How to create a family summer bucket list of fun kid activities (with Free Printables). Take the stress out of summer break by creating a family fun bucket list with over 100 ideas to help you save your mom-sanity. Lots of tips, tricks, and ideas to keep your kids busy, engaged, and happy all summer long!
It’s that time of year when parents all over the country are eagerly awaiting spending every waking moment with their kids for the next 2 months…who am I kidding??
We are all just trying to make it through the insanity of the last few weeks of school while frantically trying to figure out what we are going to do with our kids all summer long (emphasis on the word LONG)!
Unless you have unlimited financial resources, (which ain’t me) then you are probably gearing up for the daily battle of the dreaded “Mom, I’m bored!”.
So what’s the antidote to a ho-hum summer of bored kids?….
well let me tell you…get yourself organized and come up with a plan!
Don’t fret, dear friend! I’m here to help you!
I’ve been in the trenches of motherhood for 19 years so I have some tried and true, no-fail ideas that will help you survive the summer!
HOW TO CREATE A SUMMER BUCKET LIST
1. Brainstorm Ideas for Your Summer Bucket List
Before the end of the school year, sit down as a family, and have a session of verbal brainstorming all the fun things your kids would like to do this summer!
You might be surprised by what sounds fun for them.
I have found oftentimes, my “great ideas” actually don’t sound that exciting to my kids, and in reverse, they think of things I wouldn’t have considered.
Doing a quick family discussion aloud gets the idea juices flowing.
I’ve created a list of 101 fun summer things to do with kids here if your family needs some extra inspiration and ideas.
Here’s just some of the fun ideas you can incorporate in your summer bucket list!
1. Go to a dollar movie
2. Visit a Farm
3. Color a picture
4. Go for a hike
5. Visit a farmer’s market
6. Go fishing
7. Play a board game
8. Do a taste test
9. Write in a journal
10. Have a digital detox day
11. Take underwater photos
12. Have a family dance party
13. Go geocaching
14. Run through the sprinklers
15. Host a sleepover
16. Pay “HORSE” in basketball
17. Learn a magic trick
18. Play laser tag
19. Make a scrapbook
20. Visit a local museum
21. Have a PJ day
22. Plant flowers
23. Eat cotton candy
24. Play Cards
25. Make a music video
26. Attend an outdoor concert
27. Play Hide and Seek
28. Host a BBQ
29. Watch a parade
30. Make and play hopscotch
31. Volunteer
32. Play frisbee
33. Make homemade pizzas
34. Plant a garden
35. Host a bonfire
36. Skip rocks at a pond
37. Have a family Game Night
38. Go stargazing
39. Visit an aquarium
40. Tie dye t-shirts
41. Have a hula hoop contest
42. Go to an amusement park
43. Play mini-golf
44. Go kayaking/canoeing
45. Watch a drive in movie
46. Camp in your backyard
47. Eat watermelon
48. Take a trip to the Dollar Store
49. Try yoga
50. Play a backyard game (Wiffle Ball/Badminton/Corn Hole/Tag)
51. Visit an arcade
52. Ride a carousel
53. Visit a shopping mall
54. Eat at a drive in restaurant (Sonic, Rally’s, Checkers)
55. Play with play dough
56. Eat an ice cream sundae for dinner
57. Visit a street fair
58. Finger paint
59. Make a puppet show
60. Ride bikes/scooters
61. Make Ice cream in a bag
62. Challenge someone to Tic-Tac-Toe
63. Attend a baseball game
64. Have a picnic
65. Do a hidden picture
66. Draw with chalk
67. Make a smoothie
68. Have water gun war
69. Visit a new park
70. Play with bubbles
71. Build a sandcastle
72. Visit a water park
73. Rent a movie from the library
74. Go swimming
75. Visit a local county fair
76. Join your library reading program
77. Make a root beer float
78. Perform a random act of kindness
79. Make breakfast for dinner
80. Play in the sprinkler
81. Pick a craft from Pinterest
82. Eat at a new restaurant
83. Pack and enjoy a picnic
84. Have water balloon fight
85. Go bowling
86. Face paint
87. Go to a splash pad
88. Write a letter to a family member
89. Eat donuts
90. Build a fort
91. Go to a garage sale
92. Eat corn on the cob
93. Got to the beach/lake
94. Make icees/snow cones
95. Pick berries
96. Indoor Nerf gun war
97. Try a new recipe
98. Create a scavenger hunt
99. Make s’mores
100. Get a treat from an ice cream truck
101. Go on a Slip N’ Slide
Summer Bucket List Inspiration – 101 Fun Ideas
2. Write It Down
After a quick verbal brainstorm as a family, have your kids write down some of their favorite ideas for your summer bucket list.
If you’ve got kiddos who are too small to write or do this on their own, then you can verbally talk about what they would like to do and write it down for them.
Caution: If you have a child who is very literally (like I do) remind them this is just a brainstorming session.
Just cause they write down “Take a Trip to Tokyo Disneyland” does not mean that you are going to Japan!!
I’ve created several templates to help guide you!
Use whichever ones you think will work best for your child’s age.
Feel free to print out one for yourself too!!
Maybe you can share some of the things you enjoy with your kiddos!
(Click on the images below to access the printable PDF)
3. Share Your Ideas
Once you’ve finished writing down your ideas, talk about them as a family and come up with a modified list that seems to be do-able!
Don’t be afraid to add a few things that might feel like a stretch…it’s good to have some fun summer goals that seem a little out of reach.
I’d highly recommend typing your family’s “bucket list” and posting it somewhere visible in your home to help you stay on track and to inspire you to stay active this summer!
4. Create a Schedule
Another recommendation I have is to look at the main “themes” of your family lists….and create a weekly schedule.
Does your family want to travel more or is it primarily focused on creating crafts and cooking?
In the Weber abode, we assign a theme for each weekday to help us add some structure to our week because otherwise days seem to slip by and before your know it the summer is over without any new memories to show for it!
I’ve written a blog post all about how to create a daily and weekly schedule summer schedule to have the BEST.SUMMER.EVER here!
If you need some more Summer Fun inspiration, check out my Pinterest board here or if you want to see what the Webettes have been up to in real life, let’s become FB friends and Insta-buddies here!!
Hope you and your family plan an amazing summer filled with fun and adventures!
I’d love to hear which summer bucket list activities were your favorite!
Until next time, cheers to keeping the kiddos busy and cheers to you!
XOXO,
Magan
Other Summer Family Fun Posts:
Save Your Sanity This Summer By Creating a Daily and Weekly Family Schedule
