Summer is almost here, and you’ll need an arsenal of activities for kids to fill the long days or open afternoons after camp. This is why it’s the perfect time to make a family summer bucket list. To help you make that happen, we collected 73 ideas that fit the bill for summer 2024. From having a Yes Day to putting together a new LEGO set, here are all the best things to do in the summer with kids. (If you need other ideas, check out our favorite swimming pool games, the best games to play in the dark, sidewalk activities, and backyard science experiments.)
1. Take a family bike ride.
2. Have a Yes Day.
3. Learn a magic trick. Here are seven easy tricks just for kids.
4. Build a LEGO City.
5. Read a chapter book as a family.
6. Sign up for a fun summer program and do it together!
7. Fly a kite in your neighborhood park.
8. Paint rocks and hide them for others to find.
9. Watch the planes at your local airport.
10. Organize a scavenger/treasure hunt. We’ve got printables here!
11. Explore a new park.
12. Learn how to make friendship bracelets.
13. Learn about a different culture (and make a meal to match!)
14. Find a pond and go fishing!
15. Make and eat popsicles.
16. Make a fairy garden.
17. Get a paper map of your city and push pins. Plan out the places you want to visit in the future.
18. Spend an afternoon writing a story with your kids.
29. Go backyard camping. We’ve got great ideas to help you get started.
20. Go stargazing. Check out our top tips here.
21. Take a picture each day and print out an end-of-summer photo album.
22. Be a scientist for a day with one of these cool experiments.
23. Plant flowers.
24. Have a toy car wash. Or better yet, have a real carwash. Nothing thrills a kid like an afternoon spent with a shop vac and a spray bottle.
25. Pick a “Summer 2024” song and play it till everyone can sing all the words.
26. Make root beer floats.
27. Find a business raising funds for a local cause and donate.
28. Create a secret handshake.
29. Go to a splash park.
30. Make lemonade at least once. For a little variation, try these fun recipes.
31. Call or FaceTime with out-of-town family.
32. Go to a baseball game.
33. Make slime.
34. Craft something out of your TP rolls.
35. Visit your community library and pick out some new reads.
36. Stay up late and play flashlight tag.
37. Go to a drive-in movie.
38. Set up an ice cream sundae bar.
39. Pack a picnic and take a deck of playing cards with you.
40. Run through the sprinkler.
41. Arrange an afternoon with just your son or your daughter.
42. Create an obstacle course for kids.
43. Play hide and seek.
44. Play board games for a whole afternoon.
45. Lie in the grass and look for pictures in the clouds.
46. Paint rock pets. And then find out how you can care for them.
47. Make pickles. Here’s an easy-to-follow recipe using cucumbers from your new garden or from the grocery store!
48. Play games with Dixie cups (that aren’t beer pong).
49. Make a wind chime.
50. Prank someone.
51. Make potato stamps. See how The Postman’s Knock does it here.
52. Make something out of a cardboard box.
53. Have a potions party.
54. Make s’mores. You can go gourmet with one of these unconventional twists.
55. Learn about a wild animal.
56. Have a shaving cream war.
57. Bond with your kids over ’80s TV shows that are still cool.
58. TP your kids’ rooms.
59. Create an ice cream bracket and work your way through the summer.
60. Play Marco Polo at the pool or try one of these classic pool games.
61. Break a Guinness Book of World Records. Peruse the titles up for grabs on the official site here.
62. Learn about rainbows.
63. Make a bird feeder.
64. Bob for donuts at breakfast.
65. Have a tea party outside.
66. Make tie-dye crafts. Here are 11 easy ideas!
67. Support a small business or order a new read from your local indie bookstore.
68. Use ice for more than a cool beverage.
69. Turn your backyard into a water park.
70. Have an outdoor art afternoon. Here are our favorite ideas.
71. Write and act out a play.
72. Jump into a lake.
