Think back to when you were younger. Do you picture summer time? I do. Summer meant running around outdoors with friends, sports, pool days, and bike rides around the neighborhood. While those activities are very much still top of mind for my kids, I want their memories to include fun family time as well. That’s why I started coming up with some fun summer family activity ideas.
When my kiddos started school and had an actual scheduled summer break I began creating a family summer bucket list. Our lists included local attractions, trying new things, experiences, and adventures. It has been a big hit! So much so that my daughter’s usually mention it when we talk about things we enjoy doing together. One even wrote that she loved our adventures in my recent mother’s day card. **Happy Tears**
This year we are going with a theme and trying out a new ice cream spot around town each week. We’ll randomly select a name every Saturday and head out for some taste testing and explore the area we’re in. I’ve even created an ice cream passport to track our tour and remember our favorites at the end! (Grab our passport and ice cream cone templates HERE)
Creating a summer bucket list doesn’t have to be expensive, elaborate, or time consuming. All you need is a little creativity (or Google) and a calendar. There are typically about 10 weeks of summer vacation so 8-10 activities are all you need. To help you get started I’ve listed 50 summer family activity ideas.
50 Family Activity Ideas
- Visit an amusement park.
- Beat the heat at a local splash pad.
- Take a tour of your local parks.
- Set out on a hike.
- Go fishing.
- Attend a play or outdoor theater performance.
- Visit a water park.
- Have a water balloon fight.
- Go camping (even in your backyard).
- Attend a concert.
- Visit a museum.
- Create a scavenger hunt.
- Go on a picnic.
- Play miniature golf.
- Catch a drive-in movie.
- Try ice skating.
- Go roller skating.
- Pick your own berries at a local farm.
- Visit a planetarium.
- Burn some energy at a trampoline park.
- Create something at paint your own pottery shop.
- Attend a sporting event.
- Visit the zoo.
- Spend an evening star gazing.
- Shop at a farmer’s market.
- Create a fairy/dinosaur garden.
- Plant a vegetable garden.
- Get artsy (find so many amazing and fun craft ideas from A Girl and a Glue Gun).
- Set up yard games like badminton, volley ball, croquet, and bag toss.
- Cook a meal over a campfire.
- Go bug hunting.
- Explore new playgrounds.
- Try all the flavors at the local sno cone shop.
- Take on a service project (ex: animal shelter, nursing home, and homeless shelter).
- Create a time capsule.
- Have a family board game night.
- Rent a canoe/kayak/boat for the day.
- Visit a nearby town.
- Attend a summer festival.
- Sign up for a painting class.
- Take a family cooking class.
- Visit the aquarium.
- Take a {insert favorite food} restaurant tour.
- Sign up for a summer reading program.
- Visit a state park.
- Play at an arcade.
- Go to an escape room.
- Take a local tour.
- Attend a parade.
- Go bowling.
Planning on a trip out of town this summer? Be sure to check out these tips for packing light with kids.
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