Raising Kids How to Make Your Own Bubble Solution It's no secret that kids love playing with bubbles. Here's how to DIY your own at home. By Elisa Cinelli Updated on April 3, 2024 Fact checked by Karen Cilli In This Article View All In This Article Ingredients Steps Making Better Bubbles Tips Activities Trending Videos Close this video player wundervisuals/Getty Images Blowing bubbles with your kids is a fun and easy way to get them playing outside—not to mention the smiles and laughs had along the way. There's just something about bubbles that kids of all ages love, whether it's chasing after them or trying to blow the biggest one without it popping. Beyond just being fun, playing with bubbles may also help to boost your child's development. "When a child goes chasing a bubble across a yard, giggling with delight, they are actually working on their hand-eye coordination and practicing visual tracking," says Kristen Miller, a certified early childhood educator and director of education for Celebree School. Before you head out to the store to stock up on bubble solution, consider making your own at home. It'll save you some cash, and it may be easier than you thought. You probably already have everything you need to make bubbles in your own kitchen—and you can even involve your kids for a fun activity too. Ahead, learn more about how to DIY your own homemade bubble solution, improving your bubble solution's consistency, and what games to play with your kids outside. Independent Outdoor Play Is Critical for Kids—Here's How Parents Can Help The Science of Making Bubbles There is science to the process of making good bubble solution. Water by itself has a high surface tension , which means plain water bubbles are small and quick to burst.Adding soap or detergent to water lowers the surface tension and allows larger bubbles to form. Glycerin and corn syrup help bubbles last longer by slowing down the evaporation that causes them to burst. Homemade Bubble Solution Ingredients To DIY your own bubble solution you will need... A large container6 cups water1 cup dish soap Optionally, you may also need... 1 tablespoon glycerin¼ cup sugar Note that hard water will not produce great bubbles. If you have hard water coming out of your tap, it would be better to buy distilled water. Any brand of dish soap will work, but I recommend Dawn for optimal bubbles. How to Make Your Own Homemade Bubble Solution Here are the steps to DIY your own bubble solution: Pour the water into the container.Slowly add the dish soap.Mix the dish soap into the water very gently. Do your best to not let foam or bubbles form on top. The recipe for bubble solution is six parts water to one part dish soap. The easiest way to do this is to mix 6 cups water with 1 cup dish soap. You can adjust measurements as needed (such as 3 cups water with ½ cup dish soap), but know that larger amounts will work best. 18 Fun Outdoor Games for Kids Making Better Bubbles Adding some simple ingredients to your bubble solution can improve the consistency of your bubbles. Glycerin and sugar will give you bubbles that last longer and are more difficult to pop. Glycerin absorbs water, so your bubbles won't dry out as fast. Sugar mixes with the dish soap, creating a stronger bubble film. These additions will also allow you to blow much bigger bubbles. Try this science experiment with your kids: Mix up one regular batch of bubble solution, one with glycerin, and one with sugar. You can also add both glycerin and sugar for a fourth batch. Compare the different types of bubbles you get from each batch. For glycerin bubbles, add 1 tablespoon glycerin before mixing the solution. For sugar bubbles, add ¼ cup sugar to the water and stir until dissolved. Then, add the dish soap. Tips for Blowing Bubbles Letting your solution sit overnight may make it easier to blow those bubbles. Alternatively, you can uncap your dish soap overnight for similar results. But don't worry if you don't have time for this; the solution should work either way. When you're done with your bubble play for the day, you can cap your solution and save it. Just make sure to give it a good stir before using it again. Stirring should be done slowly and gently. Activities to Do With Bubbles If you feel like doing some organized activities, we have a few ideas for you. Just know that it's completely optional to structure your kids' time playing with bubbles. Free play is just as beneficial. Level up your bubble game with these ideas: Blow the Biggest Bubble See who can blow the biggest bubble, using hoops or long pieces of string with both ends tied together. Mix your solution in a kiddy pool or another wide container. You can break into teams where part of the challenge is making the best solution, or you can focus just on the skill of bubble blowing. Colorful Bubbles Simply add a few drops of food coloring to your mixture and your bubbles will pick up a new hue. You can make several batches of different shades, or experiment with color mixing. Frozen Bubbles Bubbles aren't just for warm weather. Bundle up on a cold winter day and watch your bubbles freeze after you blow them. Popping Challenge Add a fun challenge by trying to pop bubbles using only a specific body part. For example, everyone must use their foot or their nose to pop the bubbles. Switch to another body part after several minutes have passed. Additional reporting by Amanda Rock. Parents Are Embracing Normal Houses and It's So Refreshing Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit Sources Parents uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. On the shape of giant soap bubbles. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. Giant optical activity of sugar in thin soap films. J Colloid Interface Sci.