Genius Summer Bucket List Ideas for Family Fun

Summer is the best time to make a family summer bucket list of things that you don’t want to miss doing together. Making a summer bucket list will help you avoid looking back in August and wondering where the time went! There are simple, free and low cost things that can fill this summer with fun for the entire family. Let’s make a summer bucket list together!

Summer Bucket List Ideas

I was inspired to make a summer bucket list for my family from Katie Eborall. Sometimes things happen in life and we can’t do fun stuff right away, so this is a great way to ensure you still do them later! What makes this bucket list idea so awesome is that it will evolve over time and kids can get involved in the planning in a way that helps them develop delayed gratification skills and gives them something to look forward to.

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Supplies Needed to Make a Family Bucket List for Summer Fun

• Slips of paper
• A large jar
• A marker.

How to Create a Bucket List For Your Family that Grows with You

Step 1

When your kids asks for something they can’t do or have right now, write it down together.

Step 2

Then put it in the jar.

This is your bucket list.

It is as simple as that. As Katie said “we’ll work our way through the jar and be more grateful for the little and lovely things in our lives.” In the meantime, the jar will fill up with so many wonderful and magical things that the whole family can look forward to.

Great Summer Bucket List Ideas To Held Grow Your List

Can’t think of anything fun to do? We got you! Check out these fun activities to your summer bucket list and do the perfect summer activity each day!

• Go on a road trip.
• Take a day trip.
• Enjoy a long bike ride.
• Explore a national park.
• Explore your local parks.
• Visit a state park.
• Jam out at an outdoor concert or musical festival.
• Ride a ferris wheel.
• Have a blast at an amusement park.
• Enjoy fresh fruit outside.
• Check out a local farmer’s market.
• Cool off at a splash pad.
• Take a look at summer camps you can go to during summer break.
• Shop at a flea market.
• Go see a baseball game.
• Get an inflatable pool and splash!
• Perform a random act of kindness.
• Pick out movies for summer movie nights or an outdoor movie night.
• Enjoy root bear floats.
• Built sand castles.
• Plant a rose garden.
• Watch fireworks.
• Go on a camping trip.
• Paint rocks!
• Volunteer at a local shelter.
• Go on a scavenger hunt or a family hike.
• Learn at the local museum.
• Make popsicles using fruit juices.
• Try a new board game.
• Chow down at food trucks.
• Check out local tourist attractions.

Why This Bucket List Idea Helps Kids

Kids of all ages may have a hard time understanding why the can’t have fun right this minute. With work, school, and other things in life getting in the way, you can’t always have fun right now. But responsibility isn’t on their minds like ours, they just want to play!

So a bucket list helps them know you aren’t ignoring them, but they can’t do the fun things they want just this minute, but you will do them later.

This will also gives them something to look forward too, because let’s be honest, we could all use some motivation once in a while.

What Else You Can Do to Help Your Kids

Other ways you can help your kids understand: use phrases like “We can’t do that now, but here’s what we can do instead.”

The bucket list activity is a concrete way of reminding them of what they can do right now (create the bucket list).

How to Make a Bucket Journal

In the meantime too, we can help our kids wait to do those fun things in our bucket list by even creating a bucket journal!

What is a bucket journal?

Well, a bucket journal is a journal that you write down the details and plans of those things you want to do.

This would be a great activity to go along with your bucket list. Don’t know what to put in your journal? Here are some ideas!

Bucket Journal Ideas

• Each activity you have done
• Details about the activity like:
  • How fun it was
  • Stuff you did
  • People you saw
  • Places you saw along the way
  • How it made you feel
  • People you went with
• Add a checklist of things you want to do or see when you get there
• Add photos you took
• Write down new ideas

I bought just plain journals and bought sticks, washi tape, pens, and markers, and let my kids decorate their journals to match them and we’ve been using them for each bucket list item we do out of the jar.

So make this summer exciting! Add places to explore, see, and do and do them together as a family! A bucket wish jar and a bucket journal are a perfect way to make this happen!

Looking For More Bucket List Ideas? We have them at kids activities blog

We have a great free printable summer bucket list for you to use during the summer months. From homemade ice cream, fun at a water park during the warm weather, and a water balloon fight with new friends, there are so many things to add to your summer bucket list.

• Needing a simple bucket list? Then try this ice cream summer bucket list! Each day you try a different ice cream! How fun!
• Having a hard time putting your list together for this summer? Don’t worry we can help! We have 5 tips to help break down your list so your family can focus less on making the list and more on doing it.
• What is a better family activity than a picnic! Here are 50+ easy and fun picnic ideas.
• Summer is coming, what are you going to do? We have 30 awesome summer ideas your whole family will love!
• Did your family put the pool or beach on their bucket list? How fun! Don’t forget to go prepared! These beach and pool bag hacks are just what you need.
• Have a rainy day bucket list? That’s actually super clever, but rainy days can make it hard to get out. No worries! We have 10 family activities for a rainy day.
• Want to get your family closer? The add these to your bucket list! We have a year of family activities that will make each month fun.
• Need even more bucket list ideas? We have 66 super fun family time activities you will love. From being outside, vacations, indoor activities, and more…there is something for everybody.

What will you and your kids put on your bucket list? Comment below and let us know!