Things You'll Need:
- Decorations--red, white and blue crepe paper, star garlands and flags
- Face paint
- Water bottles
- Portable CD player
- CDs of patriotic music
- Kazoos
- Party noise makers
- Prizes for all participants such as bubbles, water guns and ice cream coupons
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Step 1
Talk to your neighbors, explaining that you want to have a neighborhood Fourth of July Parade. Although the parade is obviously for children, invite all neighbors to participate. Everyone not in the parade will sit or stand along the parade route to watch and cheer.
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Step 2
Set the time for early evening on the Fourth, when the temperatures have cooled and it is still light enough to see the parade. Select a parade route that will encompass the neighborhood. The best choice would be to have the parade on sidewalks. If your neighborhood doesn’t have sidewalks, ask neighbors if they will allow the parade to take place at the edge of their lawn.
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Step 3
Let the kids decorate their bicycles or tricycles. They can also decorate wagons to pull younger siblings or well-behaved pets. Help them select red, white and blue clothing as well or paint their faces.
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Step 4
Involve the elderly neighbors by asking them to be the parade judges. Set lawn chairs in a shady spot for them to sit and watch. Ask them to come up with winning categories for each participant. This could be fun things like, ‘Most balloons used,’ ‘Wackiest clown’ or ‘Funniest Statue of Liberty.’ This is not a true competition, but one where everyone in the parade wins a funny title. You can make a list of suggested titles for the judges.
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Step 5
Plan to have everyone gather a half hour before the start of the parade, in order to line up. Make sure there are several adults to walk along with the parade. Assign older children and teens to help the younger kids. Explain to everyone that, while the parade is for having fun, being safe is more important. No one is to go into the street, helmets are to be worn by kids on bikes and roller blades and there are to be no stunts on bicycles or roller blades.
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Step 6
Place a portable CD player, playing patriotic music, at the front of the parade. Hand out kazoos or the paper party noise makers to children who are walking or riding in wagons. Also hand water bottles to all the kids.
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Step 7
Turn the CD player on and start the parade. Lead the parade around the neighborhood, stopping at each house where people are gathered to watch and cheer. Be sure to linger a bit longer in front of the ‘judges’ in order to give them time to judge the parade participants.
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Step 8
Once the parade has gone around the neighborhood, gather everyone at the judges stand in order to hand out prizes. Prizes can include bubbles, water guns or coupons for ice cream.
