As summer nears and children excitedly anticipate summer break, you may be wondering what your family is going to do all summer long. Creating a family bucket list is a great way to plan activities and make memories. Whether you’re looking for things to do at home (inside or outside) or away from the home, we’ve put together a list of 75 family summer bucket list ideas to help you make your very own summer bucket list.
You’ll notice we separated these ideas into at home (indoor), at home (outdoor), and away from home, but you may be able to interchange ideas depending on your home and what is available to you!
Family summer bucket list ideas at home (indoor):
1. Paint rocks and hide them in the park for others to find
2. Play with water beads (be careful with little ones)
3. Tie-dye t-shirts or other pieces of clothing
4. Raise a butterfly indoors and release it
5. Make homemade ice cream
6. Make a homemade bird feeder
7. Play a family board game or card game together
8. Make homemade applesauce
9. Make fresh cookies and deliver them to a neighbor
10. Go on a scavenger hunt
11. Make root beer floats (perfect for movie night!)
12. Make an obstacle course and see which family member can complete it the fastest
13. Put a jigsaw puzzle together
14. Make a smoothie
15. Make homemade popsicles
16. Try a new international food
17. Paint a picture of something you see outside (e.g. flower)
18. Let the kids plan and help make dinner
19. Turn up the music and have a dance party
Family summer bucket list ideas at home (outdoor):
20. Play flashlight tag when the sun goes down
21. Collect fireflies in a jar—don’t forget to poke holes in the lid!
22. Plant flowers, vegetables, or fruits together
23. Go camping someplace or camp in your own backyard
24. Make homemade lemonade and set up a lemonade stand
25. Help a neighbor with their lawn, take the trash to the road, etc.
26. Rent an inflatable bounce house
27. Make s’mores over a campfire
28. Look for worms on a rainy day
29. Invite friends over for a backyard barbeque
30. Play in a sprinkler
31. Play outside in the rain
32. Have a neighborhood or community bake sale
33. Have a water gun battle
34. Have a water balloon battle (or play a water balloon toss game)
35. Look for four-leaf clovers
36. Gaze at the stars and look for constellations
37. Slip & slide in the backyard
38. Learn to jump rope alone and with others
39. Grab binoculars and go bird watching
40. Host a neighborhood block party
41. Play outdoor games (Frisbee, soccer, etc.)
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- Don’t Fret Yet! A Great Last-Minute Vacation: Summer Fairs
- Visit the Nation’s 8 Best Beach Towns for Families
- 7 Most Underrated Family Vacation Spots
Family summer bucket list ideas away from home:
42. Have a picnic at the local park
43. Visit a nearby zoo or aquarium
44. Find trees to safely climb on
45. Fly a kite on a windy day
46. Visit a botanical garden (especially if they have a children’s garden)
47. Visit an ice cream stand
48. Go fishing (don’t forget a fishing license if necessary)
49. Watch fireworks
50. Enjoy local live music
51. Visit an amusement park
52. Go swimming
53. Visit a museum or children’s museum
54. Eat from a food truck
55. Go to a baseball game
56. Go to a pond and feed bread to the ducks
57. Buy something at a farmer’s market
58. Visit your local splash pad
59. Go to the beach and build sandcastles
60. Follow a park trail/go hiking
61. Visit the library (check to see if they have a children’s summer reading program)
62. Play a game of mini-golf
63. Try a new pizza restaurant
64. Watch a parade
65. Watch a movie at a drive-in movie theater
66. Roller skate outdoors or at a skating rink
67. Go to an outdoor concert (look for free summer concerts nearby)
68. Visit a state fair or local festival
69. Collect seashells at the beach
70. Take a road trip to someplace you’ve never been
71. Spend the night in a treehouse
72. Make homemade cards and deliver them to a nursing home
73. Sign up for a local class (cooking, painting, etc.)
74. Pick your own fruit at a “U-Pick” fruit farm
75. Take a boat ride
Hopefully, you’ve been given plenty of ideas for making your own family summer bucket list. Don’t feel the need to mark off every activity on this list—these are only ideas! These ideas may get your creative juices flowing so that you’ll think of even more great family summer bucket list items. When it comes down to it, it’s not how much you do, but about the time your family will enjoy spending together during the summer months.
What are some of your favorite summer bucket list items for your family?
Morgan French is a wife, mom of two, writer & editor. After traveling for 3 years with her family, she now lives back in her hometown of Dayton, OH. She makes frequent stops for coffee, enjoys the outdoors, and loves board games.
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