Summer Bucket List: 126 Ideas for Kids, Teens, Couples and Adults

What should be on a summer bucket list?

A summer bucket list should mix a few big days out, lots of small warm-weather things and some ideas that cost nothing. Think fireworks, a lake day and a road trip, but also popsicles, sprinklers and a sunset walk. The best list fits the people you will do it with and the weeks you really have.

Below are 126 summer bucket list ideas, one line each, grouped by where and who: outdoors, water, food, at home, kids, teens, couples and free. Pick your favorites, or use the free summer bucket list printable to build your list in a minute, tick ideas off on screen and print it in three designs.

How do you make a summer bucket list?

1. Pick 20 to 30 ideas. Summer break is about 10 to 12 weeks. Two or three ideas a week is plenty, with room for lazy days.
2. Date the once-a-year ones first. Fireworks, county fairs, berry picking, free concert series and the August Perseid meteor shower happen on set dates. Check local calendars in May and write them in.
3. Mix sizes. One big trip or water park day a month, and many 30-minute ideas for weeknights.
4. Plan for heat and rain. Every outdoor idea needs an indoor swap, like a movie night or a puzzle instead of the park.
5. Let everyone pick. Each person chooses three ideas. Lists that belong to everyone get done.
6. Put it where you see it. Print it for the fridge or save it as a phone wallpaper, and tick ideas the same day.

Outdoor summer bucket list ideas

Long light evenings and warm days out.

1. Watch the sunrise from a high spot
2. Catch fireflies at dusk
3. Go camping, even in the backyard
4. Hike a trail you have never tried
5. Watch fireworks on the Fourth of July
6. Go berry or peach picking
7. Fly a kite on a windy day
8. Stargaze and find three constellations
9. Ride a bike to get ice cream
10. Visit a state or national park
11. Go to a county fair
12. Watch a meteor shower in August
13. Pick wildflowers and press them
14. Sleep in a hammock for an afternoon
15. See an outdoor concert
16. Try rock climbing or a ropes course
17. Go to a baseball game
18. Take a road trip to a town nearby
19. Watch the sunset from a rooftop or hill
20. Go on a walk after a summer storm

Water and beach ideas

Lakes, pools, beaches and the hose in the yard.

1. Swim in a lake, river or the ocean
2. Build a sandcastle with a moat
3. Go kayaking or paddleboarding
4. Have a water balloon fight
5. Spend a day at a water park
6. Go tubing down a river
7. Jump off a dock
8. Hunt for shells or sea glass
9. Run through the sprinklers
10. Go fishing and let it go
11. Learn to dive or do a cannonball
12. Have a night swim
13. Try snorkeling
14. Rent a boat for an afternoon
15. Visit a splash pad
16. Have a beach picnic at sunset

Summer food bucket list

Things that taste like summer, most of them easy to make at home.

1. Make s'mores over a fire
2. Make homemade ice cream
3. Freeze fruit popsicles
4. Have a backyard barbecue
5. Run a lemonade stand
6. Eat watermelon outside and spit the seeds
7. Try every flavor at the local ice cream shop
8. Grill corn on the cob
9. Bake a pie with summer berries
10. Go to a food truck festival
11. Pack a picnic for the park
12. Make iced tea or agua fresca from scratch
13. Grow herbs and cook with them
14. Eat dinner outside every night for a week

Summer bucket list ideas at home

For hot afternoons, rainy days and staycations.

1. Have a backyard movie night
2. Read five books
3. Plant a small garden or a few pots
4. Make a summer playlist
5. Do a 1,000-piece puzzle
6. Have a game night on the porch
7. Learn a new card game
8. Make a time capsule to open next summer
9. Keep a summer journal
10. Have a no-screens Sunday
11. Hang a hammock or string lights outside
12. Learn to cook three new dishes
13. Have a spa day at home
14. Watch a movie series start to finish
15. Sleep with the windows open
16. Clear out a closet and donate

Summer bucket list for kids

Hands-on ideas for children, most of them free and close to home.

