For celebrating the 4th of July, there are so many fun ideas to explore. One of our favorites is making fun 4th of July crafts with your elderly and seniors. So gather your glue guns, with all shades of red, white, and blue, before you set out to meet your elderly loved ones this Independence Day. Not only will crafting help you bond with them, but also let them enjoy their patriotic spirits to the fullest. The perfect 4th of July decor featuring creative, patriotic DIY-centerpieces and fag placements adds more to the moment of this historic day.
Our fun 4th of July crafts for the seniors and elderly require no high-end artistic skills or unsafe materials. From centerpieces to fancy food items and party decor, we have a nice variety: you can change out the color and themes on this page to suit other holidays as well. If you have hand dexterity problems, fret not, for our assortment has plenty for you to enjoy. Let’s get started now!
Patriotic Wooden Spoons
A pair of wooden spoons are great 4th of July crafts. One can use them to make unique table-decors, raffle items, and to decorate plants and centerpieces. You can also use them to eat.
List of Essential Items:
- Wooden spoons
- Acrylic paints: red, white, and blue
- Water-based polyurethane craft varnish (VOC of 50 g/L ratings or less, if using them for eating food.)
- Brushes in a variety of sizes
- The water container, rags
How To Craft It:
Use acrylic paints to curate simple stars and stripes, using a combination of red, blue, and white. First, put two coats of white acrylic on the spoon handles, drying in between by setting these spoons aside for at least 20 minutes. You may be able to get good enough coverage with one coat. After that, it’s just painting stars and stripes design in whatever way you’d like. When everything is dry, apply a coat or two of varnish, drying well between. Make sure to let the varnish set for a week or two if you want to use them for food. It allows the varnish to polymerize. (If you can smell the finish, let it sit for a longer time to dry). Then gently wash the surface before using. Again, be sure to follow product directions!
Hand-Painted Wine Glasses
Hand-painted glass wines can not only make your 4th of July artsy but also let you enjoy that cup of wine all year round. For this 4th of July crafts, you can either use glass or quality plastic wine glasses. We recommend getting wine glasses from a thrift store if you want to use them for the sole purpose of decor.
List of Essential Items:
- Wine glasses
- Optional: star stencil
- Glass paint from the craft store – red, white, and blue
- Acrylic 3-D paint; I used red and white
- Polyurethane varnish for glass paint
- Paint brushes, wide and narrow
- Small sponge for painting, if desired
- The water container, rag
How To Craft It:
If you are going to be drinking out of your wine glasses, always begin the design at least one inch down from the top so your mouth will not touch the paint. Have a look at instructions on how to paint some styles.
For a subtle glass inspired look, first, paint on a wide blue stripe either with a piece of sponge or big brush. Dry it, and let yourself be the Picasso painting your glass as a canvas then. Make light-colored flowers or stars. You may use stencils for a perfect shape if you want. However, if you’re making stars, let your hands go free. Free-form stars can have a nice, whimsical look. Place the stars in an arch pattern, with one large star at the lower left.
For a colorful blue glass look, buy glasses with a tint of blue. You may coat it with blue as well if you have a clear one. Make stars of different colors using stencils. You may create other objects as well. Make sure to keep your fingers safe from paint when holding the glass: plastic gloves should work fine for the purpose.
If you are using actual glass instead of plastic – after applying the paint, you may need to bake it to set the tints well according to the instructions on paint bottles. Then, you may add another layer of paint, if desired. Instructions sometimes say to dry and bake between layers of paint and then again in the end. Therefore, it is essential to read and follow the directions on your paint bottles. If you are using plastic, you would not be baking the item, of course. You can use craft varnish to preserve the design.
Finally, apply a couple of coats of polyurethane varnish for glass paint, adding strength to it. Let it dry, and your creative crafts are ready!
Make sure to remember that these glasses are not dishwasher safe: wash them with hands instead.
Wine Glass Charms
If you’ve made yourself a nice set of hand-painted wine glasses, here is another one of our 4th of July crafts to go with it – wine glass charms. They are easy to make. All you need some fancy little, inexpensive things, and your ever-classic wine glass charm would be ready in no time. Let’s have a look at what you need and how to create it.
List of Essential Items:
- Narrow gold or silver elastic cord
- Optional: small, open metal rings from a bead store instead
- Beads: red, white, blue, and decorative
- Blue or red acrylic paint (for ends)
How To Craft It:
Cut a length of elastic cord at least 1 1/2 inches longer than what you want for your glass.
String on several beads, and tie the strings together at the end with a double knot. Tie the elastic cord so it can stretch around the bottom of the wine glass and slide on, yet it is not too loose to fall off. Put a dab of blue acrylic paint on each of the ends of the cord to keep them from traveling and for added decoration.
Snip off a couple of loops of the coil, putting beads on your string. Then, with needle-nose pliers, make hooks at both ends of the ring. The wire will stretch out to put around the glass stem, holding its shape, so there is no need to connect the ends.
As a bead store may also have thin, flexible metal rings that come in a coil, you may get them as well. There are also special-occasion beads.
Chocolate Covered Strawberries
While you make your crafts for the day, don’t forget to add a little patriotic treat to your list. White chocolate-covered strawberries are simple crafts to make. Have a look at what you need to nail these treats!
List of Essential Items:
- Strawberries
- White Chocolate Dip
- Red & Blue Sprinkles
- Colorful Candies
How To Make it:
Clean fresh strawberries with water and keep them in a refrigerator for cooling them down. Take a bowl of white chocolate, kept at room temperature. Dip your dry strawberries in it, and place them on a tray to refrigerate them again. For added decor, you may use giant pretzel sticks with red and blue sprinkles. If you do not have a combination of red or blue sprinkles, either color of candy as a topper (or a blueberry) will work well. If you don’t want to fuss with melting chocolate, try a dollop of whipped cream or frosting on top.
Patriotic Marshmallows
This 4th of July crafts also double as treats! Here’s what you have to do:
List of Essential Items:
- Long kabob skewer sticks
- Jumbo marshmallows
- Blue frosting (in a can or squirting bottle)
- Red candies
- Styrofoam block, or a short vase
- Blue ribbon
- Red curly ribbon, or tinsel
- Blue ornaments – optional
- wax paper or plate
- Small spatula, or butter knife, or spoon
How To Make It:
Place several marshmallows on a plate or wax paper. With your spatula, spread on a glob of blue frosting. Press a small red candy in it, sticking each marshmallow on a skewer.
Stick these skewered marshmallows into their styrofoam block base or a short vase. Then, arrange the red tinsel or curly ribbon around the bottom. Add a curl of wide blue ribbon. You may also add blue ornaments if you’re using them. Or any other red, white, and blue decor you may have. Even little flags would work well.
These patriotic marshmallows look great as a centerpiece or in one. You can also lay a skewered marshmallow at each place setting. Perhaps, a patriotic ribbon tied around it would complete this craft with perfection!
The Takeaway
Add more to your spirits of patriotism by making these fun crafts: while we have articulated them for seniors and the elderly, people of all ages may try them out. So why are you still waiting? Get your hands on the supplies and have some artsy fun this Independence Day!