Canada Day activities to do with your child

July 1 marks the anniversary of Canada’s confederation. Across the country, cities and communities will mark the day with celebrations big and small. From fireworks to parades to a bilingual concert in Ottawa, Canada Day is a fun event to participate in with your child.  

Here are some active ways you can celebrate the beauty and diversity of the country we live in and create some special memories with your family.

Games, crafts, and outdoor activities

• Canoeing: If you’re fortunate enough to live near a body of water, and have access to a canoe, take this opportunity to head out on a canoeing adventure. Not only is everyone getting active and getting some fresh air, but you can also teach your child aboutthis historic mode of transportation.
• Hiking: Pack some water and snacks and head out for a family hike. Here are some optionsat Parks Canada sites across the country or try a stretch of the Trans Canada Trailin your area. 
• Canadian charades: Try a Canadian twist on this classic group game. Get each member of your family to write or draw some iconic Canadian symbols on slips of paper, and everyone can take turns acting them out. Think canoeing, skating, hockey, moose, or maybe your favourite Canadian landmark.
• Make some Canadian crafts: How about a beautiful Canada Day-themedpaper kite? Your little ones can paint it in white and red and use their hand print to illustrate the maple leaf. Or make abeaver puppetfor a Canada Day puppet show. There are some more fun Canada Day crafts here. 
• Guess that Canadian sound: Take turns moving around and making the sounds of different Canadian animals. Are you an elk, an owl, a bear, a caribou, or a Canada goose?

Recognize Indigenous people’s history & presence 

It’s also important to reflect on Canada’s colonial history on Canada Day. For many Indigenous people, the holiday is not a celebratory one. Cree Métis Senator Marty Klyne has said he believes Canada Day should be a time when “Indigenous and non-Indigenous children play and learn together and come to understand, accept, and respect people from different cultural backgrounds.” There are some child-friendly ways you can address Canada’s relationship with Indigenous people with your kids. 

• If your family is not Indigenous, you can start by telling your child that Indigenous people were stewards of the land long, long before your family lived on it. This tool will tell you whose traditional territory your home or school is located on.
• You can also tell your child that Canada as a country is pretty young—just 159 years old! And that the land existed many, many years before Canada was founded. 
• Once you know whose traditional territory you live on, you can research the language of that nation or group and see if you and your child can learn how to say some simple words in the language, such as hello and thank you. 
• Read these books for kids of various ages with your child to share Indigenous stories with them. And here are some options for adults too. 

Play Canadian sports or Indigenous games

We take our sports seriously in Canada. Try out these Canadian sports with your little ones, and also teach them about the history behind these awesome sports.

• Hockey: We love this mini hockey game that gets the entire family playing the sport at home.
• Lacrosse, baseball, and basketball are Canadian sports, too! There’s so much history behind these incredible sports, and they present a great opportunity to get active by batting a balloon or dribbling a basketball together at home!
• Indigenous games: Canada is home to more than 1.6 million Indigenous people, with distinct cultures and traditions. Try these Indigenous games with your kids—a way to learn something new while having fun!
• Remarkable Indigenous athletes: As part of playing Canadian sports on Canada Day, introduce your child to some elite Indigenous athletes throughout history—like the Firth sisters from Aklavik, NWT, who were the first Indigenous people to represent Canada at the Olympics. They competed in cross-country skiing and competed at the Olympics four times! 

Try a Canadian recipe

Make classic Canadian goodies together at home! Here are some fun recipes to get your family in the kitchen together:

• Some yummy dessert ideas from across Canada
• A classic: Canada’s Wonderland funnel cake recipe
• Patriotic red and white popcorn
• Maple syrup anything is always a hit! Try this Canadian maple syrup sugar pie
• The famous Québécois dish poutine  

Celebrate at home 

• In its celebration kit, the Canadian government has a poster kids can colour 
• Have a dance party to this Spotify playlist featuring Canadian artists who are performing at the concert in Ottawa 
• Enter this contest for a chance to win a VIA Rail trip 

We hope you and your kids now have lots of ideas for how to commemorate Canada Day in an active, educational way! Happy Canada Day.

Editor’s note: This article was published on June 26, 2020.