Bastille Day for Kids

When I was writing about France the other day, it occurred to me that Bastille Day was also coming up (July 14, to be precise), and I wasn’t sure that I had written about it before. On further digging I realized I had, but it’s been a few years, so let’s take a look at some more ideas for celebrating this pivotal day in French history. Of course anything in the post on France would be great to do as well.

First, if you want to start with a kid-friendly explanation of Bastille Day, get the basics from Britannica Kids.

Learn more about the French Revolution and play the Storming the Bastille game from Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool +. It looks a little like Chutes (or Snakes) and Ladders to me, but I think you might start over instead of just going back when you hit a guillotine space. She also has a France unit study that includes a printable lapbook and making pain au’ chocolat.

The Princess and the Frog made a wafer cookie Eiffel Tower (which they originally found on our Edible Crafts site; love a full circle moment!). When I went looking for that I also saw Eiffel towers made of pretzels and gingerbread, so get creative with your building challenges.

Make a fun French flag collage with this tutorial from Sparkle Living Blog (via Real Creative Organized). Search for French clip art or royalty free photos online to add to your artwork. And if you’re looking for more France themed crafts, check out this collection from Artsy Craftsy Mom. My favorite is the little printable city, which came from Handmade Charlotte, but there are lots of cute craft ideas here for Bastille Day or an day.

Grab some Bastille Day coloring pages from Plantz Matter, which also has a little French lesson if you want to learn some basics. Coloring Pages for Kids also has some good options for Bastille Day coloring.

Remembrance Day (marked as Veterans Day in the United States) is Nov. 11, and it marks the end of hostilities in World War I. Poppies are a traditional symbol of the day because it is said they were the first flower to grow again on the battlefields, which inspired a famous poem. Let’s check out some poppy crafts you can make with your kids as part of a World War I unit or for Remembrance Day.

This pretty poppy craft from Krokotak just requires the printable, some crayons, scissors and glue. The printable includes the center of the flower and kids can draw the outside as well as adding stem.

Glued to My Crafts has a printable for a torn paper poppy, or you could color or paint this one as well.

Use torn or cut pieces of paper to make these poppy suncatchers from Red Ted Art.

Happy Hooligans has a bunch of great poppy crafts but I particularly like the painted rocks and easy paper plate poppy.

Crafty Morning has a cute poppy craft made with fingerprints, which is quick and easy to do with kids of any age.

Older kids and adults can make these folded paper poppies from Chica and Jo, but they do involve hot glue and floral wire, which can be sharp, so it’s not for young kids. An easier paper poppy that only calls for regular craft glue can be found at Sugar Spice and Glitter. This one also has a printable template to make it easier.

These felt poppies from One Little Project also use a glue gun and a sewing needle, but they’re so pretty I couldn’t resist sharing them for older kids. Add a pipe cleaner stem or turn them into pins to wear for remembrance events. Check out their coffee filter poppy craft for a great option for younger kids.

Have you read?

Leave a Reply