100 Ideas for Your Summer Bucket List

Last updated on June 17th, 2024 at 08:10 am

I love a good seasonal bucket list. I think it’s so fun to sit down together as a family and make a list of all the things we want to do to celebrate a specific season. It’s become something my kids always look forward to as the seasons begin to turn. And, well, summer is here – today is our first official day! So, I figured it was the perfect day to share some ideas for your summer bucket list!

two young boys standing in front of a body of water

What is a Bucket List?

First, let’s start off with the obvious – what the heck is a bucket list? Honestly, I think the term really became popular with the 2007 movie (The Bucket List) where Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson have a list of things they want to do before they “kick the bucket”.

Obviously, we aren’t using it in such a morbid sense. I think it’s really evolved to basically mean a list of fun things you want to accomplish in a given period of time.

We create little lists of things to do pretty much every season these days. We hang it on the fridge, and as we accomplish things, we cross them off. It’s a really fun and simple way to make sure we’re really soaking up each season of the year. It makes sure that we don’t skip out on our fun seasonal traditions! Also, it gives us things to do when we’re feeling stir crazy. I love our little bucket list tradition and I hope we keep it going for years!

Our 2024 Bucket List

For our summer bucket lists, I like to let everyone contribute. We started doing it this way last year and it worked really well. I ask everyone to tell me 5 things they’d like to do over the summer. Then, the little lists get combined into one big list of 20 to-do items! This way, everyone feels invested in the list, and it gets a good variety.

Here’s what everyone contributed to the list in 2024:

Amanda’s List

Ride a roller coaster
Eat an ice cream cone
Bake something new together
Eat at a food truck park

Corey’s List

Go to a VR place
Go see a movie
Tie-dye shirts
Have a board game day
Make strawberry lemonade

Jackson’s List

Go camping
Eat at The Melting Pot
Go on a family hike
Go to the Fort Worth Zoo
Eat s’mores

Grant’s List

Have a sleepover at Grandma & Papaw’s
Have a picnic
Paint a picture
Have a play date with our best friends
Go on a trip

Other Summer Bucket List Ideas

Of course, our specific list may not be what works for you! So, I put together a list of 100 different things you could add to your summer bucket list.

As always, it’s important to remember that it doesn’t have to be anything big or fancy. Even going out for ice cream or having a picnic in the backyard feels special if it’s on a list. It’s science. I promise.

Free Bucket List Ideas

Visit a local splash pad
Make a fort in the living room
Watch a fireworks show
Go on a family hike
Visit a playground you’ve never been to
Have an at-home movie marathon
Have a board game night together as a family
Go on a family bike ride
Find a new trail near your house and walk it together
Volunteer somewhere together
Have a garage sale (then, use the proceeds for a fun adventure!)
Catch fireflies
Watch a parade
Make it your mission to visit every playground in your town
Eat dinner in the backyard
Lay in the grass and watch the stars
Have a pajama day at home, complete with lots of reading, good snacks, and movies
Go on a nature walk
Pick a bouquet of wildflowers
Watch the sunrise together
Play video games as a family (Mario Kart is a favorite for us!)
Find a big hill and roll down it
Have a family talent show
Snuggle in bed during a summer thunderstorm
Visit your local library
Make an obstacle course in your backyard
Let the kids stay up past midnight
Have a family slumber party
Go geocaching

Almost Free Bucket List Ideas (you may need to buy something)

Decorate the driveway with chalk
Try a new recipe together
Have a picnic
Make an ice cream cake
Have a water balloon fight
Fly a kite
Eat a watermelon (and don’t forget to have a seed spitting contest!)
Make your own lemonade (bonus points for a lemonade stand!)
Try making homemade ice cream
Take a nap in a hammock on a sunny day
Slide down a water slide
Have the kids make dinner
Eat a snow cone or some shaved ice
Make s’mores
Go swimming
Have ice cream for breakfast (because why not?!)
Give each other a temporary tattoo
Play sand volleyball together
Get ice cream from an ice cream truck
Play in the sprinklers
Make root beer or coke floats
Bake a sweet treat for your neighbors
Play kickball
Do a summer craft together
Play hopscotch
Paint a collection of rocks and hide them around your neighborhood

Grant always asks to ride in the carts at the mall for his “Yes Day” / Tie-dying is a must for us every year!

Affordable Bucket List Ideas

Visit a local museum
Have a “yes day”
Visit the zoo
Make homemade pizza together
Go on a family ice cream date
Go to the movie theater
Visit a local festival
Visit an aquarium
Try out a water park near you that you’ve never been to
Go to a drive-in movie
Visit a local farm to pick strawberries or raspberries
Attend an outdoor concert
Visit a local children’s museum or science center
Go bowling together
Visit your local farmer’s market (be sure to try some new snacks and treats!)
Spend a Saturday morning going garage sale hopping
Visit a local botanical garden
Try a new restaurant as a family
Go fishing
Rent a kayak
Visit a local food truck park
Go to a baseball game
Visit your state fair
Go to the rodeo
Find and ride a ferris wheel or a roller coaster
Explore a cavern
Go on a family date to a fancy restaurant
Swim in a lake or the ocean
Have a “fancy” build-your-own-hot dog dinner with tons of fun fixings
Bonus points it you follow that up with a huge ice cream sundae bar!
Go to a carnival
Eat a funnel cake
Plant flowers or a full garden
Run (or walk) in a local 5K together
Relax in a lazy river
Host a backyard grill-out with your favorite people

Small family trips are our favorite in the summer!

Larger Scale Bucket List Ideas

Go camping
Go to the beach
Go on a family road trip
Have a staycation at a local hotel
Take a day trip somewhere you’ve never been
Play tourist in your own city for the weekend
Let the kids pick a vacation destination and go!
Surprise the kids with an overnight trip somewhere special
Visit a national or state park

Whew! I think with all of these ideas, it should be pretty easy to create a summer bucket list of your own! There are so many fun summer activities that are free or super cheap, and you’re basically guaranteed to create some really special memories. I can’t wait to get started on our list, and I hope I’ve inspired you to try the summer bucket list, too!