Family bucket list generator:
summer bucket list ideas & more
A good family bucket list is short, seasonal and something every kid can join: a few free at-home wins, a few outings and one bigger trip. Pick your kids' ages, the season, a budget and at home or road trip below, and print a list of ideas to tick off together.
By Tots & Trips · Updated
20 of 73 matching ideas, picked so the whole family can join. Runs in your browser; your list and ticks stay on this device.
Our summer bucket list
Tick each one off as you do it.
0 / 20 done
Outdoors & nature
- Ride bikes on a rail trail
- Run through the sprinkler on the hottest day
- Catch fireflies in a jar, then let them all go
Out & about
- Cheer at a minor league baseball game
- Play a round of mini golf
- Find a splash pad you have never tried
- Watch a fireworks show
Make & create
- Tie-dye T-shirts for the whole family
- Make giant bubbles with a homemade wand
- Chalk a giant mural on the driveway or sidewalk
Food & treats
- Make homemade popsicles from your favorite juice or fruit
- Eat ice cream for dinner, just once
- Grill dinner and eat it outside
At home together
- Have a backyard movie night with a sheet for a screen
- Join your library's summer reading challenge
- Build a blanket fort and read in it
Big adventures
- Go camping overnight at a campground
- Ride a ferry or a boat somewhere
- Spend a whole day at a beach or lake
- Plan a staycation weekend: be tourists in your own town
Made at totsandtrips.com/finder/bucket-list
Want a big trip on the list?
Answer five questions (ages, budget, flight time, kind of trip, month) and the trip finder ranks family destinations with a day-by-day itinerary for your kids' ages.
How the bucket list generator works
- › Everyone can join. Each idea has an age range. An idea makes your list only if its range fits every age group you pick (under 3, 3 to 5, 6 to 9, 10 to 12, 13 and up), so a family with a toddler and a teen gets ideas both can do.
- › Season first. Ideas tied to your season fill the list before any-season ideas, so a summer list reads like summer.
- › Budget and setting filter. Free only, free plus low cost, or include a splurge; at home and around town, road trips and day trips, or a mix.
- › A mix, not a pile. The list takes ideas from each group in turn (outdoors, out and about, make and create, food, at home, big adventures) with at most three big-ticket trips. Shuffle for a new draw, swap any single idea, or add your own.
The ideas are ordinary family activities in our own words, not rankings. Where an idea names an official program or a date (meteor showers, national park programs, bird counts), it is linked to the source below. Your list, ticks and family name are saved only on this device.
All 129 family bucket list ideas, by season
Every idea the generator draws from, with the ages it suits, the cost and whether it is close to home or needs a trip. Some ideas fit more than one season and appear in each.
Summer bucket list ideas (38)
| Idea | Ages | Cost | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Run through the sprinkler on the hottest day | 0–10 | Free | Close to home |
| Build the biggest sandcastle you can | 1+ | Free | Trip |
| Catch fireflies in a jar, then let them all go | 2+ | Free | Close to home |
| Wade in a creek and look under the rocks | 2+ | Free | Trip |
| Sleep in a tent in the backyard | 3+ | Free | Close to home |
| Go on a flashlight walk after dark | 3+ | Free | Close to home |
| Have a water balloon fight | 4+ | Low cost | Close to home |
| Stay up for the Perseid meteor shower (NASA puts the peak in mid-August) (source) | 5+ | Free | Either |
| Learn to skip a stone | 5+ | Free | Either |
| Hike a trail that ends at a view or a waterfall | 5+ | Free | Trip |
| Ride bikes on a rail trail | 5+ | Free | Trip |
| Find a splash pad you have never tried | 0–9 | Free | Close to home |
| Go to a free outdoor concert or movie in the park | All ages | Free | Close to home |
| Pick berries at a u-pick farm | 2+ | Low cost | Either |
| Go to a county or state fair | 2+ | Low cost | Either |
| Watch a fireworks show | 3+ | Free | Either |
| Play a round of mini golf | 3+ | Low cost | