Genius Summer Bucket List Ideas for Family Fun

Summer is the best time to make a family 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 - Kids Activities Blog feature - grid of 9 summer fun activities for the entire family pictured with check marks — Let’s make our summer bucket list!

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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Bucket list with blue stick notes that say stay at grandma's house and go and build a sand castle at the beach. — Source: Facebook

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

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

This is your bucket list.

It is as simple as that.

A family coloring and making a bucket list together for the summer.

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.

Bucket list ideas like cuddle with yaya, play at the park, take a road trip to Michigan. — Source: Oops & Daisies

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.

A little redhead girl is writing down all the things she wants to do this summer with a crayon.

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).

A girl in a blue shirt with a raccoon is making a bucket list so she can have fun with her family.

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!

Ice Cream Summer Bucket List which is a great alternative to a traditional bucket list

Looking For More Bucket List Ideas?

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!