Summer Bucket List for Preschoolers
Even though summer officially arrived a few weeks ago, it’s not too late to make a summer bucket list for your family! This past weekend we sat down together and compiled a list of things we want to do this summer. It was fun to get our 4 year old involved in making this list and hearing what he wanted to do during summer break.
Instead of writing our list out on paper, I decided to put together this cute & simple “bucket” list. I wrote out each activity on bright colored popsicle sticks and used a small pail that we had lying around as our “bucket”. You could also use a Mason jar, if you preferred. We are keeping our summer bucket list on the kitchen counter – this way our bucket list is always out and visible and it won’t get stuffed away in a drawer somewhere.
Here’s a look at our family bucket list for this summer. These 25 activities are perfect for toddlers, preschoolers, and younger elementary school students:
- Have a backyard campout
- Have an ice cream date
- Spend a day at the beach
- Bake cookies together
- Make S’mores
- Complete a random act of kindness
- Movie date to see Cars 3
- Eat cupcakes for dinner (can you guess who suggested this one?!)
- Learn to swim
- Visit the Children’s Museum
- Zoo day with friends
- Paint birdhouses
- Dance in the rain
- Have a movie night with fun treats
- Play mini golf
- Make a new friend
- Attend a baseball game
- Go to the splash pad
- Make homemade popsicles
- Go on a family hike
- Have a picnic at the park
- Get ice cream from the ice cream truck
- Go to a $1 movie
- Fly a kite
- Go fishing
Once fall arrives, change out the activities on the popsicle sticks, and you now have a fall bucket list. Or even a holiday bucket list. The ideas are endless!
What’s on your bucket list this summer?
xo,
Sumer
56 Comments
Connie
Great idea! I love how simple it is, yet effective. And, kids of all ages LOVE making choices and having a say in what they do, which makes this a great tradition for each summer (or season). Thank you for sharing!
Sumer
Totally agree, Connie! Thanks so much for reading!
Emily @ Pizza & Pull-ups
What a cute idea! I love it.
Sumer
Thanks, Emily!
Meredith ~ The Papery Craftery
So fun! We’ve gotten to do a few of these so far this year. And my son has been talking about flying a kite for a while. I think we’ll have to do that one next! Thanks for sharing!
Sumer
The kite is next on our list, too! My 4 year old has been asking non-stop!!
Anne | Like the morning sun
Wow, nice idea! I’m going to do something similar with my children when summer break arrives. Good idea to not just put it down on paper, but make something that’s colorful and visible!
Sumer
Thanks, Anne! π
Shela Yount | I Answer to Mom
Oh my goodness! YES!! Love the paint birdhouses one! I love to paint in general, but it would be super fun to paint something together with my 2.5 year old! <3 Thank you!!
Sumer
The birdhouses were a HUGE hit with my little ones! I hope you’ll try it with your toddler!
Ryan | The Blessed Mess
Such a great idea! Never thought to put our bucket list items on popsicle sticks! Will have to do this with my son is older.
Sumer
Thanks for reading, Ryan!
Cas@getyourholidayon.com
I love these ideas. We love having a movie night in our pj’s and getting late night snacks! π
Sumer
Movie nights are the BEST!!
Amanda
Love this! We are a HUGE bucket list family! It can be difficult to think if things for the younger kids, and these are excellent ideas.
Sumer
Thanks so much, Amanda!
Corey | The Nostalgia Diaries
These are such fun ideas… I need to totally try to find an ice cream truck. My daughter has never seen one but I bet she’d go crazy for it π
Sumer
Oh Yes! She would LOVE an ice cream truck! We are fortunate that we have one that comes to our neighborhood a few times a month!
Elizabeth
This is so sweet! I love your idea of make a new friend π On our list this summer is ‘take rides in our box bike’ and ‘draw with outside chalk’.
Sumer
Thank you! We LOVE our outside chalk, too!
Lisa
So easy to put together but a great visual reminder. What a great idea! I am going to make one of these, I love the colors and visual reminders are key for me!
Sumer
I’m right there with you! I need the visual reminder, too!
Katie
This is such a cute idea. We always have things we want to do in the summer but we never write them down. This is a cute way to keep track of them and try to complete everything that you want to.
Sumer
Thanks, Katie. I totally get it! This is our first year doing a real bucket list, and I’m loving it so far!
Liz
These are all really cute ideas. I am always looking for fun stuff to do with my little one! Thanks for sharing.
Sumer
Thanks, Liz. I hope you’ll give some of these activities a try this summer!
Heather
I love how you wrote your list on sticks! Such a cute idea! We have done a few of these already. We need to add Cupcakes for Breakfast though! LOL
Sumer
Thanks, Heather! π
Kristi File
Such fun ideas! And s’mores! Can’t go wring there.
Sumer
We love s’mores!!
Brittany Ferrell
We can happily say that we have already crossed off many of these same activities this summer. However, I am crossing my fingers right now for a little rain because my toddler and I will definitely dance in it! We do not have mini golf where I live (bummer!) but we are planning a bowling date instead! I love this whole list. I also love the idea of putting these ideas on popsicle sticks and having a little spontaneity in our usually heavily planned days!
Sumer
I LOVE the bowling date idea! How fun! And I totally hear ya on waiting for the rain, just so we can dance in it!!
Melissa
This is such a cute idea! I love all the ideas you came up with too.
Sumer
Thanks, Melissa!
Keri
This is great! I was needing some more ideas!!! Loving the summer fun.
Sumer
Thanks, Keri! Hope you add some of these things to your summer list!
Nicole
I love your list so much! I definitely am going to use this!
Julie Hoag
This is a perfect list for toddlers! They will love pulling a colored stick and finding out the fun on it! Super fun idea and young kids will love it!
Sumer
Thanks, Julie! My kids love all of the bright colored popsicle sticks!
Lexi
I love these ideas, but I really love the bucket with the popsicle sticks. That is such a cute idea for a bucket list! We made a very simple and short bucket list this summer. On it are things like get a snow cone from the snow cone truck and go hiking at the local National Park – oh and rent a boat on the reservoir.
Sumer
Thanks so much, Lexi! And I love your bucket list – renting a boat sounds SO fun!
Kerry
What a fun idea! I love the bucket idea. I need to try this with my toddler!
Danielle @ A Sprinkle of Joy
Such fun ideas! We’ve already had s’mores, and are planning on more! π
Sumer
Yay for s’mores! Hope you’re enjoying lots of outside time!
Stefanie
I love this way of doing it and I especially love that they are in a little bucket! SO cute!
Sumer
Thanks so much, Stefanie! π
Mary Ware
I love the idea of putting them on the popsicle sticks! And this reminds me I wanted to take my daughter min-golfing! Great list!
Elizabeth Brico
This is a great idea! I need to do this with my family! We may just steal some of your Summer Bucket List ideas π
Jessica
What a great idea!! I love your list and the idea of using popcicle sticks. I’m definitely going to do this with my children. Thanks for sharing!
Amber Battishill
Love this idea! We are already hitting the stage of summer where we are struggling for fun, new activities so this is a perfect solution!
suzanne
This is such a cute idea! Going to have to do it!
Mama Munchkin
Love lists like this. We’ve been running out of ideas lately. This will come in handy.
Living in Color
This is so adorable!
brittany
These are great ideas! I’m going to do some of these with my 3 year old
Whitney Pegram
This idea is incredible! You seriously do the best crafts!!
Sumer
Thanks so much, Whitney!!