Summer Bucket List of Activities to do at home

I'm always so excited for summer!  There's usually so many fun things to do as a family and plenty of time to do it with relaxed schedules and warm weather.  This year has been SO different!  With all that is going on, it's really easy to focus on all of the things we can't do.  So I challenged myself to come up with a list of fun family activities to do at home.  So here is a list of Summer Bucket Ideas To Do at Home.



Summer Bucket List of Ideas to do at Home   |   She's Crafty



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We like to make a bucket list each year for the summer.  We meet together as a family and add ideas of things we'd like to do.  Our previous bucket lists have made the season so much fun.  Sometimes in the middle of the summer, we forget all of the fun activities that are available to us.  Having them in a list solves that problem!

Summer Bucket List Ideas to do At Home


When I set out to make a bucket list this year, I knew I needed to make one with activities that could be done at home.  It was a little bit challenging at first, because any time I'm told I cannot do something, that is all I want to do.  Must be my rebellious nature.  So after a few deep breaths to regroup, I put my attitude aside and made a giant list of all of the things we can do at home.  Spoiler - there was A LOT!



Summer Bucket List Ideas to do at Home - nerf war



  • Have a Nerf War.  Gather all of the nerf guns you have around your house.  And if you have boys, you know you have a ton, or grab 1 or 2 here.  Don't forget to grab lots and lots of bullets too.  If you do the war inside, you can use furniture as obstacles.  If you go outside, you can use your landscaping and large empty boxes as obstacles.  We always make rules of no head shots, no stealing someone else's guns and play fair.  
  • Catch Fireflies or Butterflies.  Use a net or a jar to gently catch fireflies if you're in the south or butterflies in other areas.  Observe them for a few moments and then let them go.
  • Make Slime.  This is probably old news by now, so that's why it would be fun to pull out all of the ingredients again and mix some of that sticky stuff up.
  • Have a water fight.  Go old school with a good old water fight.  Use buckets to hold water to refill bottles or squirt guns.  Or use sponges full of water to throw at one another.


Summer Activities - Bucket List - Ideas to do at Home - bleach tie dye


  • Tie Dye shirts or socks with a kit or use bleach to tie dye a dark shirt.  I put about 2 oz of concentrated bleach in an empty plastic bottle and filled the rest with water.  We laid dark shirts on our cement driveway, then sprayed the shirts with the diluted bleach.  We let them sit in the sun for 20-30 minutes to let the bleach work.  Then we rinsed them out with the hose (until the water ran clear) and put them in the washing machine on a regular cycle.  
  • Have a Movie Marathon.  Watch your favorite Disney movies or a series such as Pirates of the Caribbean or Harry Potter.
  • Do Summer Journaling.  Use these prompts to write about your summer and help your kids keep up with their writing skills.
  • Bake.  Try out a new cookie recipe or learn to bake bread.  Share your bounty with friends and neighbors.
  • Watch a movie outdoors.  Use a projector or even a tablet to show a movie outside.  Blow up an air mattress and bring out lots of blankets and snacks to watch a movie in a new way.  Don't forget the bug spray!


Summer Activities - Bucket List - Ideas to do at Home - s'mores - make s'mores on a grill



  • Make S'mores.  You don't need a campfire or firepit.  You can roast the marshmallows with sticks on your grill.  You can also make s'mores in your microwave.  Put 1/2 of a graham cracker on a microwave safe plate and stack a large marshmallow on top.  Microwave for 10-15 seconds.  Pull the plate out of the microwave and immediately place a chunk of chocolate on the melted marshmallow and cover with the other half of the graham cracker.
  • Do a Car/Bike wash.  Pull cars onto the lawn and use the hose and a little bit of dishsoap to wash them.  Then wash all of the bikes and scooters too.  
  • Run Through the Sprinklers.  Enjoy the outdoors and have some old school fun running through the sprinklers.  This was one of my favorite things to do as a child.  And I still love it.  Now I take my dog through them with me and it's so fun to see her bite and play with the water.
  • Make Volcanoes.  Place about 1 Tbsp of baking soda in a muffin tin.  Place a drop of food coloring on top.  Dribble vinegar on top of the baking soda and watch it bubble up and over.


Summer Activities - Bucket List - Ideas to do at Home - taste test - pringles taste test


  • Have a Taste Test.  Buy several flavors of chips, candy bars, soda or ice cream.  Spend some time trying all of the flavors and figure out what everyone's favorite is.  
  • Make Friendship Bracelets.  Buy a kit or just get several colors of embroidery floss and beads and look up instructions for making bracelets in different patterns.  
  • Go on a Nature Scavenger Hunt in the Yard.  Walk around your yard or local park and use this printable or this one to look for things in nature.
  • Host a Talent Show.  Invite your neighbors or just your family to a talent show.  Everyone shares one of the many talents.  It would be so funny to share our not so great talents for a  comedy show too.  


Summer Activities - Bucket List - Ideas to do at Home - chalk art drawings


  • Have a Chalk Art Show.  Give everyone a portion of the driveway or sidewalk to draw pictures on with chalk.  This is the chalk that I like the best.  Have someone judge and the "winner" gets to choose the next family activity.
  • Have a Spa Day.  Soak your feet in the tub, use lotion to give foot massages, apply a face mask and paint fingernails and toe nails.
  • Make a Blanket Fort.  I think flat bed sheets draped over furniture and clamps to hold the sheet make the best forts.   Pile up the pillows and blankets inside and you're set for a cozy nook!
  • Have a Glow Party.  Get some inexpensive glow sticks at the dollar store or here and play tag, have a dance party, go for a night walk.


Summer Activities - Bucket List - Ideas to do at Home - paint rocks - rock painting and hide


  • Paint Rocks.  Use craft paint to paint rocks from the yard with kind and joyful messages and pictures and hide them in your neighborhood or around town.
  • Play Catch with Water Balloons.  On a hot day, fill up water ballons and use them to play catch with.  Or play water balloon volleyball in the back yard.
  • Sleep Outside in a Tent or on the Trampoline.  Have a faux camp out by sleeping outside.  You can use a tent or sleep on the tramp with sleeping bags.  Don't forget the bug spray.
  • Have a bubble blowing contest.  See who can blow the biggest bubbles with bubble gum or who can blow the most with bubbles in a certain time period.  




I created a free printable to download and print out and hang in your home.  This will give you tons of ideas for Summer Bucket List Activities you can do At Home.


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