to start with, especially with younger kids.  Sometimes it is hard to know how to explain something in simple terms, or in a way that children can relate to.  I feel it is always best to start simple, especially with something that is tangible (like the American flag) and build from there.  Next year I am thinking Bubby will be able to understand more, and might enjoy one of the educational programs on the History Channel.