Bubbles Are The Best Activity For Toddlers to Make Summer Great!
Hello Friends,
Every mother and childcare worker I have ever known, including myself, has a favorite activity to do with their children and the children they worked with. Have five children and when I was a preschool teacher, I predominately worked with infants and toddlers. My activity of choice was always bubbles! Bubbles are the best activity for toddlers because they are so fun and there is something magical about watching the little spheres go up into the sky with the sun reflecting off of their multicolored surface.
Today I am excited to share with you a few of my favorite ways to play with bubbles with toddlers that they love every time. It was my go to, fool proof activity that always turned difficult days into fun days, rain or shine.
I have not yet found the best DIY bubble solution, but the best I have tried generally contain dish soap and vegetable glycerine. A quick internet search will show two general recipes that differ by one containing glycerine and one not. For a quick homemade solution, you can use a one to one ratio of dish soap to water. One cup of soap mixed with one cup of water will provide you with a lot of solution that will be great for some applications, but not great if you want to blow bubbles that last a while before they pop. A solution with vegetable glycerine is 6 cups water to 1 cup dish soap with 1 tbsp of vegetable glycerine or 1/4 c corn syrup mixed together slowly. I have not tried to substitute corn syrup for glycerine. I don’t always have vegetable glycerine on hand, so I tend to buy large refill bottles of bubble solution to refill my bubble wands and smaller bottles of bubble solution. I find that these are easier to hold and use than the big bulky refill bottle.
– This is the most obvious but most underrated activity to do with toddlers; let them try to blow bubbles! Children love to learn to do new things and learning to blow bubbles is no exception. Helping your toddler try to blow their first bubble will provide hours of fun. They might figure it out on the first try, but once they do they will want to continue until you tell them it is time to do something different.
– The next activity I like to do is have them try to catch bubbles. This can be done by you blowing a large bubble and having them try to catch just that one, or you can blow a bunch and they can try to catch as many as they can.
– The next way to play with bubbles is to make bubbles with your toddler by running or spinning, holding the wands with bubble solution on them, and making bubbles that way. I found this to be easiest for toddlers using long oblong bubble wands. These generally come in a container that resembles a light saber from Star Wars. The wand is attached to the lid of the bubble solution which serves as a large handle for little hands to hold onto.
– It is also fun to pour some solution into a dish and try using different objects to blow bubbles like spatulas with holes or slits in them, or a piece of string tied in a loop.
– If you want to try to make extra large bubbles; try using a small plastic wading pool to hold your solution so you can try larger objects to make bubbles with. Things without smooth surfaces hold solution better. You can thread two straws onto a string and tie the string in a large loop so that you can use the straws as handles and dip that into bubble solution holding it open wide to blow bubbles. in this case pulling it quickly through the air will make great big bubbles.
– For playing with bubbles inside the cleanest way to blow bubbles is to have it as bath time play. Make sure you’re holding the bottle of solution to avoid spills and try to avoid your child standing in the tub. It is just so slippery. Try having them catch bubbles while they’re on their knees or sitting. Sliding and making waves while trying to catch bubbles is also fun for children.
– Using the homemade bubble solution of equal parts water and dish soap is a lot of fun to use for pouring the solution on a tray and rubbing your hands back and forth in it to make a lot of tiny bubbles. These can sort of be molded or used to cover surfaces. Store bought bubble bath works great for this!
– Bubble art is so much fun! Start by diluting some bubble solution in water in a 9×13 inch cake pan or something similar. Add some food coloring. Use a straw to blow bubbles, be sure to blow a lot so they come up over the sides of the pan or container you’re using. Then before they pop place a piece of paper over the bubbles. Don’t let the paper touch the water only the bubbles! Lift it carefully off and admire your work of art! The color will be light so use light colored paper to see them the best.
– Bubble machines are also always so much fun. Bubble guns are too! I tend to only use these outside or while my children are in a bubble bath because it can make the ground so slippery.
These are just a few of the fun ways to use bubbles this summer with your toddlers. I hope you try them. I know some of them are simple but they are so much fun. It is such a joy to interact with your children especially when they are so little. It seems to be during this age that you see the look of pure innocent joy the most. Those are the smiles and giggles that are so fleeting but we hope to remember forever. After all, we will know our children for most of their lives as adults. I hope you enjoy this simple pleasure with your children and see their adorable faces light up with joy.
Your Friend,
Amanda
