Our Summer Bucket List + Free Summer Planning Printables!

Plan an intentional summer with this summer bucket list and free planning printables!

Create a Summer Bucket List

Can you believe summer is here? Maybe you’ve already started celebrating summer activities with your family.

We’re planning to do a bit of homeschooling this summer, but we’re also looking forward to a break and enjoying some family time.

I’ve learned that nothing happens unless it’s planned, so I decided to set some goals for how we’d like to spend the summer. That way we won’t look back and wonder where the time went!

I decided to make a summer bucket list to keep track of what we hope to do together.

And while I was at it, I also created a blank bucket list and some free planning printables for you!

Affiliate links included below, which means I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Read my disclosure here.

Summer Bucket List Ideas

Here are some ideas for what you could put on your summer bucket list. Most of them are free are inexpensive. A few of them will cost a bit.

Use the ideas that are helpful to you and your family!

• go camping (We love making these campfire cherry hobo pies!)
• take a fishing trip
• go boating
• spend a day at the beach
• have a cookout (Learn how to make a simple fire pit.)
• plan a backyard barbecue with friends
• go to the lake
• visit a local swimming pool
• take a hike
• spend a night looking at the stars together
• go out for ice cream or snow cones
• make your own snow cones at home
• family movie night
• make homemade popsicles or fruit bars (These popsicle molds are great!)
• go to the zoo
• make s’mores
• have a pizza party (Here’s my homemade pizza recipe.)
• fondue night
• family game night (these are some of our favorite games)
• go to the fair
• go to the park
• make homemade bubbles
• visit a nature center
• go to the botanical garden
• plant something in your own garden (This is a great gardening resource list.)
• go bowling
• play in the sprinkler
• have a water balloon fight
• play tag in the backyard after dark
• read through a book series (Here are fun summer read aloud books.)
• bake cookies
• make your own ice cream sundaes for dessert (I love this simple no-cook ice cream!)

45 Fun and Creative Family Staycation Ideas 

What’s on Our Summer Bucket List

1. go to the lake (we love spending time at the lake every summer)
2. fishing
3. go camping
4. go to the local aquatic center
5. have a backyard barbecue
6. have a sewing day
7. read through a book series (I shared on Instagram which series we’re planning to read!)
8. go to a frozen yogurt place
9. make popsicles
10. go on a picnic
11. have an outdoor game night (play tag and other games outside)
12. look at the stars together
13. paint the kitchen (this may not sound fun, but the whole family is looking forward to getting this done!)
14. make homemade ice cream
15. go bowling together
16. make a family music video (this could be interesting…)
17. go boating (if you follow me on Instagram, you know we already did this once, but we hope to go again this summer! We just have a simple inflatable raft-type boat, but it’s still fun!) 
18. make homemade marshmallows
19. have a family movie night
20. go to the park
21. make snow cones
22. make suckers
23. go to the local fireworks show on July 4th (we did this last year and it was so fun—and it was free!)
24. board game night
25. run through the sprinkler (my kids love it when I do this with them)
26. go to the music fest (this is a local homeschool event we attend every year)

More Summer Inspiration

• 32 Simple Summer Activities for Kids
• 16 Summer Read Aloud Books
• Printable Summer Screen Time Rules
• 25 Screen-Free Summer Activities for Kids
• 25 Summer Nature Study Ideas

Enjoy an Intentional Summer

So, that’s what we have planned for this summer.

Most of these things are free or cost very little, which is a must for our budget right now.

But each one is still designed to make special summer memories, which is our main goal. 🙂

Would you like to make your own bucket list? I made a printable for you!

Download your free summer bucket list printables here!

And in addition to the above printable, I also made a summer reading list and two other forms you could use for whatever you like (notepaper, menus, chore lists, etc.).

Enjoy, and I’d love to hear what’s on your summer bucket list for this year!