FUN Summer Bucket List for Kids
It’s Katie. Summer is finally here for us! School ended and while my kids were a bit sad that they won’t see their friends everyday they are excited for no more alarms, no more uniforms, and they won’t be gone from home all day.
The excitement last a few days maybe a week and then my kids get “bored”. I always have something they can clean but that unfortunately doesn’t elicit a very happy response from them, lol. So every summer we create a summer bucket list. At least once a week I try and get them out of the house to go do something fun. This gives them something to look forward to. And I like going and doing different things with my kids.
Here are a few fun ideas for any summer bucket list:
1. Go to a different park you don’t normally go to. We drive 20-30 minutes to a different city to play at different parks. Take a picnic lunch.
2. Go to the dollar movies. Several theaters around us offer summer movies for kids that are super cheap! Our city also does movies in the park one night a week for free.
3. Sign up for swim lessons. Or a sports camp, or an art class. My boys are swimming at our local pool every week day for 2 weeks. We’ve done soccer camp, drawing camps, and more in the past through our city’s parks and rec dept. The kids pick something each and have lots of fun.
4. Go camping. My kids love camping. Living in Idaho its pretty easy to find a great camping spot for a weekend or even just an overnight trip. Or if you want camp in the backyard. The kids love this too.
5. Plant a garden. We do a family garden every year and it’s fun to watch all the veggies grow. If you don’t have a lot of gardening experience I would suggest buying your plants from a local nursery and ask them for advice on planting and growing in your area.
6. Go to the water park. My kids in school earn a free pass to the water park and they love to go. We went to some water activities in Houston, Texas and can vouch for the experience. If you can’t afford the water park, go a to a park with a splash pad. These are lots of fun for kids too, especially younger kids who can’t ride the big rides at the parks.
7. Go to the lake or beach. We went to the lake with some friends last week and canoed around in the lake. The kids loved it!
8. Sign up for summer reading programs at the library. While your there ask about summer activities they have planned. Our library has something every Wednesday from puppet shows to magicians.
9. Have s’mores night. We have a portable fire pit we get out and have hot dogs and s’mores for dinner.
10. Take the kids fishing!
11. Play tennis. Take the kids to the tennis courts and let them practice their stroke or just have fun hitting the balls around.
12. Geocaching. Our kids love this. We have some local ones downtown that are historical and there are some out we hike to.
13. Day hikes. Go for a hike in the morning before it gets too hot.
14. Visit your local farmer’s market and check out all the fresh produce.
15. Go to the fair.
When all else fails hand your kids the hose in the back yard and tell them to have fun. Don’t forget the sunscreen and popsicles!
What are your favorite things to do during the summer? Leave your ideas in the comments!