Published on July 24, 2020 | Last Updated on December 16, 2021

This post is sponsored by Sunbelt Bakery. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Nothing says summertime like a colorful lemonade stand! With everything going on right now, I know it’s best not to serve cups of lemonade to our neighbors, so I made a backyard lemonade stand inspired by Sunbelt Bakery’s Lemon Meringue Chewy Granola Bars! This was such a fun project and perfect to keep your kiddos entertained this summer. 

When I first tasted Sunbelt Bakery’s Limited Edition Lemon Meringue flavor, it reminded me of crisp flavors of summer. Piper and I both love them plus they’re made with no artificial colors or preservatives. We keep them on hand for quick snacking and the Lemon Meringue bars make the perfect addition to Piper’s lemonade stand! 

How To Host a Lemonade Stand

If you want to recreate the stand at home, I’m including the instructions below!

Things You Need To Make DIY Lemonade For Kids:

Lemonade Stand Supplies

• 2 pieces of wood cut to 45″ and 2 pieces cut to 50″. I purchased primed 2″ wide pieces in the molding section so they were already white. Tip: I always ask someone at the hardware store to cut the wood for me. It saves me having to use a saw!
• Wooden Planter (from IKEA)
• 48” wooden dowel – Ask someone at the hardware store to cut two 24” pieces.
• White matte outdoor spray paint 
• Drill
• Wood Putty
• Level
• 2” Screws
• Four 1 ¼” Screw Cup Hooks
• Saw

Awning Supplies

• Yellow and white stripe fabric
• Sewing Machine
• Scotchguard spray

Lemonade Sign Supplies

• 8×10” acrylic sheet from the hardware store
• Craft Paint
• Vinyl letters 
• Paintbrush
• Clear Command Hooks intended for outdoor use

How To Make a DIY Lemonade Stand For Kids

Assemble the planter per the instructions but leave off the bottom and legs. Paint the planter, the bottom, legs, dowels, and hooks white. You’ll need to do another coat once assembled.

Turn the planter upside down so the scallop edges of the wood are at the bottom. Place the bottom piece on the top of the planter so you create a table and screw it in. I wanted the table to have a solid surface so I used the saw to short the original legs that came with the planter and attached those to the edges.

Then attach the new legs to the planter. The shorter pieces (45”) will be in the front and the longer pieces (50”) will be the back legs. I made the table height is 24″ high but you can adjust as needed. The legs need to be even on the bottom but different heights on the top to create the awning. Use the level when attaching the legs to make sure the tabletop is even. 

Screw in the screw cup hooks to each piece of the wood at the top to hold the dowels and awning in place. Fill in any holes or cracks with wood putty then touch up with another coat of spray paint.

To make the awning, measure the fabric to fit as a canopy. Sew the canvas on all sides and create holes for the dowels. If you’re not using outdoor fabric, be sure to spray with Scotchguard before assembling. Once it’s dry, put the dowels through the fabric and through the screw cup hooks.

For the sign, I painted brush strokes on one side of the acrylic sheet. While it’s drying, I made the vinyl letters using my Cricut. 

Once assembled, you can add a plastic drink dispenser filled with lemonade, cups, and Sunbelt Bakery’s Lemon Meringue bars as a snack!

You can find Sunbelt Bakery’s Chewy Granola Bars in stores using their product locator and online!

How To Host a Lemonade Stand

Hosting a lemonade stand is a fun and easy way for kids to make money. Here’s how to get started:

1. Decide on a location for your lemonade stand. It’s best to choose a spot that’s in a high traffic area, such as near a park, by a road, or by a school.
2. Make your stand look appealing to potential buyers. Draw a big eye-catching sign that says “Lemonade $1” and decorate your stand with fun colors and balloons. It’s also smart to bring sticks of gum and bubblegum for kids to chew on while they work, since their mouths get dry when they’re selling lemonade for a long time.
3. Purchase lemons from the grocery store and a case of empty plastic bottles. You can also buy a big bag of ice to keep your drinks cool in the summer sun. Be sure to have plenty of cups on hand too, because you’ll have a lot of customers.
4. Have fun at your lemonade stand! Don’t forget to thank everyone who buys from you, and let them know that they can come back to see you again soon if they’d like.

Lemonade stand tutorial inspired by A Darling Daydream‘s project.