Fireworks, while beautiful can be a lot for a toddler to take in. For many young toddlers this will be their first year attending a 4th of July celebration, parade, or fireworks display. While we talk a lot about fireworks beauty, it's important to also prepare our toddlers for the sound. If you will be viewing close, considering the brightness is also important. Last year we tried a few ways to give our kids an idea of what to expect before the big day.
Of course we used a book :) Daniel Tiger has helped us through every major life event. And we definitely found him helpful for preparing for fireworks. Both the book Daniel's First Fireworks, and the corresponding episode Fireflies and Fireworks (Season 2, Episode 20) helped tremendously.
Adapted by Becky Freidman. Illustrated by Jason Frutcher
About the book: Daniel Tiger and his family are going to see a special fireworks show on Jungle Beach! At first, Daniel is scared of how loud the fireworks are, but when Daniel holds his little sister’s hand, he feels better. This sweet storybook about a first experience is sure to be a hit with Daniel Tiger fans!
In both, Daniel and his baby sister Margaret are viewing fireworks for the first time, and like many young ones are scared of the sound. I think this visual for my children of seeing Daniel scared of fireworks allowed them to understand that there were different aspects of the fireworks that they hadn't expected. It opened up a conversation for us around it being okay to be scared and excited at the same time. We were also able to brainstorm what we could do to prepare for the noise.
Then the big question was, " How loud are they? Can we see?". While I was definitely unable to provide a test round of fireworks, I did come up with an alternative your family might enjoy too.
We threw down a blanket, ate smores in the living room, and watched Disney World Happily Ever After Fireworks Display on YouTube. Honestly, it was incredible. Better than any fireworks display I had ever attended. No crowds, no packing up quickly to race home. Just our family together, watching fireworks in the living room. Our kids loved it. They still talk about it a year later. I think my son would love to make it a monthly tradition. It's funny how sometimes the littlest things can be so beautiful. So memorable. Whether your planning to visit a fireworks display or not, I definitely suggest giving this one a try!
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