How to make homemade bubbles for kids so you have a never-ending supply of bubble solution. This is the easiest and quickest homemade bubbles recipe and doesn’t use glycerine.
When I wrote about making homemade bubble wands with the kids, I promised to share photos of them using their new bubble wands as well as the instructions for how to make homemade bubbles.
So here goes!
MY LATEST VIDEOSNote: This post has been updated from the original with new photos and information.
First, I’ll share a video tutorial, then give you the bubbles recipe and share some photos…
Now for the recipe and photos…
How to Make Homemade Bubbles
INGREDIENTS
- 4 cups warm water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup blue Dawn dish soap
INSTRUCTIONS
Step #1. Whisk the sugar and water.
Whisk the sugar into the warm water until the sugar dissolves.
Step #2. Whisk in the soap.
Add the dish soap and whisk to combine.
Step #3. Let sit.
This step is only if you have some patience or think to make the solution ahead of time. Letting the homemade bubbles sit for a couple of hours or even overnight helps them work a bit better, but is not strictly necessary.
Step #4. Blow bubbles.
Now it’s time to blow bubbles with your new bubble solution!
Easy peasy, don’t you think?
You can also add 1/4 cup of vegetable glycerine to your homemade bubble solution if you like. And/or 1/2 cup of corn starch. And/or 1 tablespoon of baking powder. Those each make the bubbles work just a tad better. But this is the basic recipe and it works just fine on it’s own.
We usually simply have a big bowl or two of the bubble solution out and available to the kids. You can also hand individual mason jars with bubble solution to the kids. Or re-use one of those no-spill bubble cups for your homemade bubbles.
Sometimes they blow bubbles themselves, sometimes they let the wind do the work, and sometimes they twirl around with bubble-laden wand in tow.
How about you? Have you made your own bubble solution? Do you have a favorite recipe? (If so, please share!)
More Fun Bubble Ideas for Kids
- Bubble printing with amazing and colorful bubble snakes
- Make DIY bubble wands with beads (the bubble wands pictured in this post)
- A bubble trumpet (one of our favorite commercial bubble wands; it makes hundreds of little bubbles!)
- Or make the world’s biggest bubbles with Bubble Thing
- Use a bubble wand kit to make pretty wire bubble wands
- Bubble machine magic
- Bubble dancing is a thing
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Hey!
I loved it!
But.. How can i make the the heart and flower? (:
Lovely! We have tried a recipe in the past that involved glycerin. The bubbles would get really big but they would pop before coming off the wand. I hope to find something that works a little better! This looks great!
Does it have to be Dawn dish soap in particular (for its properties or what not)? Or will any dish soap do?
Thanks!
I used palmolive dish soap and worked just fine
Good to know!
Others have said they have used different dish soaps, so you can try this with any and see how it works for you.
Why sugar? Just curious. I always use dawn dish soap and water. Works fine and makes large lasting bubbles.
That’s good to know. I just started making bubble solution this way and never thought to omit the sugar. Also, I’ve read that adding sugar (or corn syrup) improves the surface tension of the bubbles.
How much of each, because I’ve been trying without the sugar, just dish soap and water, and I cannot seem to find the right combination
Cool! I’m also wondering if any kind of dish soap would work, I live overseas so don’t have access to American brands :)
Others say that they’ve used different dish soaps and that it’s worked for them, so I’d say experiment and find one that works well for you.
This is so cool I will have to try it with the kids thanks!
Enjoy!
Curious Why you use sugar instead of glycerin? Do the bubbles survive better with plain old sugar? Thanks so much!
Sugar apparently helps the surface tension of the bubbles. I’ve also seen recipes that use corn syrup instead of sugar, although I haven’t tried that version.
I love your website!! Thank you!
Thanks, Teresa! :)
Can i use shampoo for that?
I don’t think so, but if you try it and it works for you, will you let me know?
Used corn syrup instead of sugar, everything else as directed. Corn starch settle to the bottom the storage container. The entire mess proved to be a waste of travel, money, and time.
Great bubbles! Produced plentiful and long-lasting bubbles that were so sturdy, they were carried away by a light breeze, all the way up the street without popping.
Thank you for sharing this recipe. My 4 yo is constantly asking for bubbles and I came across your recipe and gave it a shot and it’s working fine as of now (right after making it). I tried to blow bubbles with just the basic recipe and managed to get one bubble. Added the baking powder and managed to get more bubbles. Going to leave it to set overnight to play with tomorrow. I also used, the dishwashing liquid I use which is an environmentally friendly one and it seems to work just fine. Thanks again. X
With the sugar in it can you store it for a long period of time?
It is starting to get cold and I don’t know if I should dispose of the remainder of what I’ve made