Bastille Day Crafts for Kids
Make Festive Flags to Celebrate France's Independence Day
Bastille Day, the French Independence Day, is the most important national holiday in France. The celebration commemorates the storming of the Bastille Prison on July 14, 1789. This historic event marked the beginning of the French Revolution. Today, French citizens and francophiles everywhere celebrate with parades, picnics, and fireworks.
The French flag was born during the Revolution in 1790. Also called "le Tricouleur," it consists of three verticle stripes in blue, white, and red. Or, as the French say: bleu, blanc et rouge. Blue and red were the colors of Paris at the time, and white is a royal symbol.
Color a Flag
Print a free French flag coloring page for your child. Crayola's Friendly Flags includes both a French and U.S. flag. Kids will discover how France looked to the democratic ideals of the United States during its Revolution. For a full-page flag, print this color-by-number flag from the Coloring Castle website.
Make a Flag to Wave
Create this French flag craft while playing a game. Give each child a 3 x 5 inch index card and a straw. Hold the card horizontally, and fold the edge around the straw and secure it with a piece of tape. Voilà . . . it's a flag.
Fill a bag with several small pieces of colored paper and label it "The French Flag Grab Bag." As the bag is passed around, each child closes his eyes, reaches inside, and pulls out a slip of paper. If the color belongs on the French flag (blue, white or red), that child may color that portion of their index card. Return the slip of paper to the bag and pass it to the next child. See who can be the first to find all the colors to complete the flag.
Tricolor Picnic Decorations and Desserts
A traditional French picnic is a fun way to celebrate Bastille Day. French flag picnic decorations will make the event even more festive. Children can color French flags on paper cups and napkins. Wrap napkins around plastic forks, spoons, and knives, then twist blue, white, and red pipe cleaners around them to keep them secure. Remember to serve some traditional French foods like baguettes and cheese. Kids can also make a delicious French Flag Cake. Simply bake a sheet cake, slather it in white frosting or whipped topping, and decorate it with berries: 1/3 blueberries, 1/3 plain, 1/3 strawberries.
Wear a Blue, White, and Red Lanyard
Kids can make their very own simple, beaded French flag to wear for the Bastille Day celebration. You will need blue, white, and red pony beads and plastic cord for stringing them. Here's how to make a French flag lanyard:
- Cut a cord 3-4 feet long and tie the ends together to form a necklace.
- Slip beads over the "loop" end of the necklace (over double cord) and have them rest on the knotted end. The knot should be big enough so that the beads do not fall off.
- Put on six red beads, followed by six white beads, then six blue beads.
- Slip the necklace on over your head, and the vertical strip of beads will resemble the French flag.
Celebrate French Independence Day with your kids. Use hands-on crafts and activities to teach them about the French flag, customs, and history. Happy Bastille Day.
