Family Tips for 4th of July

July 4th

Hot dogs, fireworks, watermelon, sun screen, flag paraphernalia and one very busy day for you and your family. 

This is a great holiday for families to spend some real quality time together. I’ve been lucky enough over the years to be asked to provide entertainment for a variety of 4th of July festivities, and so I thought I would share a few tips you and your little ones could use to make your celebration run smoothly. 

1) All ages events: A one size fits all ideology doesn’t necessarily work for large scale family occasions and if you think about it, the number of families a 4th of July celebration contains could be twice as high then it would be for an average family party. Events held at parks, beaches or even a country club might not cater to young kids. Check websites to see if the event mentions age appropriate activities and staff to help the day run smoothly. Don’t forget...it’s your 4th too!

2) Extra Clothes: If you are looking to spend the day at a fourth of July celebration it's not a bad idea to pack and extra shirt or outfit with you. Typical July 4th festivities consist of water sports like slip n slides or water balloon tosses and messy food eating situations. (Oh, I’m the only one to get mustard on my shirt from a Hot Dog contest...fine!) It helps extend the day and your little one would appreciate it. 

3) Pace Yourself: Heat is no joke and it can drain the energy right out of a tiny party participant. If you are looking to make it all the way to the fireworks in the evening, it's important to find time inside so the heat doesn’t overwhelm anyone. Think about the two H’s...hats and hydration. If you can throw in an ice cream sundae as a reward to making it till the end...I don’t think they will mind.

Have a healthy 4th of July everyone!

David Brownstein is the owner of Sounds Sweet Entertainment, an award winning entertainment company that specializes in developing unique event experiences for families.