We want to give our kids the world, Just like sand in pail, every experience fills up their lives with meaning and purpose. Those experiences,especially the mundane, are the framework from which they build a happy childhood and a successful adulthood. Everyone has heard of the term "bucket list," perhaps to the point of exhaustion. Everyone has one. Everyone is adding things to their lists and checking them off. While I don't like the idea that life is meant to be lived as a checklist, I do think there is value, particularly for children in creating a list that will help them focus on finding purposeful joy in big and small endeavors.
With the lazy days of summer just around the corner, now is the perfect time to help kids learn to dream big and do big with by creating a "just for kids" bucket list that will last all summer long. To kick off the summer in style, I encouraged my kids to come up with a list of things they wanted to do throughout the season-both big ticket items and simple summer pleasures.
101 Ideas for Summer Fun
1.Write in the sand
2. Pet a dolphin
3. Snorkel
4. Go deep sea fishing
5. Watch the sunset
6. Play Mini-Golf
7. Have a BBQ
8. Have a Picnic
9. Hunt for Seashells
10. Stay up Late
11.Have a backyard campout
12. Play Frisbee
13. Have a water balloon fight
14. Eat Snowcones
15. Paint Pictures
16.Eat Popsicles
17. Bake a Pie
18.Slip and Slide
19. Have a backyard movie night
20. Swim in the ocean
21. Attend an Outdoor Concert
22.Paint Rocks
23. Do a Random Act of Kindness
24.Blow bubbles
25.Cook Smores
26.Eat Hot Dogs
27.Have a family game night
28.Go to baseball game
29.Have a scavenger hunt
30.See the ocean
31.Feed the ducks
32.Visit the Aquarium
33.Have an ice cream party
34.Go geocaching
35.Fly a kite
36.Take a hike
37.Visit a Waterpark
38.Catch fireflies
39.Collect Seashells
40.Go to the Beach
41. Hatch Butterflies
42.Build a Fort
43.Tour a Factory
44.Take a midnight walk
45.Run through the sprinklers
46.Go to the zoo
47.See fireworks
48.Take a Road Trip
49.Go to the Rodeo
50.Ride a pony
51.Go to the Drive-In
52.Make Homemade Ice Cream
53.Go to the Farmer’s Market
54.Climb a Tree
55.Swing at the Playground
56.Go Roller skating
57. Have a Party
58.Read 10+ books
59.Ride a rollercoaster
60.Volunteer
61.Create a work of art
62.Go on a boat ride
63.Swim in a natural swimming hole
64.Cloud Watching
65.Send a message in a bottle
66.Learn to Backstroke
67.Color with chalk
68.Wade in a stream
69.Learn to do Cartwheels
70.Have a pillow fight
71.Play flashlight wars
72.Make a sock puppet
73.Ride a Ferris Wheel
74.Make Crayon rubbings
75.Launch lanterns
76.Make a Marble Run
77.Try a new art technique
78.Have a sing-a-long
79. Make Homemade Play-doh
80. Set up a lemonade stand
81. See a parade
82. Play dodgeball
83. Go bowling
84. Buy ice cream from the ice cream truck
85. Make shadow puppets
86. Listen to Classical Music
87. Watch old movies
88. Go to the library
89. Send a random card to a friend
90.See a play
91. Go to the art musuem
92. Catch bugs
93. Explore a cave
94. Find a waterfall
95. Eat dessert for dinner
96. Visit a state or national park
97. Make popcorn over a fire
98.Make an obstacle course
99. Play grass twister
100.Have a staycation
101. Find a new favorite restaurant