I’m sure by now you’ve seen the colorful bubbles in store sold by some big-name brands. But did you know it’s easy to DIY color bubbles yourself? It only takes a few ingredients– things you already likely have around your house– and a few minutes to make the BEST color bubbles on the planet!
Start by gathering a little helper. Funny faces are encouraged.
With guidance, your little helper should measure out 1/3 cup of blue Dawn dishwashing liquid.
Don’t ask me why– I have no idea– but blue Dawn dishwashing soap, the original Dawn, makes the BEST bubbles. They’re stronger, longer lasting, and just plain better than any other soap we’ve tried. And I’m not alone– most homemade bubble recipes call for this same soap!
In addition, you’ll need 1 1/4 Cups water, 2 Tablespoons of sugar, and some food coloring. Why sugar? Well, the sugar actually helps the bubbles “stick” better– I’m really not sure the scientific reason, but it seems to help them hold their shape. After trying bubble solution both with and without the sugar in it, the sugar definitely is the key to getting some really great bubbles.
Start by mixing the sugar into the water until the sugar is completely dissolved– this is a good part for your little helper to assist with!
Gently stir in your dishwashing liquid. Try to create as few suds as possible… the more suds you create now, the less your bubbles will work later, so you want to be extra careful not to get it too sudsy! We found that little helpers stirring the sugar water and adults stirring the dishwashing liquid was the best arrangement to prevent over-sudsing.
Pour your bubble solution into deep, airtight containers– you want them deep enough to get your bubble wand in easily. Or, you can splurge on some spillproof bubble containers, but your everyday food storage will work just fine!
Then, it’s time to work some magic!
Add 5-10 drops of food coloring to each container. We enjoyed mixing colors to create new colors, or using brights to make some fun shades. One tip, though– yellow just isn’t the best choice of color. Because of the blue dishwashing detergent, it mostly just ends up looking green, no matter how hard you try to avoid it. The darker or bolder the color you choose, the better your bubbles will look. Again, stir very gently so you don’t create too many suds!
Once you’ve got your bubble solution mixed, it’s time too go outside and play! I recommend putting your child in play clothes– because of the food coloring, there’s a chance that these bubbles could stain. You can experiment with different wands, or even use bubble guns, to see what makes the best bubble!
This is such a fun way to enjoy the spring air and have a blast playing together. I swear we played with the bubbles for about 2 hours yesterday!
The best part is that the bubbles definitely beat store-bought. They’re cheap and easy to make at home in large batches, and they’re so fun to make together. The cost of a large bottle of dishwashing liquid, some food coloring, and a little bit of sugar meant that for less than one bottle of colored bubbles at the store, we got 4 colors and enough ingredients to make many, many more bubbles in the future.
Since you probably have all of the ingredients at home anyway, there’s really no reason not to celebrate National Bubble Week, which starts today. After all, bubbles are easy to make, tons of fun, and definitely worth celebrating, am I right?
- 1/3 Cup Original Blue Dawn Dishwashing Soap
- 1 1/4 Cup Water
- 2 Tablespoons Sugar
- Food coloring
- Mix water and sugar until sugar dissolves.
- Slowly add dishwashing liquid, being careful not to create too many suds.
- Divide mixture into containers and add food coloring as desired-- 5-10 drops per 1/4 batch of solution.
- Best for use outside with play clothing-- bubbles and bubble solution may stain!
Do you have an awesome bubble making tip? Let me know in the comments below! And if you love colorful activities, don’t miss our color theme unit, with tons of books, activities, and ideas for exploring color year-round! For more outdoor play, try this DIY chalk rubbed sand art craft!
Love the pictures. The way we go through bubbles this is great and so much cheaper.
These are so pretty. We love making bubbles. Thanks for posting. Hello from Busy Mondays.
Melissa French, The More With Less Mom recently posted…March Real Food Meal Plan
I’m a huge fan of making bubbles, too– it’s a great activity to enjoy together! Thank you for stopping by!
We actually just bought a couple of the Crayola color bubbles a few weeks ago. We haven’t yet tried them out, though. Now I want to try making our own too! We’ll see which ones work best. =0)
Found you at this week’s Wonderful Wednesday!
Kim @ 2justByou recently posted…Printable Stationary Set & DIY Herb Pots at Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop
I hope you have fun with the bubbles! Colorful bubbles are always exciting!
These look so easy and fun! My children would love them. I’m glad I saw you featured at Jaimi’s Stay At Home Mom Survival Guide. Pinned and following!
Heaven recently posted…Jesus the Christ: A Family Study – Lesson 5: Despised Among Men
You’ll have to let me know how they turn out for you! So happy you stopped by!
This is great =) my husband and i are doing a bubble gender reveal we have pink and blue bubble guns but finding a dark colored pink and blue bubbles was hard and would probably be expensive. Thanks so so much!! =)
So glad these will work for you! Adding a little extra food coloring will give you a big color payoff, too. I hope the gender reveal goes well! <3 Congratulations!