Summer can be a wonderful time of year for making happy family memories with your children. But it can be easy to let the summer pass you by, and before you know it the summer is over and you feel like you didn’t actually do any of the ideal fun family summer activities.
This is where having a special bucket list for summer activities comes in handy. By putting together a list of fun summer bucket list ideas for kids and your family to try you can be grateful for this time you have with your children and make the most of your summer together.
Don’t let this summer pass you by! Put down the screens and make plans to have fun adventures, laugh all too much, and make precious memories with your family. And these summer activity ideas can help give you some direction on how to do that.
How this List is Organized
While we all have some of the same goals for summer — like enjoy the summer sun and make lots of memories as a family — every family is different. And because of that, I thought it would be most helpful to organize this list of summer bucket list ideas in a way that will help you to find what you’re looking for easier.
So you can look through the entire list as a whole and download the free (editable) printable summer bucket list at the end of this post.
But you can also find the the summer activities you can try this year with your family organized by type below. That way you can easily find which types of activities you and your family will most likely want to do easier.
Tips for Completing the Most Summer Bucket List Ideas
This bucket list of summer activity ideas might seem overwhelming at first. How can you possibly accomplish all of these over 130 summer bucket list ideas?
Adjust this list to fit your family
You don’t have to end up doing them all in one summer! Just do as many as you think is reasonable.
The free PDF checklist that you can find at the end of this post is editable, which means you can remove items that aren’t important to you or add more personal items that aren’t already included.
This way you can personalize this list to suit you and your family better.
Use this list as a springboard for summer planning for the next several years
You can also take this bucket list and have a goal to complete it within a span of several years — say 5 years.
That way you can plan out your upcoming summers in order to incorporate these fun summer activities that you want your children to experience during their childhood.
Group similar bucket list items together to complete at the same time
Another thing to remember is that many of these ideas can be accomplished simultaneously. For example, below you’ll find these ideas:
- Go swimming (or learn to swim)
- Go to the beach
- Bury your toes in the sand
- Collect sea shells
- Build a sand castle
Now, while all of these are separate ideas, they can all be accomplished while going to the beach. Which means that your trip to the beach has knocked off at least 5 of your summer bucket list ideas. Woohoo!
So look at the list like this and group items together that you can accomplish together and you’ll find more success with completing all of these fun bucket list ideas for summer.
Summer Bucket List Ideas to Help You Cool Off in the Water
One of the best things about summer is getting to enjoy all the wonderful things that water has to offer!
So any summer bucket list for kids (and adults) should definitely include some ideas for how to cool off in the water in fun and memorable ways.
Here are few summer bucket list ideas for water-related activities.
- Go swimming (or learn to swim)
- Play at the beach
- Run through a splash pad
- Find a local water park
- Slide down a big water slide
- Play in a big swimming pool
- Race down a slip n’ slide
- Skip through the sprinkler
- Float in the water
- Have a water balloon fight
- Play in a water table
- Splash around in the kiddie pool
- Have a water fight
- Play outdoor water games
- Swim in a lake
- Take a ride on a boat
- Ride on jet-skis
- Wash the family car(s)
- Go tubing down a river
- Make (and sail) paper boats
Fun Summer Sports for Your Family Summer Bucket List
Your family might be more into sports than playing in the water. And if that’s the case then you won’t want to miss out on enjoying these summer sports this summer.
- Go horseback riding
- Play dodge ball
- Go fishing
- Go canoeing
- Go kayaking
- Play capture the flag
- Play disc golf at the park
- Play soccer
- Go to a baseball game
- Go golfing
- Play baseball
- Play kickball
- Play beach volleyball
- Play horseshoes at the park
- Play Frisbee at the park
- Run in a race
- Play hopscotch
- Play jump rope
Summer Bucket List Ideas to Enjoy Nature During the Summer
If your goal this summer is to enjoy nature more with your family. Then you’ll want to make note of these summer bucket list ideas that will be sure to help you, your kids, and your family to get the most out of nature this summer.
