This kids walkthrough stays in the order the work happens.
What are we going to do all summer break? Have a whole lot of fun with this printable summer bucket list for kids. Try these 31 fun family activities to keep kids busy and make memories.
See more tips and options in our Family Summer Activity file and the Summer Bucket List for Kids archives.
Before summer officially starts: celebrate the last day of school and don’t forget to take a picture with our straightforward printable signs!
Summer Bucket List options for Kids
Summer break can be both a parent’s delight (no more homework!) and a parent’s nightmare (what do we do all day?!)
Commemorate the last day of school with our printable signs for photos!
For our family, we like having a balance of total free time (for kids to play outside, play with friends, and do their own thing) and loosely scheduled family activities.
Doing something new or different 1-2 days per week make summer feel longer because we have more distinct activity memories, without being overwhelming trying to do something fun every. single. day.
So, we put together a printable summer bucket list of 24 activities to check off your adventure list this summer.
SUMMER BUCKET LIST FOR KIDS
We’ll also send you a reminder once a week highlighting tips and fun options for 2 of the straightforward summer bucket list activities.
Consider this a quality time checklist so you’ll have plenty to talk about when people ask “what did you do this summer?”
Planning a family trip? look at our printable vacation planning pack and our best family traveling tips here.
35+ Activity options: Summer Bucket List for Kids
Eat Watermelon
Remember: To pick a good ripe watermelon, choose one that is dark green and heavy, with a yellowish spot (not white) on the bottom.
See 30 delicious ways to eat a watermelon (other than just straight out of the rind).
Play Water Games
A good ol’ fashioned water game is the best way to pass a summer afternoon. Invite a few friends to make it a party by playing these 8 straightforward Backyard Water Games. Set up slip and slide, add some straightforward-fill water balloons for a water balloon fight, and don’t forget the bubbles!
BONUS: Cool off with 25 Water Activities, Crafts + Games
Plant a Garden
Planting is always in season for kids!
When planting a little later in the season, try planting fast-growing carrots, beans, or lettuce, or flowers such as sweet peas, marigolds, or sunflowers.
Related Reading: 25 Tips for Gardening with Kids
Host a Lemonade Stand
My kids love hosting a lemonade stand in our neighborhood. It’s great to see budding entrepreneurs learning how to work — even if they do drink a lot of their own inventory! Here are 7 tips to make it a success.
Mix it up and add soda floats or this fruity cream drink to your lemonade stand menu, too.
Here are 7 more tips to make your kids lemonade stand a success.
Play Kick The Can
Do your kids know how to play kick the can and the classic games that you played growing up, before there was “screen time”?
Play these 8 classic games together and try these other classic screen free activities:
- put on a puppet show
- fly paper airplanes
- play catch with a frisbee or baseball
- play night games like flashlight tag
- draw and play hopscotch
look at these 25 fun backyard games, too.
Make Cookies
The last thing I want to do in the summer is turn on the oven and heat up the house for a batch of cupcakes — so we make NO BAKE cookies instead!
20 No Bake Cookie & Dessert Recipes for Kids to Make
Build a Fort
It’s a rite of passage to build an epic fort during the summer! Build a fort with a blanket over the clothesline, or try these fort options, built from a variety of materials, from cardboard and bed sheets to 2x4s and shingles.
Our go-to fort activity is reading! See our book picks here.
Hold a Game Night
Playing games together can strengthen a family bond and give years of good memories! look at 15 of our go-to Family Games to Play Play in your fort or on the patio for extra summer fun.
Read our tips for making family game night a success (no fights or tears!)
Go on a Nature Walk
Choose a cool morning to take a nature walk around the neighborhood or the park. Gather a few sticks, rocks, plants, or flowers to make these straightforward nature crafts.
Follow these 6 tips to make hiking with kids FUN
Kids Cook Lunch/Dinner
Take the day off and let the kids cook dinner (or lunch) today! They’ll need only your supervision to make these 7 lunch or dinner meal options.
Plus 25 go-to quick fix dinner recipes for busy days
Play with Ice
When it’s hot outside, ice makes an inexpensive refreshing toy! Channel your inner Ice Queen with these chillingly cool ice activities. (These do require about 24 hours or so to freeze, so plan ahead.)
While you’re at it, make your own ice cream, too! Get the freezer ice cream recipe here.
Pick & Eat Strawberries
Strawberry season is one of my go-to parts of summer! Pick up some strawberries (find a patch near you or swing by the grocery store, no judgment here!) and eat up summer’s best crop.
25 Delicious Recipes using Fresh Strawberries
Make S’mores
Build a campfire or fire up the grill and roast those marshmallows (or try these other campfire desserts). I can almost feel the sticky gooey deliciousness on my lips…
No campfire? Try these fire-free s’mores or 25 more s’mores desserts.
Plus try these 6 campfire activity traditions to create extra family memories.
Host a Craft Day
Let their creativity loose! Round up some craft supplies and see what they can create from cereal boxes and buttons and tin cans and duct tape and… whatever else you can find. Try these 25 Wall Art options Kids Can Make or make friendship bracelets, paper flowers, and more.
Ready for more? These 7 patriotic summer crafts are sure to please!
Take a Family Bike Ride
A bike ride around the neighborhood is a great way to burn off some energy, exercise as a family, and help kids understand geography, too.
