I don’t know about you all, but it’s been a long couple of years for families. This summer feels like the chance to do the things we may have missed out on in the last few summers due to the pandemic.
I am so thankful for summer break. But in our home, it goes by far too fast. I want to savor our fun summer memories with the kids — while they are still young. When I think of how many summers we have together, just the four of us, I realize we need to do things together that they really want to do.
The Psalmist tells us, “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” (Ps. 133:1). That's why our family designs a family bonding plan together. It’s fun to sit down at the dinner table in front of a great home-cooked meal and write down the activities that each of us wants to do. The summer bucket list is always a hit in our family.
Summer Bucket List Ideas for the Family
To jump-start your planning, here’s a list of 15 items our family includes on our bucket list.
- Family Road Trip
- Family Bike Day
- Family Hike
- Picnic at the Lake
- Day at an Amusement Park or Water Park
- Tenting in the Backyard
- Camping Trip to the Beach
- Ice Cream Sundaes for Dinner
- Foam Dart Gun Fight
- Create a Backyard Obstacle Course
- Run a 5K Together
- Paddleboarding at a New Lake
- Learn new BBQ Recipes
- Give Away Blessing Bags in the Park
- Movie Night in Backyard with Projector and Sheet
These are just 15 of our family's ideas. Notice that many can be done outside and most don't cost anything. Most importantly, they give us time together and build lifelong memories.
Now it's your turn to gather your family around the table and create your own summer bucket list. Write them down, schedule them in your summer calendar and start checking them off!
Psalm 127 reminds us as parents, “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord.” Making lifelong memories as a family is something you won’t ever regret.
