Summer is my favorite season. I love the sunny, warm weather and all the time spent cooling off with water related activities. If one were to have been with my family last summer though, you would have thought I despised summer since we spent too much of it indoors and I spent a lot of it working. I have vowed that this summer will be different and that my kids will enjoy this summer to the fullest, despite the fact that I work from home. To help ensure that I’d give them all the great memories of summertime that I had as a child, I created a Summer bucket list for our family with over 100 ideas for summer fun. The list is geared towards preschoolers.
Outdoor Fun:
*Have a picnic lunch
*Plant flowers
*Host a backyard playdate
*Make smores
*Get ice cream from the ice cream truck
*Make a mud pie
*Paint with colored ice cubes
*Play in the sprinkler
*Make a nature collage
*Blow bubbles
*Host a family party
*Build a sandcastle
*Play in the rain
*Go on a nature scavenger hunt
*Go fishing
*Paint with water
*Wash the family car together
*Draw with chalk on the sidewalk
*Paint rocks
*Play soccer in the backyard
*Eat juicy watermelon
*Create a car racetrack on the sidewalk
*Make {and eat!} ice cream sundaes
*Read books outside in the shade of a tree
*Fly a kite
*Have a water balloon fight
*Freeze toys in a block of ice and then try to get them out
*Teach the boys how to ride their tricycles
*Catch fireflies
*Slide on a slip n’ slide
*Decorate t-shirts
*Go for a wagon ride
*Roll down a hill
*Pick flowers and make a bouquet
*Play catch in the backyard
Indoor Fun:
*Make homemade pizza
*Have a pajama day
*Make a musical instrument
*Compete to see who can build the tallest block tower
*Have a sleepover
*Board game day
*Bake cookies together
*Play playdough
*Make {and eat} “dirt cups”
*Read through a children’s Bible together
*Make a fort
*Cook dinner together
*Dance to songs from a children’s CD
*Dress up in costumes
*Have a family movie night with popcorn
*Pretend to be in a marching band
*Make homemade popsicles
*Play “I Spy”
*Make a fruit salad
*Fingerpaint in the bathtub
*Make {and play} a memory game
*Serve lunch in an ice cube tray
*Make a craft for every letter of the alphabet
*Make a suncatcher
On The Go:
*Go somewhere fun for Jake’s birthday
*Go somewhere fun for Luke’s birthday
*Go to an amusement park
*Visit a children’s museum
*Walk around a children’s garden
*Play in a splash pad
*Go to a carnival
*Attend an outdoor concert
*Go to the aquarium
*Eat at a train themed restaurant
*Go to the Indiana Dunes
*Walk along the lakefront
*Go to Starved Rock
*Visit a waterpark
*Go to a farmer’s market
*Go see a movie at the theater
*Visit daddy at work
*Go to the Museum of Science and Industry
*Take GiGi to lunch
*Go to Navy Pier
*Visit a pet store and buy a fish
*Go to a children’s concert
*Eat at a restaurant and sit on the patio
*Take a train ride
*Go garage-saling
*Feed ducks
*Go berry picking
*Watch a fireworks show
*Go on a picnic
*Go for a family walk
*Go swimming
*Go to Chuck-E-Cheese
*Attend a workshop at Home Depot or Lowe’s
*Go on a nature walk
*Try out 5 different playgrounds in town (went to 1)
*Listen to stories at library storytime
*Go to a parade
*Go bowling
*Go to a children’s farm
*Go downtown Chicago
*Attend a Vacation Bible School
*Play mini-golf
*Do the summer reading challenge at the library (signed up)
*Take a 2 day vacation somewhere within driving distance
*Jump in a bounce house
*Go out for ice cream
*Swim lessons
*Go to Day Out With Thomas
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What’s on your summer bucket list?
