With salads replacing soups, sandwiches on the go, barbecues and picnics – keep the children's summertime snacking healthy, and have a go at creating your own supply of frozen treats for the family. 

You don’t need to have special gadgets (although there are some inexpensive molds that make the job easy) – paper or plastic cups, yoghurt pots, ice cube trays or even small sand or dough play moulds can work well.

Kideeko top tip: remember, the smaller the ice-lolly, the quicker it will melt!

For the sticks, you can buy wooden ice-lolly or cake pop sticks quite cheaply, or even try using plastic spoons. Cover the mold with cling wrap and poke the stick through. The cling wrap will help to hold the stick upright while the ice-lolly freezes overnight.

So, what can you freeze for a treat?

Juices, yoghurt, fruit teas, instant puddings and smoothies are all great bases to start with. Then try adding in pieces of fruit, or perhaps peanut butter or chocolate chips for a hidden surprise. Bananas dipped into chocolate and then frozen are always a hit and can even have sprinkles added for a summer birthday party. A few of our favourite ice-lolly combinations at Kideeko are:

Frozen Banana pudding with peanut butter surprise

Frozen Red Raspberry Rover

Frozen Orange and Mango Smoothie Sensation

Frozen Slime (Lime) Yoghurt and Kiwi Monster

Have fun experimenting with your own healthy icy treats. Children love the bright colours of frozen fruit and you can customize them to be the perfect size and taste for a toddler or even a teen, keeping the whole family happy. Ice-lolly making is also a great way to add a little science into the summer holidays, with the opportunity discuss how a liquid can turn into a solid and then why it melts once it leaves the freezer.