- Go on a nature walk
- Have a backyard camp out
- Go on a camping trip
- Stargaze in your backyard
- Watch the sunrise
- Watch the sunset
- Go bird watching
- Do an outdoor scavenger hunt
- Climb trees in your backyard
- Roll down a hill
- Plant flowers around your house
- Go to a nature center
- Cloud watch and find shapes in the clouds
- Pick flowers for each other
- Go hiking
- Have a Bonfire
- Learn about the stars with a telescope
- Feed ducks
- Catch butterflies with nets
- Visit a local flower garden
- Plant a vegetable garden
- Catch fireflies
- Spot a shooting star
- Hike to a waterfall
- Go on a bug hunt
- Skip rocks on the water
- Bury your toes in the sand at the beach
- Visit different parks you’ve never seen before
Must-Eat Summer Food to Add to Your Family Summer Bucket List for Kids to Try
With each season brings special foods and food-related activities special to that season — and summer is no different. If making meals is relaxing and not stressful for you; or if you’re a family of foodies, then be sure to add these food-related summer bucket list ideas to your plans this summer.
- Make s’mores at a bonfire
- Go to your church picnic
- Make ice cream
- Make and drink tropical drinks
- Go out for ice cream
- Eat watermelon
- Roast marshmallows over a fire
- Enjoy a snow cone
- Cool down with a popsicle
- Make lemonade
- Start a lemonade stand
- Drink a Slurpee
- Have ice cream from an ice cream truck
- Have an ice cream party with a toppings bar
- Make (or buy) root beer floats
- Host (or go to) a backyard BBQ
- Pick berries that are in season
- Have hot dogs on the grill
- Have a picnic lunch together
Fun Summer Outings for Your Summer Bucket List
The greatest thing about summer is that it’s so nice outside! Which opens up the opportunity to do all sorts of great outings that you can really only do during the summer months. So be sure to take advantage of the summer days that you can do these fun summer outings with your family.
- Visit a farmer’s market
- Go to a local fair/carnival
- Go to a local summer festival
- Go to the zoo
- Go to a drive in movie
- Go to an outdoor concert
- Play mini golf together
- Visit a petting zoo
- Go on a road trip somewhere
- Visit a working farm
- Go to an amusement park
- Stay at a cabin
- Go on an RV trip
- Go to a summer camp
- Watch a parade in person
- Go to yard sales
- Watch a fireworks show
- Ride on a Ferris wheel
- Ride on a merry-go-round
- Play at the playground
- Have (or go to) a luau party
- Ride on a roller coaster
Get Creative With These Summer Themed Crafts to Add to Your Bucket List for Summer
If you’re a family of creative people then you’ll for sure want to incorporate opportunities to express your (and your child’s) creativity through these fun summer themed arts and crafts.
- Paint and decorate rocks
- Make a bird feeder
- Make sun catchers
- Create sidewalk chalk art
- Tie-dye family t-shirts
- Do some other summer themed crafts
- Tie-dye personalized beach towels
- Make wind chimes
More Great Summer Hobbies and Activities for Your Summer Bucket List
There are some activities that you just have to experience during the summer months. Some of these you may be able to get away with doing during other months of the year, but the summer is the best time for these fun summer hobbies and activities.
- Ride bikes (or learn how to ride a bike)
- Slide down a slide
- Fly a kite
- Play catch
- Hula hoop
- Swing on the swings
- Start a rock collection
- Go metal detecting
- Collect sea shells
- Blow bubbles
- Have a shadow puppet show on the garage door
- Read some summer themed books
- Build a sand castle
- Jump on a trampoline
- Do outdoor science experiments
- Play flashlight tag
- Make an outdoor obstacle course in your yard
- Play in the sand box
- Tell campfire stories
- Sing (and make up your own) campfire songs
- Take a nap in a hammock
- Do a summer reading program
- Have a yard sale
- Make and play a backyard game
Get the Free Printable Summer Bucket List
Don’t let wondering what to do with your kids this summer overwhelm you. You’re a great mom for trying to make the most of this summer with your children. And now you have more than enough ideas to make your summer with your family fun and memorable with these summer bucket list ideas!
I’ve also created a printable version of this summer bucket list for you. This way you can print it out and check off the items as you do them. Just print it out and stick it on the fridge or in your planner for easy reference and planning.
And if you want to make the summer bucket list you print out re-usable, print it out and laminate it, then use wet erase markers to mark off the items as you do them during the summer.
Just click on the button below to grab your free summer bucket list for kids and families. I hope this helps you to enjoy this summer with your family more!
