It’s nearly summer! Are you as excited about that as we are? We can’t wait for all the summer fun activities that we plan to do with our families. With that in mind, we put together a summer fun bucket list that is filled with over 50 ideas.
Choose your favorites from this list and fill your summer with tons of fun ideas for you and your family. We’ve got a little bit of everything – from simple, free summer fun ideas to ones that require a little bit of preplanning. Either way, these suggestions are filled with fun summer vibes!
SUMMER FUN BUCKET LIST
1 – Blow bubbles. See who can blow the biggest bubble. Whose bubble can last the longest before it breaks? Did you know you can even make your own bubble solution?
2 – Speaking of bubbles, how about making your own bubble wands? You can make one that will give you giant bubbles or gather up a bunch of items from around the house and let the kids make their own wands.
3 – Get a roll of butcher paper and have each family member trace around their bodies. Draw in the faces and either draw or glue on hair and clothing. You could do this with sidewalk chalk too if you’d prefer. You can even gather up sticks, stones, and other items from the yard to add the features.
4 – Play hopscotch.
5 – Use sidewalk chalk to draw pictures and leave cheerful messages for passersby.
6 – Did you know you can make your own sidewalk chalk? It’s easy.
7 – Paint rocks and place them around the neighborhood as little surprises for others to find.
8 – Paint rocks to create pretty flower pictures.
9 – Run through the sprinkler.
10 – Have a backyard movie night.
11 – Make and play with some slime.
12 – Lie on a blanket in the backyard and do some stargazing. Can you find the Big Dipper?
13 – Go to a parade and cheer them on! No parades in town? Create your own and parade through the backyard or down the street.
14 – Check your local event listings and find an outdoor concert or play to attend.
15 – Play some backyard games.
16 – Head to a local lake or pond and feed the ducks. Remember not to give them bread. It’s not safe for them. Here’s a list of suggestions for safe foods for ducks and geese.
17 – Go to your local farmers’ market or farmstand and find some yummy fresh produce to buy. Bring it home and cook together.
18 – Cool off on a hot day with some delicious ice pops.
19 – Or cool down with some fun backyard water play.
20- Grab some books to read and play some summer reading bingo!
21 – Plant a garden.
22 – Make a fairy garden.
23 – Learn to sew.
24 – Keep a journal. Each person can have their own or you can keep a family summer journal all together!
25 – Make some ice cream in a bag!
26 – Spend the day at the beach.
27 – Build sandcastles. Who can make the tallest one?
28 – Make some sand-casted art.
29 – Have a beach scavenger hunt.
30 – Go on a hike and see how many birds and other animals you can see.
31 – Make an ice cube painting.
32 – Grab a ball and some empty tin cans or other containers and go bowling in the backyard.
33 – Go letterboxing or geocaching. It’s like an outdoor treasure hunt!
34 – Find a Little Free Library in your area and find some new books to enjoy. If you’ve got some old ones you’re finished with, take them along to leave behind.
35 – Make shadow art on a beautiful sunny day.
36 – Use some simple supplies from the dollar store to make a fire-breathing dragon.
37 – Make it fun and educational by building a mini catapult out of craft sticks.
38 – Go to a water park for the day. No water park around? How about the local wading pool or splash pad?
39 – Go for a penny walk. Take a walk in your neighborhood. Be sure to take a penny or other coin with you. At each intersection, toss the coin. If it’s heads, go right. If it’s tails, go left. Just think of the new areas you might find that you’ve never been to before!
40 – Have a picnic – even if only in your backyard! If it’s raining, spread a blanket on the floor of the living room and have your picnic there.
41 – Make some suncatchers! All you need is wire (like floral wire), tissue paper, markers, white glue (or Mod Podge), and fishing line. We found all the materials needed at our local dollar store.
42 – Grab a broomstick, pool noodle, or other similar item you might have around the house and do the Limbo! Who can go the lowest?
43 – Head to your local museum. Bring along a sketch pad and some pencils so you can sketch your favorite piece of art or other item in the museum.
44 – Go swimming. Head to a local pool or swimming hole and splash away the day.
45 – Sign up for a craft class at Michaels. They have in-person and online classes for all ages to choose from.
46 – Or maybe you’d prefer a class at Home Depot. Some aren’t doing in-person classes at this time, but they are offering a “workshop in a box” each month that you can pick up and make at home. Lowes also has classes for all ages.
47 – Make a birdhouse or bird feeder. Once you start providing them with food, be sure to continue all throughout the year.
48 – Take your bikes or kiddie cars through a DIY kiddie car wash!
49 – Make a backyard water wall out of recycled items.
50 – Go fishing. Some places even host free fishing days for kids during the summer. Or go fishing in your own backyard.
51 – Make freezer paint popsicles for a cool way to make paintings on a hot day.
52 – Tie-dye some shirts, pillowcases, shoes, or other items. This is a great activity to do outside while you can!
53 – Or try some sun printing!