1. Make sidewalk chalk art
2. Blow giant bubbles
3. Build a fort and eat lunch in it
4. Go on a nature scavenger hunt
5. Join the library summer reading program
6. Make a backyard obstacle course
7. Paint rocks and hide them
8. Catch and release a frog or a bug
9. Have a backyard campout with flashlights
10. Visit a zoo or an aquarium
11. Make a homemade slip and slide
12. Plant sunflowers and measure them
13. Have a teddy bear picnic
14. Learn to ride a bike or a scooter
15. Make a bird feeder
16. Have a family talent show
17. Visit a farm and feed the animals
18. Do a science experiment outside

Summer bucket list for teens

More freedom, friends and a first taste of earning money.

1. Get a summer job or start a small business
2. Have a bonfire with friends
3. Go to a music festival or a concert
4. Take a day trip with friends
5. Learn to drive or ride a new route alone
6. Have a sleepover on the trampoline
7. Volunteer for a cause you care about
8. Shoot a short film with your phone
9. Thrift a whole outfit
10. Learn a dance or a skateboard trick
11. Have a sunrise breakfast with friends
12. Make a summer photo album
13. Try a new sport or a class
14. Plan and cook a dinner for your family

Summer bucket list for couples and friends

Dates and nights out with your favorite people.

1. Have a picnic dinner at sunset
2. Go to a drive-in movie
3. Take a weekend trip
4. Go on a winery or brewery tour
5. Dance at an outdoor concert
6. Rent bikes and explore a new neighborhood
7. Stargaze on a blanket
8. Take a cooking class together
9. Go to an outdoor theater show
10. Watch the sunrise together
11. Have a rooftop dinner
12. Host a summer dinner party
13. Try a sunset paddleboard
14. Go mini golfing

Cheap and free summer bucket list ideas

Summer fun that costs little or nothing.

1. Go to a free outdoor movie in the park
2. Find a free summer concert series
3. Have a picnic at a new park
4. Visit a free museum day
5. Go to the farmers market with $10
6. Watch the clouds and name the shapes
7. Walk to a new spot in your town
8. Play frisbee or catch in the park
9. Have a neighborhood potluck
10. Borrow a stack of books from the library
11. Go swimming at a public pool
12. Have a car wash day in the driveway
13. Take a walk without your phone
14. Watch the Perseids from a dark spot

Choose your situation

A sample summer week

Eight ideas done in one ordinary week, and most of them cost little. Pairing ideas, like popsicles after the sprinklers, makes a list go further. If you have kids at home, the kids summer schedule gives each day a rhythm with outside time, reading and a screen limit, and a weekly theme that can feed the list.

What are common summer bucket list mistakes?

• A list of 100. A long list you never finish feels like homework. Pick 20 to 30; keep the rest for next year.
• Missing the dates. Fireworks, fairs and berry seasons come and go. Put them on the calendar in May or June.
• Only big outings. Trips need money and free weekends. Small ideas keep the list moving on ordinary days.
• Forgetting the heat. Midday outings in July wear everyone out. Plan active ideas for mornings and evenings.
• No downtime. Summer also needs empty afternoons. When kids say they are bored, the what to do when bored guide has quick ideas that do not need a screen.

What does research say about planning fun experiences?

Research suggests that doing things tends to feel better than buying things. In a set of surveys and experiments, people said experiential purchases, like trips and outings, made them happier than material purchases. The limit: this compared spending choices and relied on self-reports.

Time outdoors may also be worth planning for. In a survey of 19,806 adults in England, people who reported at least 120 minutes a week in nature were more likely to report good health and high wellbeing. This is an association, not proof that nature caused it. Still, a summer list full of outdoor ideas is an easy way to get those two hours.

How do you keep one idea after summer ends?

Some summer ideas are worth keeping. A walk after dinner, a book a week or a swim before work can become a year-round routine. Choose one, give it a set moment and track it with the 30-day habit tracker. The 30-day walking habit plan turns evening walks into a daily habit, and the 30-day habit building plan works for any other idea. You can also build your own plan or browse more guides in the habit building topic.

When the season turns, the fall bucket list and the winter bucket list work the same way. For a list that lasts a lifetime, see bucket list ideas.