Patriotic Fireworks Foam Sensory Activity

Take on this Patriotic Fireworks Foam Sensory Activity that the kids will love!

You can have your fireworks fun but in a more controlled environment.

Fireworks freak kids out. It’s just that simple!

Lots of families don’t join us for the firework festivities every year because their child absolutely hates fireworks or is so worn out by nighttime that they don’t leave the house.

Meagan from Integrated Learning Strategies is sharing her inventive Firework Foam Sensory Activity today on Mommy Evolution.

Be sure to check out our other 4th of July activities!

4th of July Fireworks Foam Sensory Activity | Mommy Evolution

Firework Foam Sensory Activity for Kids

The 4th of July holiday is right around the corner and we couldn’t be more thrilled!

I love this time of year because it reminds me of breakfast in the canyons, parades, fireworks, long summer days, warm weather, family parties, and it gives us a chance to celebrate America’s Independence Day.

If you are like me, I get excited, even giddy, about watching the beautiful firework show over a lake near our house while roasting hot dogs and s’mores on the fire.

It’s one of my favorite and most memorable pastimes.

However, the 4th of July can also be pretty crazy with the endless noise and number of activities going on throughout the day.

Even the most energetic kids are probably worn out by the time fireworks are about to begin, and if you haven’t experienced at least one meltdown throughout the day, you are probably considering yourself lucky.

Some children, especially those who struggle with bright light and loud noises, receive too much sensory input on the 4th of July and parents have to be careful about the activities they plan for their families.

Any child struggling with sensory issues could find the firework show, parade and large crowds so overwhelming that it causes anxiety, tantrums and even heightens fears.

But, if you already know your child may struggle with this on that day, never fear, there are great ways to help your child cope and there are other fun alternatives to make the day special.

Fun Firework Alternative

If you are worried about your child on the 4th of July and would like to avoid fireworks completely, we have a really fun sensory activity for your kids to try that still captures the spirit of the holiday.

As you know, we love activities that get kids to use their senses (called sensory play).

It allows kids to be creative, use their hands to develop their fine motor skills, and not only develops their cognitive development but also their descriptive and expressive language.

But we will get into that later. Let’s have some fun!

Patriotic Foam Painting

Foam Ingredients

We are going let our kids get messy today!

It’s easy, fun and will keep your kids entertained for hours. Here are some of the items you will need:

  • Whip Cream
  • Food Coloring
  • Popsicle sticks (optional)
  • Spatula (optional)
  • Cookie sheet (optional)
  • Water bucket (optional)

Warning: If you don’t want your kids to get too dirty, you will want to dress them in worn out clothes or put an apron on them.

If you aren’t using a cookie sheet, find a kids table or a hard surface that you don’t mind getting messy.

Foam Food Coloring

Slop two big old spoonfuls of whip cream next to each other on the table and put a few drops of blue food coloring in one blob and a few drops of red food coloring in the other blob.

Foam Blogs for Painting Fireworks

Then, let your child go to town with the whip cream: mixing it, putting their fingers through it, swirling it around with the Popsicle sticks or spatula, or let them make pictures or art with their hands.

Mix Foam with Straws to Make Fireworks

The red and blue are of course to put a patriotic spin to your activity and the whip cream is so your kids can eat it if they put it in their mouth.

You can also use shaving cream, which is foamier, but we find too many kids want to put the foam in their mouth so making it edible is a better option.

Foam Fireworks Sensory Activity

To make it festive and fun for the holiday, have them draw fireworks in the whip cream like in the picture above or they can even practice their spelling by writing out “Happy 4thof July!”

Happy 4th of July

When they run out of the first spoonfuls, add some more until it is all gone.

When they are finished, you can have a bucket of water ready for them to dip their hands in or you can quickly rush them to the kitchen sink.

Foam Sensory Benefits

There are many sensory benefits that come from these types of activities, but here are just a few to remember why your kids are learning while playing.

Sensory play builds:

Descriptive and expressive language – kids can use this activity to describe the way it feels: slimy, squishy, melting, delicious, colorful

Social and emotional development – engages kids with their friends and peers, boosts confidence, calms the mind and body

Fine Motor skills – allows kids to strengthen their hands and fingers for holding pencils, writing letters, tying their shoes, throwing a ball

Cognitive development – blue and red mixed together make purple, and using both the right and left hands builds a stronger, more balanced brain for learning

We hope you all have a fun and safe 4th of July holiday!

Read more about Sensory Processing Disorder on Mommy Evolution. And to learn more about sensory challenges or to join our inclusive community, visit The Sensory Spectrum.

About Meagan: Meagan is part of the team at Integrated Learning Strategies, a Utah-based center dedicated to helping mainstream children and children with learning disabilities achieve academic success.

Their services provide kids with non-traditional tutoring programs within the Davis County, Kaysville, Layton, Syracuse, Farmington, and Centerville areas. 

9 Comments

  1. This looks like so much fun. I bet the kids really look forward to getting all messy.

  2. Our kids have always loved the fireworks. Even our baby was mesmerized by them last year, which surprised me. This looks like a great activity for kids who may be a bit more weary of fireworks or just to do before firework festivities begin. Thanks for joining the Family Joy Linky Party.

  3. This looks like so much fun! My girls would both love this activity! Thanks for sharing your great ideas with us at Share The Wealth Sunday!

  4. Fun activity – we always have an extra can of Barbasol around the house (did I even spell that correctly?!?!) Thanks for sharing happy 4th of July

  5. What a cool sensory play idea for Fourth of July! It looks like it’d be fun to play outside before running in the sprinkler. Thanks for sharing with #EverythingKids.

  6. My son doesn’t like fireworks either or getting messy (I know!) but I think he would find this fun when he realised it was fun to make the mess. #littlemakes

  7. This is such a brilliant idea. I remember when my kids were young being tired and scared. Tired and scared kids equals nobody having fun. LOL

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