A Family Declaration

It may not be your family’s tradition to spend July 4th reading and discussing the Declaration of Independence, but this year, use it as a jumping-off point to create a DIY declaration of your own!

The full text of the Declaration is available here. The language is a bit challenging for kids, and honestly for many adults as well, so you might also check out the simplified “translation” here.

Beyond what the specific words in THIS Declaration mean, talk about what a declaration is – a written public announcement of intentions. When you create a declaration, you are explicitly saying, not just to yourself but to others as well, what you intend to do. Through that lens, set an intention, as a family, to take action to uphold the values on which this country was built.

That’s a pretty big thing to do, isn’t it? You can focus your discussion by using the values contained within the colors of the American flag:

• Red stands for hardiness (or strength) and valor

• White stands for purity and innocence (often described as staying true to your beliefs)

• Blue stands for vigilance, perseverance, and justice

Talk about specific things your family will do to uphold those values – we will show valor by standing up to bullies, or perseverance by continuing an activity that isn’t coming easy to us. You can write your declaration using fancy language if you’d like, using fun words like “hath” and “therefore.” Maybe you’d like to capitalize every noun, which folks seemed to really enjoy back in the 1700s.

Then get crafty: make your own parchment paper! These instructions are truly doable. When your paper is ready, write your declaration on the parchment, have the whole family sign it (feel free to invoke John Hancock here and make your signatures big and bold), and post it “publicly” on your garage door, or your mailbox, or next to your doorbell, for all to see!

If your family enjoys this activity, you can declare all sorts of things throughout the year. It’s a great way to encourage thinking about and articulating your intentions and how you’re going to make them happen. So be bold, be strong, and be true – and then go watch some fireworks!

Have a safe and happy 4th. We’d love for you to share your celebrations with us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram...