Do your kids love watching fireworks? Delight them with this fun popsicle stick firework rocket craft. It’s a fun project to work on with kids of all ages in anticipation of Independence Day.

In this post, we’ll walk you through how to make your own festive firework rockets using a few basic materials. To make creating them easier, make sure to grab our printable craft template at the end of this post.

Want more fireworks craft ideas like this? Check out the rest of our craft ideas for kids.

White text on light blue background says Popsicle Stick Firework Rockets. Photo underneath shows three completed red, white, and blue rockets angled up toward the top left as if blasting off into the sky.

Table of Contents

More 4th of July Crafts for Preschoolers

Fourth of July Rocket Fireworks Craft Supplies

This project uses a lot of materials you probably already have in your craft stash, but there are a few things you might not have on hand. That’s okay!

You can easily shop our affiliate links below (we earn a commission on qualifying purchases) or browse my Amazon craft shelf.

Jumbo Craft Sticks
Red, White, and Blue Craft Foam
Red, White, and Blue Balloon Weight
Silver Glitter Glue
Wooden Stars
Low Temp Glue Gun or Tacky Craft Glue
Red, White, and Blue Acrylic Craft Paint
Firework Rocket Craft Template Printable (available at bottom of post)
Paintbrush
Scissors
Pencil

Craft Supply Substitutions

Here are a few suggestions for substituting some of the project materials to make it easier to create your rockets with what you already have.

Craft Foam – If you don’t have sheets of craft foam, you can use construction paper, colored cardstock, or even craft felt instead.

Wooden Stars – The Wooden Stars are used to embellish the firework rockets. Our template includes star shapes that can be traced on craft foam or construction paper. Another option is to use star stickers.

Three red, white, and blue painted popsicle stick fireworks rockets side by side and angled up towards the right. Small green plant on the right side.

Patriotic Balloon Weight – We love the look of the red, white, and blue tinsel from Dollar Tree balloon weights, but there are other ways to create a similar effect.

You can look for 4th of July star garland, use glittery red, blue, and silver chenille stems (aka pipe cleaners), or cut strips of crepe paper streamers.

Glue Gun – Using a Low Temp Glue Gun reduces drying time and makes finished projects more durable. However, you may use liquid glue instead. I really like how well this Tacky Craft Glue holds. If using liquid glue, be mindful of giving it time to dry in between steps.

How to Make Popsicle Stick Firework Rockets for 4th of July

You will need five jumbo craft sticks and two stars per firework rocket. Make multiple to use for decorations in less than 30 minutes (drying times may vary). Print out the printable Firework Rocket Craft Template (available at bottom of post) before you begin.

Two sets of four jumbo popsicle craft sticks are lined up together. One set has another stick cut and glued across the top and bottom to keep the four vertical sticks together.

Start by lining up four jumbo popsicle craft sticks. To secure them in place, cut another stick to fit across the top and back or glue one diagonally across the back. Repeat this for each of the fireworks rockets you plan to make.

Three different sets of craft sticks have been painted. Left set is blue, middle set is white, and right set is red. Paint bottles and paintbrush are by them.

Paint the front and sides of the rocket base using red, white, or blue paint. After it dries, paint another coat if needed.

Three pairs of wooden stars are painted red, white, and blue. Paint brush and bottles of paint are behind where the stars are lined up.

If using wooden stars, paint the front and sides with the other colors. For example, if the rocket base is red, paint the stars white. Alternatively, you can use the star templates to trace and cut them out.

Cut out the template for the top of the firework (triangle shape). Trace it on craft foam or construction paper. Cut everything out.

Three in progress craft stick firework rockets. Left one has blue triangle top glued onto red painted craft sticks with white stars. Middle one has red top, white base, and blue stars. Left rocket has blue base with red stars and white topper.

Once the paint is dry, glue the top and two stars onto each firework rocket. Mix and match the tops, stars, and bases so each rocket has all three colors (red, blue, and white) once assembled.

Apply a thin layer of glitter glue to the stars. Decorate the tops with glitter glue as well with outlines, dots, wavy lines, etc. Set aside to dry.

Pieces of red, white, and blue wired star garland and tinsel cut into sections.

To create the firework rocket flames, separate the tinsel and wired stars from the balloon weight. Cut the wired stars into nine sections (each one about 5 inches to 6 inches long). Bend the wire ends over so they aren’t pokey.

Cut the tinsel into three sections (each about 2 inches wide). Then trim the sets of tinsel so they are about 6 inches long.

One popsicle stick fireworks rocket flipped over paint side down to show where tinsel flames are being glued in place with hot glue gun.

Glue the tinsel and stars onto the back of the rocket near the bottom.

If you aren’t using the balloon weight tinsel, cut your chenille stems or streamers in six inch lengths and glue them onto the back to create the look of firework flames as they shoot into the sky.

Three 4th of July firework rockets made out of popsicle sticks are completely finished. They are arranged in a flat lay to look like they are flying up into the air at an angle.

More Fourth of July Activities for Kids

With additional activities, you can plan a themed week of summer camp at home or a unit study about fireworks or the 4th of July.

Extend this craft project by discussing how and why fireworks are typically included in Independence Day and other holiday celebrations. You can also discuss the science of how they work.

It’s also a great opportunity for kids to learn about the history of the Fourth of July holiday as well as American symbols like the bald eagle.

Popsicle Stick Firework Rocket Craft

Yield: 1

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Active Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Estimated Cost: $10 or less

Make these festive popsicle stick firework rocket crafts for cute 4th of July decorations.

Materials

5 Jumbo Craft Sticks
Red, White, and Blue Craft Foam
Red, White, and Blue Balloon Weight
Silver Glitter Glue
2 Wooden Stars
Red, White, and Blue Acrylic Craft Paint
Firework Rocket Craft Template Printable (available at bottom of post)

Tools

Low Temp Glue Gun or Tacky Craft Glue
Paintbrush
Scissors
Pencil

Instructions

Print out the Firework Rocket Craft Template (available at bottom of post) before you begin.
You will need five jumbo craft sticks and two stars per firework rocket.
Line up four jumbo popsicle craft sticks. Glue another one across the back to keep the base sticks together.
Paint the front and sides of the craft sticks.
Paint the front and sides of the wooden stars. Allow everything to dry and apply another coat if needed.
If you don’t have wooden stars, use star templates to make them out of another material.
Cut out the rocket top template (it’s a triangle shape). Trace and cut it out of craft foam.
Glue the triangular top and two stars onto each popsicle stick firework rocket.
Use glitter glue to add sparkles to stars and tops of rockets.
Take the tinsel and wired stars from the balloon weight. Cut the wired stars about 5 inches to 6 inches long. Bend the ends over so they aren’t sharp.
Cut the tinsel into sections about 2 inches wide and 6 inches long.
Flip the rocket body over and attach tinsel and stars to the back with glue so they are hanging down from the bottom.

Notes

See post for craft supply substitution suggestions

Darcy Zalewski

Darcy is the founder of “Life With Darcy and Brian,” where she combines her love for education, board games, and crafting to create engaging learning experiences for kids. Her creative projects and writing have been featured in outlets like The Toy Insider, CafeMom, Mom.com, Parents.com, Country Living, and The Pioneer Woman.