How To Build A DIY Lemonade Stand For Budding Entrepreneurs

JUNE 6th, 2022

DIY Lemonade Stand How-To

Looking for something fun and educational to do with your daughter this summer? How about helping her build her very own lemonade stand! This is a great way for kids to learn the basics of running their own business while having a good time in the process. In this article we will provide you with all the information you need to help your child build her very own DIY lemonade stand and practice her entrepreneurial skills. Let's get going!

There are three factors that your child should consider when starting their new lemonade business:

What do they want their lemonade stand to look like?
The type of lemonade they want to make and what they should charge per glass
How to advertise their lemonade stand to attract customers

Building and Decorating the Lemonade Stand

You don't need wood or tools to build your own lemonade stand, in fact you can get creative and help your little girl use household items to construct and decorate her very own booth to sell her lemonade.

One easy way to build a stand is to use a sturdy cardboard box. Your young entrepreneur can decorate the box with paint, markers, glitter or stickers in order to create the perfect storefront for their business. If you don’t have a study box handy, you can use a small folding table instead! Your little one can decorate a sign to hang on the front of the booth. Whichever method you use, make sure your daughter takes the lead during the design process so she will have a sense of ownership for her new business venture.

Making and Pricing the Lemonade

Now it's time to get started on making some delicious lemonade! This is a great opportunity to teach your child about measurements and following directions. They can make their own lemonade with this simple recipe (with adult supervision, of course):

Step 1 - Combine 1 cup of white sugar and 1 cup of water in a saucepan. Heat the mixture and stir until the sugar dissolves. Let it cool.
Step 2 - Roll lemons on the kitchen counter, cut them in half and squeeze the juice through a sieve, into a pitcher. You’ll need about 1 cup of juice.
Step 3 - Pour 2-3 cups of water into a pitcher. Stir in lemon juice, then add simple syrup to taste. Then add ice.

If you don't have the ingredients on hand or prefer something simpler, powdered lemonade with cold water and ice can be used in a pinch (shhh! we won't tell!).

Help your daughter gather the other items you will need like cups and napkins and lay them all out on the table. Tell your daughter how much each item costs so that you can help her figure out what she should charge per glass in order to make a profit. Don’t forget about the cost of the cup and napkin!

Finding Customers

That lemonade isn't going to sell itself! Now it's time to attract customers to the stand. This is a great opportunity to teach your child about marketing and customer service. Talk to her about how they can attract people walking or driving by and get them interested in trying their lemonade. Some ideas include:

Setting the booth up on the sidewalk so people walking or driving by can see.
Creating a vibrant sign that says "Lemonade for sale!" and waving at people as they go by.
Making signs to hang up around the neighborhood or putting fliers into the mailboxes on your block if you are preparing a day in advance.
Calling friends and family and asking them to stop by to show support.
And lastly, if business is slow, make a special deal like "Buy one cup, get one free!" or give out samples to people walking by to attract more interest.

Running a lemonade stand with your daughter is a great way to teach her about entrepreneurship, marketing, customer service and math while having some summer fun at the same time. With these simple steps, she will be running her very own lemonade stand in no time!