Easy 4th of July Firework Craft

This simple firework craft is the perfect 4th of July craft for kids! Make this fun sparkler craft in minutes with toilet paper rolls, streamers, washi tape, and a few other items you can find around the house!

With 4th of July just a week away, it’s time to finish my red, white, and blue posts for the year! I’ve already shared tons of recipes like this red, white, and blue cake and this 4th of July pinwheel cookie recipe. Oh and don’t forget the rice krispie cookies studded with July 4th sprinkles and patriotic M&Ms.

But today we’re getting back into things to do (not eat) on fourth of July with this fun and easy 4th of July sparkler craft. It’s easy enough for kids to make and play with on their own, or you can use it in your house or at a party for simple 4th of July decorations!

It’s one of my favorite 4th of July party ideas because of how inexpensive, simple, and cute it is. Plus, like I mentioned it’s good for any age!

And whether you want to call it a 4th of July sparkler or a 4th, a firework craft, or even a firework rocket – it’s a fun and simple idea to make Independence Day just a little more fun this year!

Why You’ll Love This Craft

• Simple craft – making these is one of the easiest Independence Day activities you can do with kids for the fourth! Make these and play a little 4th of July bingo for a really fun holiday!
• Perfect for kids of all ages – this is simple enough that preschoolers could make these (with maybe a little help) but cute enough that even middle schoolers will like designing their own!
• Inexpensive – unlike a lot of 4th of July crafts, this project just needs household items you already have at home plus a few cheap craft supplies you can get at most stores. No need to go out and buy sprinkle glitter, craft paper, or dip powder!

Supplies

Supply Notes

• Cardboard tubes – you can either use toilet paper rolls, cut up paper towel rolls, or cardboard craft tubes like these ones. If you order a pack of those, you can use the extras to make these fun 4th of July DIY confetti poppers!
• Cupcake picks – if you can’t find or don’t want to order firework cupcake picks, you can also use sparkly pipe cleaners as well. These are also called cocktail or drink picks as well.
• Paper plate – make sure you are using sturdy paper plates so that when you poke the hole through it, you’re not going to just rip through the plate.
• Streamers – you can use any variety of colors you want to decorate these, I just liked the red, white, and blue crepe paper look.
• Twine – if you don’t want to use twine, you could also use colored curling ribbon for the wick!
• Washi tape – you can choose any kind of washi tape that will work with your color scheme. I just went with a red, white, and blue pattern. If you need some options, these ones on Amazon are fun!

How to make This firework craft

If you’re looking for activities for a 4th of July party, this fun craft is a great way to keep kids busy for a few minutes in between eating the American flag cake and shooting off actual fireworks!

Start by cutting 7″ strips of each color of the streamers for each firecracker you want to make. So if you are making five fireworks, you would want to cut five 7″ strips of red, five strips of blue, and five strips of white.

Now, wrap the red crepe paper around the top third of the toilet paper roll and secure it with tape or staple it. Repeat with the white crepe paper in the middle and blue on the bottom third. The toilet roll tube should be covered with crepe paper.

Decorate each firecracker by wrapping washi tape around the roll, over the crepe paper. This will not only secure the crepe paper to the roll, it’ll give it a fun sparkler look!

Cut a 3 1/2″ strip of packing tape and place the wooden dowel on the sticky side of the tape, making sure that the edge of the dowel is even with the edge of the tape.

Now carefully slide the dowel and tape inside the roll with the sticky side toward the roll, press the tape down to secure it.

Next, cut a 3″ circle out of a paper plate for the top of your firecracker.

Put glue along the top edge of the toilet paper roll then place the 3″ circle over the glue, making sure it’s centered.

To make the wick for your firecracker, cut a 6″ piece of twine and tape or staple it to the inside bottom of the roll, near the dowel.

Finally, to finish it off, poke a 4th of July cupcake pick through the top of your firecracker.

And that’s it, your firework craft is complete and ready to show off or play with!

Craft FAQs

More Fun 4th of July Ideas

Keep the fourth of July fun going with these other 4th of July activities!

• 4th of July word search – free printable word search full of words related to the fourth!
• DIY ring toss game – this fun patriotic ring toss is simple to make and even simpler to play!
• 4th of July scavenger hunt – fun clues for a 4th of July hunt!
• Red, white, and blue hunt – break into teams and see which team can find these items the fastest!
• 4th of July charcuterie board – this may be the most fun dessert out of all of the red, white, and blue desserts out there because it includes all of them!