5 ways to build a better lemonade stand
International Delight offers tips on how to build a better lemonade stand. Hint: Serve iced coffee for parents. Credit: Handout
When I think back to my childhood, I often remember setting up a lemonade stand with my sister in front of our house. We'd sell the classic summertime drink for 5 cents to our neighbors and friends who'd pass by.
The other day I noticed our neighbor's kids set up a lemonade stand and I couldn't believe how things have changed. Not only did they have lemonade, but they also had candy, water bottles and iced coffee. My 2-year-old daughter was enamored by the boys yelling "lemonade" that she wanted to take part in the fun.
Looking to kick your kids' lemonade stands up a notch? International Delight offered five creative tips to make their booth stand out above the rest.
1. Donate. Encourage your kids to donate the proceeds to a local children's charity. Or suggest people pay it forward and buy a cup for a fellow neighbor, the local postal worker or dog walker. Be sure to advertise this on the booth using large signs and have brochures about the local cause available to hand out to customers.
2. Add iced coffee. Expand the offerings to include other beverages like iced coffee to appeal to parents. Take a photo of your lemonade stand and post it on social media using the tag #IcedCoffeeLove.
3. Promote. Build a marketing campaign for the booth. Have your children create signs to advertise the booth at corners around the neighborhood, directing traffic to the stand. Tell your friends on your private Facebook page or through a text message or email.
4. Time it right. Encourage kids to research events coming up that would have good foot traffic moving past their lemonade stand. For example fairs, baseball games, street festivals and outdoor concerts are great options for good sales.
5. Incentivize. Create incentive programs to keep children interested in their business throughout the summer. If they choose to donate the earnings, plan a special trip to the organization to drop off the check. Or if they're saving up to purchase something special, establish a “Money Earned” chart showing how close they are to their goal.
Check out internationaldelight.com/summer to download free printables and more tips on how to build a better lemonade stand. There is also a drink calculator to help you determine how many drinks you should make for the number of people you expect.