Related Reading: 16 straightforward Family Fitness Tips.
Go on a Hike
Hiking as a family is a great activity to experience nature and build confidence and curiosity in kids. Take a picnic lunch, water bottles, and snacks, and don’t forget the pencils and paper to make a scavenger hunt!
We love using AllTrails.com to find good kid-friendly trails near us.
Follow these 6 tips to make hiking with kids FUN.
Paint Rocks
Painting rocks is a direct craft activities that all kids seem to love. Check in your area for local rock hunting and hiding groups, too. Read our tips for rock painting.
Have lots of landscaping rocks that you don’t want permanently painted? Decorate with sidewalk chalk and it will wash off the in next rain storm or sprinkler day.
Related Reading: 6 Ways to Organize Your Vacation Mementos
Hold an Outdoor Movie Night
This is the only screen time activity on our list because we do LOVE watching movies together and what’s better than watching a movie under the stars!
Read 3 straightforward Tips for Holding a Family Outdoor Movie Night.
For added fun, try one of these fancy popcorn recipes.
Make Popsicles
What’s better than a popsicle? A homemade popsicle you made yourself!
Most of these 8 direct treats to make with kids need to freeze for a few hours, so make these in the morning to enjoy in the afternoon or for an evening filled with fireworks.
Plus enjoy 25 more frozen treat recipes for hot summer days.
Camp in the Backyard
We love camping, but sometimes it’s nice to be close to home, too! With backyard camping, you can make time to camp even with a busy schedule: watch the sun set, catch fireflies, and cook breakfast in your own kitchen instead of over the fire.
Read 10 straightforward Tips for an solid Backyard Campout.
Headed to the campground? Read 8 tips to make camping with kids easier and more of our camping tips here.
Play Outdoor Games
Oversized outdoor games like yardzee and yard dominoes are fun to play in the backyard or while camping — and you can make them yourself, too! You can even make your own indoor-outdoor bowling alley!
Use sidewalk chalk, hula hoops, and other items in the yard to make an obstacle course for a fun summer Olympic game day.
30 Fun Outdoor Games to Handmade or Buy
Play in the Sprinklers
Running through the sprinklers is a fond childhood memory. Make your own memories *and* sprinklers with 5 Handmade Sprinklers for Kids to Play In.
Be sure to apply (and re-apply) sunscreen so you don’t need to use our tips and natural remedies to treat sunburns!
Eat Breakfast for Dinner
Breakfast for dinner (aka “brinner”) is a standby at our house and a mom go-to! Whether you eat brinner once a month or once a week, this is a definite family tradition to keep!
Try a Monte Cristo Sandwich or make the well fitted waffle with these 5 tips + our recipe.
See all our breakfast recipes here.
⭐ Go Stargazing
There’s something magical about staring up into the heavens. Finding constellations and watching for shooting stars is a great way to celebrate school-free nights.
Read our tips for stargazing with kids + apps to find constellations
Make Homemade Pizza
Homemade pizza is a year-round meal at our house, but we especially love to make it during the summer!
Learn how to grill pizza plus 6 creative pizza combinations.
Want more? Try 13 pizza-inspired recipes.
Do a Science Experiment
These Hands-on Science Exploration Activities for Younger Kids and for Older Kids are a great way to have some fun while learning this summer.
See more science books and exploration activities.
Go Swimming
Head to the pool and play these fun but educational pool games.
BONUS: 5 Creative Outside Activities for Lazy Summer Days
Make a Handmade Gift
Summer is a great time to talk about giving, or plan ahead for Grandparents’ Day, the first day of school, or even Christmas. Make an straightforward gift for grandparents, teachers, or friends.
Related Reading: 21 Sentimental Handmade Gift options
Read
Take a break! Relax and read with our go-to book picks in a fort, the hammock, or somewhere else fun while watching the sunset.
You’ll also like these picks for family-friendly audiobooks for a great road trip.
Make Root Beer Floats
Pick up some vanilla ice cream (or make homemade ice cream) and some root beer and let the kids make their own root beer floats! Add orange soda to the shopping list for a creamsicle float, too, or make a colorful soda float.
Try this blended fruit and sherbet fruity cream float, too!
Do Some Family History Activities
Add some extra family bonding by creating a time capsule or doing these family history crafts and games for kids.
Bonus: Use this free printable to make a kids’ travel journal photo book.
Make a Smoothie
Pick up some fruit, yogurt, and other smoothie ingredients to make these 12 Smoothie Recipes for Breakfast or Dessert. Fun for a sunrise hike starter!
Take the fun up a notch and make this Birthday Cake Smoothie!
More Summer Bucket List Activities Around Town
Our summer bucket list activities above are mostly centered around being home or in the great outdoors — try these other activities around town, too!
- Go bowling or mini golfing.
- Go to the park and fly a kite.
- Visit the aquarium or zoo.
- Play at the local water park or splash pad.
- Go to the movie theater.
- Visit the children’s museum.
- Get a treat from the ice cream truck.
- Go to a concert.
- Ride all the rides at a local carnival or amusement park.
Try these other Summer Family Activities
- 15 Outdoor Handmade Projects for a Summer Ready Yard
- Build a Pergola for Swings (around the fire pit!)
- Handmade Inflatable Hot Tub and Swimming Pool Setup
