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While teachers and children count down the days until the end of the school year, many parents aren’t as enthusiastic. Having children out of school often equates to childcare complications and the necessity of keeping them entertained on those long, hot days of summer. It can be intimidating—and thinking of things to do when all we want to do is cool down can be a challenge.
For this reason, I decided to come up with the ultimate summer bucket list, Dad Edition. While we may not have the time (or funds) to complete the whole list, it can serve as a guide for getting through the upcoming summer holiday.
1. Visit a pool or splash pad.
2. Go to the beach. Some lakes have beach areas if an ocean is too far away.
3. Enjoy a snow cone. Tropical Sno is a favorite of mine! You can even throw it back old-school and get a Snoopy Snow Cone machine and make your own.
4. Visit a water park. Indoor water parks even exist for fun on a rainy day.
5. Plan a water gun or water balloon fight with friends.
6. Host a “Summer Olympics” or family field day. Pinterest is a great resource for ideas and activities, and several of the ideas in this list could be used for games. There are even ideas on Pinterest for how to make cheap prizes or trophies for the winners.
7. Play colored shaving cream Twister.
8. Have a three-legged race or sack race.
9. Play Hungry Hungry Hippos, the live outdoor version.
10. Have a pizza delivery box relay.
11. Have a fill-the-bucket sponge race.
12. Make homemade ice cream.
13. Go on a picnic.
14. Have an outdoor movie night or visit a drive-in theater if there’s one in your area.
15. Roast marshmallows.
16. Camp out.
17. Have a nature scavenger hunt.
18. Make a fairy house from a dried gourd and nature items.
19. Make art with sidewalk chalk.
20. Jump on a trampoline. On rainy days, visit an indoor trampoline park.
21. Go to the park.
22. Go to story time at your local library or bookstore.
23. Check out free activities at the local library.
24. Watch fireworks.
25. Have a lemonade stand.
26. Bake cookies.
27. Make a blanket fort for indoor fun.
28. “Camp out” inside.
29. Enjoy a slice of watermelon.
30. Visit an amusement park.
31. Have a family game night.
32. Have a family movie night.
33. Visit a zoo or aquarium.
34. Play tourist in the town where you live.
35. Visit somewhere you’ve never been before.
36. Have a yard sale scavenger hunt.
37. Blow bubbles.
38. Buy a treat from the ice cream truck.
39. Attend a day camp or other community program.
40. Make shadow puppets.
41. Make sock puppets and host a puppet show.
42. Make your own home movie.
43. Make a collage from magazines.
44. Finger paint or attend a canvas painting class for families.
45. Wish on stars.
46. Look for shapes in clouds.
47. Make a wish on dandelions.
48. Visit a wishing fountain and toss in a penny.
49. Make a birdhouse and fill it with birdseed.
50. Put out water for birds and butterflies.
51. Plant flowers.
52. Play on a slip-n-slide.
53. Rent an inflatable water slide for the day.
54. Paint rocks.
55. Participate in a summer reading program.
56. Make your own pizza.
57. Go on a geocaching adventure.
58. Visit a Little Free Library—or make your own.
59. Go roller skating.
60. Go bowling.
61. Go see a matinee as a family.
62. Have a BBQ.
63. Play backyard games like bocce, frisbee, horseshoes, croquet, or badminton.
64. Ride a bike or visit a skate park.
65. Visit a children’s museum.
66. Perform a random act of kindness.
67. Build a sand castle.
68. Go on a road trip.
69. Play miniature golf.
70. Visit a park, garden, or nature preserve.
71. Try a science experiment.
72. Make a sun catcher.
73. Play balloon tennis with fly swatters and balloons.
74. Make your own moon sand.
75. Go fishing.
76. Visit a farmer’s market.
77. Visit a planetarium.
78. Make root beer floats.
79. Put a puzzle together.
80. Have a family car wash. Wash the family car, and kids can get their ride-on toys clean, too.
81. Go see a play or puppet show.
82. Attend a free local event.
83. Visit a local fire station.
84. Introduce your kids to a cartoon you loved as a child.
85. Introduce your kids to music you love.
86. Play in the rain, and stomp in mud puddles.
87. Have a tea party.
88. Take naps.
89. Sing together in the car.
90. Take family pictures.
91. Make a summer scrapbook of all the activities you did.
92. Visit a garden.
93. Play in the sprinkler.
94. Make banana splits.
95. Visit an indoor play center.
96. Play laser tag.
97. Race go-karts at an activity center.
98. Visit an arcade.
99. Read a flashlight storybook. (Usborne Books carry a line of these.)
100. Make your kids laugh at least once every day.
101. Have family pictures taken. Instead of the formal poses, try fun and goofy poses with props! Don’t have the money for professional pictures? Make your own family photo booth at home and ham it up!
For most adults, summer days are like any other—only hotter. But for children, summer still holds magic. It doesn’t take much to infuse magic into this break from school, and I hope some of these ideas can help you do just that.
Comment below if there’s anything you would add, and together we can make a comprehensive list of activities that are great for parents and children alike!
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This post was originally published on medium.com, and is republished here with the author’s permission.
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Photo credit: Getty Images