71 Summer Bucket List Ideas for 2025 (Add Yours!)

Read a complete chapter book series! Kids are often very proud to say that they've accomplished this feat. Choose from any popular chapter books that your kids would be excited to read, from The Mouse and the Motorcycle to The Mysterious Benedict Society. You could read out loud as a family, too!

Keep a giant coloring poster rolled out on your dining room table with colored pencils fully stocked, and it can be a project that the family works on a little bit at a time all summer long.

Kelly R said:  We love doing this while listening to audiobooks!

Fill up some water balloons and you know the rest!

Shila said:  An eco-friendly, reusable alternative can be to make DIY water bombs. Just cut inexpensive dishwashing sponges into strips about an inch wide and 4 inches long. Then, tie a few strips together around the middle longwise, fan them out, soak and throw!

Kids in grades 1-6 can participate in the Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Program, where they read 8 books during the summer and bring in a completed reading log to earn a free book! Many local libraries and bookstores offer similar challenges. Print out a reading log at the link to get started.

Kelly R said:  I am so sad that my kids have aged out of Barnes & Noble's summer reading program. It is the best! I like that the reading log has them write about their favorite part from each of the books they read, so they have to think about it a little. The selection of prize books to choose from is great and changes each year, and the kids get to pick the one they want directly from the shelf (unlike our local library's program, which chooses for them). My kids would always get great ideas for other books they'd like to add to their reading list, too.

A visit to one (or a few!) of the family-friendly national parks is a summer bucket list idea you won't mind repeating every year.

For a next-level board game challenge, play all of your family games one time each, and make a chart to keep track of how many times each family member won for a summer-long competition. This is also a great way to weed out the games that your family has outgrown (or just doesn't like).

Pick a theme like donuts or ice cream, and go on a local dessert tour over the course of the summer by visiting a bunch of different local dessert spots to try them all out!

Kelly R said:  We like doing this on our summer bucket list each year, and the bonus is that it helps support local small businesses. You could also do a savory version (pizza, burgers, sushi, etc).

Summer is the perfect time for kids to learn about the life cycle of the butterfly firsthand!

Sarah Calamita said:  It is so fun to find a caterpillar and watch it grow. There are really cute caterpillar cages you can buy and it also teaches kids about the life cycle of a butterfly.

Take the family mini golfing at your favorite local course or try a few different ones to find the best one this summer!

Try to break one of the Guinness World Records that you can attempt right at home! Past challenges have included the fastest time for assembling a Mr. Potato Head or arranging the letters in a can of alphabet soup. Even if you can't beat them, it will certainly be fun to try!

Scheduling time to volunteer together is on the summer bucket list for many families, since there are (generally) fewer school and activity obligations going on. You can try at-home volunteer opportunities if you haven't found a spot nearby that welcomes kids.

Decide to celebrate silly holidays on your summer bucket list! How about Sunglasses Day (June 27), Teddy Bear Picnic Day (July 10), Cow Appreciation Day (July 15), Take Your Houseplants for a Walk Day (July 27), and Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Day (August 8)? Mark a bunch of them on your calendar, and the fun summer activities will practically plan themselves!

Kids can have a lemonade stand with surprisingly little help from you, so let them plan and execute it on their own. It's better that way! Just provide the poster board, a lemonade mix, and maybe help pull the table and chairs out of the garage. They might even choose to donate some of their proceeds to a charity of their choice.

Pick a theme for your family's summertime movie nights! You could spend the summer watching different kids sports movies each time, watching movies based on books, or making your way through all of the Pixar movies in order! What other fun themes can you think of?

Whether your family prefers the classic graham/chocolate/marshmallow combo or likes to pick creative s'mores ingredients, making s'mores at least once is a must for the summer bucket list.