Summers can be a time for adventure, as well as recharging. It’s easy to “over schedule” during the school year but, truth be told, it’s just as easy to over-schedule during the summer.
One way our family is combatting this is by making two summer bucket lists:
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List one: Our running family summer bucket list
This list is something we have on hand year-round but really pull out as we get closer to summer. This list includes, for us, those big ticket items: visit the redwood forest, see the Grand Canyon, 
road trip across the country. These are items that we want to do someday, and don’t want to forget, but that we may not get to *this* summer.
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List two: Our current summer bucket list
This list, for us, is based on what life is throwing our way in a particular summer:
- Are we moving again (Navy life)?
- Is a family member getting married and we are traveling to the wedding?
- Do we have to travel for work or school?
This is our summer fun list, once we know what actual time in the summer we have. When we need to, we go to our running list for ideas.
This shorter list, dedicated for each summer, is our way of keeping things realistic and manageable. To help with brainstorming ideas, we’ve even broken down our current summer bucket list into sections (these are ours, yours could be different): places to visit, outside activities, inside activities.
We turn that list into a banner to hang up as a visual reminder of our summer opportunities!
Some things on our list/banner we can do more than once. Others items are contingent on timing and weather. As ideas change, or opportunities arise, changing out the shovel on the banner is easy!
Of course, no summer bucket list is an exhaustive list of things we MUST do, nor are the items on the list the ONLY things we will do over the summer.
For example, we don’t necessarily have to put bike rides and playing at the park on our list – but we could, especially if that’s what the kiddo wants to do the most!
(Just a thought: you could also turn one list into the “I’m bored” summer bucket list that includes activities and ideas that the kiddos can do – sometimes without the help or assistance of parents – when they get in that mid-summer slump and “there is NOTHING to do!”)
Fun fact: there’s really no wrong way to make your family summer bucket list, so don’t worry! This is just one way our family has found to plan some fun activities together, that the entire family can enjoy, and that helps remind us of the amazing opportunities that summer brings our way.
Click here to download a copy of our summer bucket list templates!
Tips for putting the banner together:
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First, print off as many colorful buckets as you may need for your summer bucket list banner (we laminate so we can re-use) and cut out the bucket shapes.
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Cut a hole in the center of the bucket, or two holes on either side of the bucket, depending on how you’d like to hang the banner. You can also skip the string and simply hang the buckets up next to one another as well.
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Hint #1: Decide how many weeks you want hanging at once. Are you planning for the whole summer or just a few weeks at a time?
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Print off several shovels, and cut out the shapes. Hint #2: kids LOVE helping with all this cutting out!
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Next: write bucket list ideas on each shovel.
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Finally, tape one shovel to each bucket (blue tape or painters tape works well not to rip paper if you are changing out shovels. Velcro works well if you have laminated the buckets).
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Viola, a visual reminder of summer fun to come!
Happy summer bucket-listing!
