70+ Ultimate Summer Bucket List Ideas for Kids in 2023 (2024)

Family | Motherhood | Travels

May 22, 2023May 23, 2023

Are you ready for summer? A great way to begin your summer break is with a summer bucket list to get you clear on what you want for your summer season! There are plenty of fun ideas and engaging activities that elementary kids and preschoolers can enjoy during the summer. No reason to sit around feeling bored during the summer months!

Why Make a Summer Bucket List?

Basically a bucket list is part to-do list and part fun brainstorming. Making a bucket list helps us be more intentional with our summer.When we plan for fun we actually do it!A summer bucket list helps keep boredom at bay.

A summer bucket list can be afamily group project that brings everyone together and on equal footing.Your kids may have some wonderful ideas for summer fun you wouldn’t think of doing–I know mine did!

Your summer bucket list can be full of simple moments like “climb a tree” or “make homemade lemonade“. There are plenty of free ideas that fit your budget and bank account. You can also add a few bigger moments like going to a water park or beach days. I would start small and know you can always add things to your list later!

70+ Ultimate Summer Bucket List Ideas for Kids

Go on a picnic
Camp under the stars
Lake Michigan beach day
Zoo trip
Let your kids photograph a day-in-the-life
Pick blueberries
See a parade
Run or walk a 5K together
Makehomemade ice cream
Take family photos
Go to the 4-H Fair
Make a blanket fort
Explore a waterfall
Run a lemonade stand
Make s’mores
Go to an art museum
Make root beer floats
Read 5 new books
Join the summer library reading program
Have a paper airplanes race
Go to the dollar store and let each kid pick out one thing
Go for a hike at a state park
Write a poem
Go to a local farmer’s market
Bake a pie (EasyDutch appleorpeach blueberryare favs!)
Go for a boat ride
Visit a local farm or petting zoo
Go on a scavenger nature walk
Create a backyard obstacle course
Makehomemade popsicles
Build a sand castle at the beach or in the sandbox
Have anoutdoor movie nightunder the stars
Go to a drive in movie theater
Plant a garden
Create or buy anature journal
Visit a new playground
Write and illustrate a book
Pet a kitten
Climb a tree
Cloud watch
Go to an amusem*nt park for a day (check for discounts on half days too!)
Have a themed dress up day (pirates, Disney characters, superheroes)
Go to a minor league baseball game
Try paddleboarding
Find the closest National Park and go visit it!
Learn a new outdoor game like capture the flag or kickball orbadminton.
Organize backyard Olympics for the whole family
Make a pinecone + peanut butter bird feeder
Wash the car together
Lego-building competition – everything from tallest tower to making houses to creating characters and scenes!
Makefriendship bracelets or tie dye t-shirts with friends
Have ahomemade ice cream party! Make it yourself and invite friends to enjoy.
Sidewalk chart art competition
Attend an outdoor concert (lots of parks and fairs have them in the summer!)
Family game night with a new board game (Preschool favandElementary fav)
Go on a mini road trip -Take a day trip to a nearby town or attraction that you haven’t visited before. Explore new places, visit landmarks, or try local cuisine.
Do a science experiment
Decorate bikes, strollers and scooters for a neighborhood bike parade.
Host a water balloon fight with friends or family
Go on a bike ride
Ride a ferris wheel
Try a new fresh fruit
Give everyone $2 dollars to spend and go to a yard sale
Catch fireflies
Stay up late roasting marshmallows and telling ghost stories or asking would you rather questions.
Do a random act of kindness for a friend, teacher, church or community member
Go geocaching!
Turn off TV and electronics for a full day (or week or month!)
Kayak or float on a river
Let them “be bored” and see what happens!

How Do You Make a Summer Bucket List for Kids?

Ask them what they want to do this summer.
Ask what are they excited about?
Ask them what they loved doing last summer (if they can remember!)

You can write down their answers or have them draw their ideas if they aren’t reading and writing yet.

What is a Reverse Bucket List and Why It’s Genius.

A reverse summer bucket list helps take the pressure off you, if a summer bucket list feels overbearing or you’re already low-key dreading “failing” by not checking everything off.

Simply add memorable and fun things you do to your Summer Bucket List AFTER you do them!

This how visiting a waterfall and making a blanket fort made its way onto our list! Yesterday the kids and I built a blanket fort (I needed to dry a large comforter so win-win). Then another time we spontaneously decided to check out a local park and it had a beautiful waterfall!

I realizedafter-the-factthese were fun, memory-making activities we had already completed, so onto the list they went!

Remember the list is there to serve YOU not the other way around!

RELATED:An Imperfect Summer

Remember, meaningful moments don’t create themselves. If you want joyful and adventurous days this summer–not whiney, hectic, and bored days–it’s time to think about summer differently.

And a great place to start is with a summer bucket list that the whole family can get behind! Putting pen to paper can help you prioritize your time (there are only so many weekends in the season) and be intentional with creating memories all summer long. Don’t forget to grab your Playful Summer Guide with the FREE DOWNLOAD Summer Bucket List

This summer we have weddings, hikes, road trips, family lake vacations, live music, 4-H fairs and so many other fun activities on our list. We’ve also been intentional about NOT being involved in summer sports or theater.

Enjoy the summer and create wonderful memories with your little ones!

What is one thing on YOUR summer bucket list?