Summer is the time for sun and fun, but y’all already know how expensive it can be to plan an incredible vacation for your family. Rather than going out of town, I enjoy planning staycations for my kids with fun activities and delicious snacks. Enjoying your time together doesn’t have to break the bank; these fun projects to do with your kids this summer won’t cost y’all much at all.
Bubble Painting
Everyone loves painting, and it’s the perfect time to express creativity. In addition, y’all can add bubbles to the mix to create interesting art that’s so much fun to make! You need water, cups, straws, paint, paper, and dish soap to make the most unique paintings you’ve ever seen.
Add water, paint, and dish soap to the cups, and then use a straw to blow air into the mixture, creating bubbles. Once there’s a huge bubble foam on the surface, put paper over it. The bubbles pop and leave a super cool print on the paper.
Pro Tip: Do this outside to avoid a mess!
Friendship Bracelets
Although friendship bracelets may be a thing of the past, we can bring them back by making them with our kids! All y’all need is various colored strings, scissors, and tape. If y’all want to learn more complex techniques, feel free to do so; however, I prefer the basic braided bracelets.
Cut three different colored strings evenly to fit around a wrist or ankle, tie a knot about an inch into them, and then braid the strings together. I like to tape one end to a hard surface to make it easier to pull taut and braid.
DIY Crayons
Believe it or not, y’all can make your own crayons at home. It’s no secret that many store-bought crayons contain toxic ingredients, but you probably never thought about making your own. While there are plenty of different ways to make DIY crayons, I’m biased toward creating homemade crayons using beeswax. Your kids will love making their own crayons and naming the colors, but I definitely recommend adult supervision for the wax melting.
Homemade Ice Cream
Lastly, y’all need to make your own ice cream for those super hot summer days! Although you may think you have to buy an ice cream maker, you can definitely do it without one. I love making vanilla ice cream and adding different toppings, but y’all can make any flavor you want by adding different syrups or fruits to the mixture.
Simply combine sweetened condensed milk and vanilla in a bowl, then whip the heavy whipping cream in a separate bowl. Combine all the ingredients and lightly stir. Pour the mixture into a loaf pan and freeze for at least four hours, but preferably overnight.
With these fun projects to do with your kids this summer, y’all will enjoy spending quality time together without overextending your summer budget. Staying at home has its perks, and there are so many unique ways to make your kids’ summer so much fun.
