100 Summer Bucket List Ideas for Families

Well, today is the first official day of summer!!  Summer is such a fun time of year.  School’s out and vacation will be happening soon!  We get to be on our own schedule.  We don’t have to be at a certain place at a certain time.  And, as a teacher, I get to spend more time with my family during summers.  Life is good!  But I still like to have some plans and fun things for the family to do during the summer.  So here’s some summer bucket list ideas we’ve used and you may want to use for your own family!

I’m the type of person that does well with setting a schedule and sticking with it.  I’m not a super spontaneous person.  However, during summertime I do feel more laid back and relaxed.  I still have a skeleton schedule that I stick to during the summer.  But, I add in lots of fun things to keep the kids (and my husband and I) busy and active.  I like to add in structured activities and outings.  That way the kids don’t have a free-for-all with watching TV whenever they want (or destroying the house!).

What Is a Bucket List?

So, the other day, the boys and I made our summer bucket list.  I explained to them what a bucket list is – basically the goals for things you want to do before summer ends.  They can be things you want to learn or accomplish by the end of summer or just fun things you can’t wait to do during the summer.

These are the things that mainly the boys came up with.  I added a few too.  When I asked Jase, my 3 year old, what he wanted to do this summer, his ideas were “find worms, play outside, play tag, and play hide and seek.”  I love how his ideas were simple, everyday kind of things that don’t cost any money!  Jackson, my 6 year old, had adventurous ideas like “camping out, hiking, and building a fort.”  If only they would stay little and entertained by low-cost things forever!

Our Summer Bucket List:

1. Play hide & seek.
2. Dig up worms (already done!).
3. Go on bike rides.  This one’s already done – but will do more throughout the summer!
4. Jackson: Learn to tie shoes!
5. Go on vacation in Wisconsin.  I grew up there and am so excited to go back for summer vacation on a lake up north!
6. Build a fort.  The boys have made blanket forts inside, but they want to make a wooden fort outside.
7. Go see the Aladdin movie (already done, and it was so good!).
8. Build a sandbox.
9. Go to the beach (already done – but we will go again since we live less than 2 hours from the beach).
10. Go on hikes.
11. Jase:  learn to swim.
12. Go on hikes.
13. Play outside (everyday!).
14. Jackson:  read books and be ready for 1st Grade.
15. Go to the aquarium.
16. Go see the Lion King movie.
17. Camp out.
18. Plant flowers & herbs.
19. Go see the Toy Story 4 movie (lots of good movies coming out this summer!).
20. Play tag (already done, but will play more!).

More Summer Bucket List Ideas:

Here are some more summer bucket list ideas I thought of.  Some of these are things we’ve done already and some are things I want to do in the future.  Our bucket list board was full.   These are some great ideas we may try to do still if we finish the rest of the things on our bucket list and still need fun things to do.  Many of these ideas are things your whole family can do together, and some might be just for you!

1. Read a book you have but never finished reading.
2. Go to the zoo.
3. Have a family game night.
4. Go to a museum.
5. Have a paper airplane flying contest.
6. Go to the farmer’s market.
7. Make a craft.
8. Go swimming in a lake.
9. Have a water balloon fight.
10. Get a new pet.
11. Go to an antique shop.
12. Go fishing.
13. Make homemade candles.
14. Grill out.
15. Catch fireflies.
16. Try out a new restaurant.
17. Make a photo album (like Shutterfly, or scrapbook one yourself!).
18. Have a dance party.
19. Eat every kind of vegetable at the grocery store.
20. Go on walks.
21. Go to a splash pad.
22. Help a complete stranger.
23. Have a family movie night at home.
24. Sit on the front porch and watch a summer storm.
25. Build a chicken coop and get chickens.
26. Go to a waterpark.
27. Have a Lego building contest.
28. Make pottery.
29. Go mini golfing.
30. Have a tea party.
31. Plant a tree.
32. Go bowling.
33. Make homemade ice cream.
34. Visit shops downtown.
35. Play with bubbles.
36. Pick wildflowers
37. Visit the library.
38. Go to a flea market.
39. Take swim lessons.
40. Ride horses.
41. Start to learn a new language.
42. Take a load of toys and clothes to Goodwill or to someone in need.
43. Build a sandcastle.
44. Go to a park.
45. Have a coloring contest.
46. Start learning to play an instrument.
47. Take a bubble bath.
48. Go paddle boarding.
49. Collect seashells.
50. Redo a piece of furniture.
51. Visit a city in your state you’ve never been.
52. Have a family photo shoot.
53. Start a Youtube channel.
54. Read books as a family before bed each night.
55. Play laser tag.
56. Have family devotions.
57. Go four-wheeling.
58. Have or go to a pool party.
59. Start a lemonade stand.
60. Watch a sunset
61. Get a massage.
62. Join an exercise class.
63. Get a new cookbook and try out the recipes.
64. Go skydiving!
65. Play baseball as a family.
66. Compete in a race.
67. Play in the sprinkler.
68. Go blueberry picking.
69. Make kombucha.
70. Start a blog.
71. Do an escape room.
72. Feed some ducks.
    
73. Watch a sunrise.
74. Have a picnic.
75. Volunteer at a homeless shelter.
76. Start beekeeping.
77. Have a Nerf gun war.
78. Go to a baseball game.
79. Fly kites.
80. Take a cooking class.

Your summer does not have to be filled with grand vacations abroad.  Your kids don’t have to be in camps and lessons all summer in order for them to stay active and have fun.  I love the idea of allowing them to be adventurous and creative.  Let them play and make up their own games.  But if they’re bored and can’t think of something to play – use some of these ideas.

Have you done any of these things yet this summer?  What other summer bucket list ideas do you have?

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