Backyard Summer Fun That Won’t Break the Bank

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

Take back your summer and create these summer fun projects that won’t break the bank!

As the school year comes to a close, parents everywhere are turning their attention to summer break. If you’re like most parents you’re probably scouring the internet trying to come up with fun things to do with the kids this summer that don’t involve screen time and won’t break the bank. These three DIY ideas inspire you to take back summer and enjoy some good old fashioned fun with the ones you love!  

Whether you’re looking for something fun for your next summer party or just a fun activity to do with the kids, these summer DIYs will brings the smiles and laughs.

We only have 18 summers with our little ones and they go by faster then you realize. So give your kids a summer they’ll grow up nostalgic for—full of face-time and not screen-time.

Make it a party! Get some fun and fancy invites from Evite®, invite your friends and family and kick off summer with a bang!

Evite® is inviting families to put down their devices and spend time face-to-face this summer—and they’re kicking off with a $2,500 sweepstakes! You can enter for a chance to win enter for a chance to win your $2,500 getaway, where you and your family  can spend more time face-to-face and device-free. Imagine where you would go with your family!

Don’t worry if you’re not extra crafty, these simple DIYs are some of the easiest crafts you can make and you’ll be hailed the hero of summer fun when you make them!

DIY LEMONADE STAND

Perfect for selling lemonade or serving up fun at your next barbecue, this portable lemonade stand kit will bring lots of fun for your little one.

Having a backyard lemonade stand is a rite of passage in childhood. I think at one point or another every child has spent hours playing with their own lemonade stand.

You can be as simple or as fancy as you want. I found this cute little wooden lemonade crate and filled it with all the lemonade essentials, fancy straws, cups, napkins, to-go bags, and even a fun lemon print apron.

My daughter is all about pretend play and I love encouraging her imagination. So we set up her little picnic table with some fruit, donuts and of course, plenty of lemonade.

She had the most fun I’ve seen her have as she set up her little lemonade stand. You could go all out and even create an actual stand for the kids, but for us the table worked fine.

She put her apron on and got right to work serving us homemade lemonade.

Set up some desserts on the table and it’ll be the star of your next party!

BACKYARD TIC-TAC-TOE

Using a few supplies I had on hand and a couple I picked up from the craft store, this DIY tic-tac-toe game is one everyone will be begging to play.

It’s perfect for those summer nights when you’re cooking on the grill and you hear that “I’m bored” cry coming from the kids. I picked up everything I need for this DIY tic-tac-toe from my local craft store.

You’ll need:

• 6 wooden X’s (about 3 inches each)
• 6 wooden O’s (about 3 inches each)
• 8 wooden circle’s about 1″ in diameter
• 4 wooden dowels about 4 inches
• twine
• hot glue
• paint (I had stain on hand from another project but you could totally paint these any color with craft paint)
• Circular piece of wood about 24″ in diameter (I used the lid to an old barrel cooler that I was getting ready to throw out) It was the perfect shape and color that I needed.

Step 1: Stain or Paint your X’s and O’s your desired color. You can also paint the circle pieces as well.

Step 2: Glue a 3 in. wooden dowel between two of the circles. Then glue a piece of twine 12 inches long to four of the wooden circles.  Then glue the end of each piece of twine to a remaining circle. You should have your tic-tac-toe board.

Step 3: Glue each circle shape onto the giant circle to hold the tic-tac-toe board in place.

Grab a few outdoor pillows to use as cushions and place them around the game for seating.

DIY PUFFY SIDEWALK PAINT

DIY Puffy Sidewalk Paint one project both my kids have enjoyed over the years. It’s SO easy to make and only requires 4 ingredients which you probably already have on hand.

The only thing I needed to buy for this project was the bottles to store it in but these can be used over and over again any time you make the paint.

To make this DIY Puffy Sidewalk Paint you’ll need:

• Flour
• Water
• Food Coloring
• Dish soap
• Plastic Squeeze Bottles – one for every color you want to make

In a large bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups of flour, 1 cup of water and 1 tbsp. of dish soap. Whisk until there are lumps left. Add in 7-10 drops of food coloring and stir.

Pour into the squeeze bottles and let the kids decorate your sidewalks with fun summer designs.

Since I use food coloring in the paint, I make sure we hose off all the designs when we’re done so it doesn’t stain the sidewalks.

Whatever DIY you decide to make, take back your summer and spent more face time with the ones you love!

Don’t forget to enter for a chance to win your $2,500 getaway from Evite! Check out their campaign for more inspiration on how to spend time face-to-face with your kids this summer.

Dawn