Faith group releases Independence Day family activities kit for July 4
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Mark Meredith hosts live coverage from the Great American State Fair on the National Mall, highlighting ‘MAHA Monday’ focusing on American health. The fair showcases the unique aspects of each state, including pancake eating contests, with a strong sense of patriotism among attendees. Dr. Mehmet Öz will lead discussions on brain health.
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As the United States prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday, a faith organization is urging parents to make the most of Independence Day by reconnecting with their children and taking time to teach them about the country’s founding ideals.
Ahead of July 4th, Communio, a faith-based organization focused on strengthening families,Great American Family Entertainment Set,” complete with activity ideas, recipes for patriotic treats, and a prayer for the nation. Some of the activities include trying to use 18th century slang, making a gratitude jar, creating a family flag, and doing an Independence Day-themed scavenger hunt.
“When you think of all the holidays we have as a country, July 4th is Independence Day. “Among our non-religious holidays, it ranks right next to Thanksgiving as the most important celebration of family that we have as a country,” Communio founder and president JP De Gance told Fox News Digital.
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Communio, a faith-based organization, created a kit to encourage families to connect on the Fourth of July. (Getty Images)
Communio uses its partnerships, which include 17,000 churches across the U.S., to reach families and encourage them to celebrate Independence Day through neighborhood meetings, block parties, and events to build their community.
“The most basic building block of a society is not the individual, but the family,” De Gance said.
De Gance told Fox News Digital that Communio’s Great American Family Fun Kit reflects the organization’s belief that strong families are the foundation of strong communities.
“I think there’s a lot of recent survey data that shows that patriotism, old-fashioned patriotism, is declining among a lot of people in our nation. And the goal here is to connect people to the ideals of our organization and to do that in a really grassroots, organic way at the local level,” De Gance said of Communio’s Great American Family Fun Kit.
Polls have shown that patriotism in the United States has declined in recent years. (Getty Images)
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Although the kit’s events focus on America’s 250th birthday, De Gance said their broader goal is to encourage families to spend more meaningful time together away from screens. The founder and president of Communio suggested that even simple activities can create these opportunities for parents and children to connect.
“One of the things we know about family life is that parents and children who communicate regularly report that those children have a warmer, better relationship with their mom and dad,” De Gance told Fox News Digital. He added that children who have good relationships with their parents tend to have better long-term outcomes and are more likely to see faith as an important part of their lives.
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Although at first glance the kit seems to be aimed at families with young children, it also includes activities aimed at the participation of young people. De Gance suggested that the scavenger hunt activity could be used to get children of different ages to do things together.
De Gance also noted rising rates of loneliness and sadness among American teenagers, arguing that family time could be key to combating these problems.
“I think if we were honest with ourselves… the number of kids who say they spend a lot of time with their parents and siblings, relaxing and having fun together, probably isn’t very many, right?” he said. “Because when that happens, they’re more likely to report that they have a good relationship with their mom and dad, and they’re less likely to report that they’re lonely and isolated.”
According to JP De Gance, one way to combat loneliness in young people is to encourage family time. (Getty Images)
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As De Gance looks to America’s future, he wants to see a revival of healthy marriages and family life across the country. He said he’s hopeful young people will focus more on finding purpose in “durable things” like faith, marriage and family.
“The way to make sure we celebrate America 300, America 350 and America 400 really comes down to family,” he said.
