Summer always seems to start with a bang, but we often find ourselves struggling with new, fun ideas in July. Parents and children often burn out of the same places, so check out this list of fun, easy ways to spice up your summer! Make the most of the rest of the summer with these ten fun ideas! See how many your family can complete before summer is over!
Ten Bucket List Items for a Fun Filled Summer
- Visit the local library and check out books for each other: Go to the library and switch it up! Pick out books for your children that they may not reach for normally, and let your children do the same. You an set some guidelines (such as a type of book or a topic) or give them free range. After everyone is done with their book, talk about the new things you learned!
- Start a family blog: Start a family blog and let everyone take a turn writing. You can blog about the activities you complete during the summer, favorite meals, or crazy games you may play. Make sure to share it with the grandparents for even more entertainment. Make sure the security settings are closed and private so your children are safe to share what they want! Check out www.blogger.com to get started!
- Find a new park: Take the the internet and let each kid/ person in your family pick out a new park to try! Set up a rating system and let everyone rate the parks to see which one just may become the new family favorite! You can also do this for pools and hiking trails around your area too!
- Try geocaching: This is truly the ultimate treasure hunt! Using the GPS on your phone, track down various treasures people have hidden all around your city. Don't forget to leave something special of your own, from a painted rock to other treasures for your family. For more information on how to get started, check out this great article!
- Trade up dinner nights and let everyone plan a night: That is right, let the each person pick a different night of the week and they plan dinner. For the older kids, let them shop, plan and cook, and the younger children can help with the menu planning. Nothing is off limits and everyone has to agree to try the new foods!
- Hit the mall for a scavenger hunt: Simple and easy, give each person a list of items to find and take a picture with and head to the mall. Younger children can look for numbers, letters, or colors and older children can find more complex items. Make sure you take a picture of each item on the list and be the first to finish! This is a perfect rainy day activity!
- Use public transportation and explore the city: If you live near a major city, this is the perfect activity! Ride around on public transportation and check out some of the areas of the city you have been wanting to see.
- Create a family movie: Foster your children's love for movies and create your own! Work together to create a script, direct, edit and act in the movie. Sit down and have a family movie night and watch your creation. Check out iMovie for easy software to help with the movie. Don't have an actor in the family? Check out the app, Toontastic, to help create your own cartoons!
- Make fruit sculptures: Carving is no longer just for pumpkins. You can buy mini watermelons for each person and let them go wild with their creations! Check out various images online for inspiration and serve the creations for dinner that night!
- Cheer on the local team: Hit up the local games for a fun night of sports with the family! Make sure to remember some of the minor league teams around your city as well, these tickets are often cheap and it is fun to explore the new fields or parks. You can even plan a day trip to a neighboring town to add even more fun and excitement to the day!
- Bonus Idea: Volunteer with the family: Take the kids and volunteer! Your children can help pick where they want to volunteer their time and help show them how volunteering truly helps the world. Pick a different charity each time, or pick a family favorite.
Hopefully these ideas help spark some new ideas for your family! Make sure to document these fun adventures with photos! Even better, you can use those photos to create a family summer photo album or help post the pictures to your family blog to document all the memories. With these ideas, I promise you will have the best end to the summer yet!
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