Summer is the time of year meant for family adventures and endless fun! The kids are home all day, the weather is amazing and the great outdoors cries out to be explored by your over-energized, house-bored kids! When I was a kid, my parents would give us a list of possible adventures and each of us was allowed to pick one. Since there were three of us, that meant three family adventures that we got to pick every year for our summer bucket list.
In fact, I’ve followed the tradition with my own kids, and I thought I would share this year’s choices. If you ever find yourself with a free weekend the season, just take a look at this summer bucket list to find yourself a family adventure! Whether you pick a few special activities or try to do every single one, this fun list of 50 family-friendly activities includes all of my favorite things for the perfect summer!
50 family-friendly activities
- Go Camping
- Take a Ride at the Local Amusement Park
- Visit the Lake or Beach for a Swim
- Have a Picnic
- Go Horseback Trail Riding
- Take a Ride on a Zipline
- Go to a Baseball Game
- Catch a Fish for Dinner
- Explore a Cave
- Have a Backyard BBQ
- Attend a Kids’ Art Class
- Make S’mores around a Fire
- See a Movie Outdoors (a Drive-In or a Park)
- Build a Sandcastle
- Make Homemade Ice Cream
- Watch Fireworks
- Try Out Summer Camp at your Local Trampoline Park
- Eat Watermelon and Spit out the Seeds
- Fly a Kite
- Stay Up Late and Stargaze
- Plant a Vegetable Garden
- Tye-Dye T-Shirts
- Build and Decorate a Birdhouse
- Visit an Aquarium
- Shop at a Farmer’s Market
- Go to a Water Park
- Learn How to Walk a Slackline
- Visit the Zoo
- See How Many Books you can Read in a Week
- Have a Water Balloon Fight
- Go Fruit Picking
- Play on a Slip-N-Slide
- Visit a State or National Park
- Take a Road Trip
- Run Through the Sprinklers on a Hot Day
- Go on a Scavenger Hunt
- Sleep in the Backyard (either in a tent or on the trampoline!)
- Take a Nap in a Hammock
- Attend a Local Festival or Fair
- Make Fresh Lemonade
- Ride a Tube or Kayak Down a River
- Have a Neighborhood Race Day
- Three-legged race
- Egg on a spoon race
- Wheelbarrow race
- Potato Sack or Pillow Case race
- Eat Corn on the Cob
- Go to an Outdoor Concert or Music in the Park
- Decorate the Driveway and Sidewalk with Chalk Art
- Taste a New Food Truck
- Learn about Local History at a Museum or Local Tour
- Homemade Pizza Night
- Taste a Food none of your Family has Tried Before
- Go to Every Ice Cream Joint in Town and Try a new Flavor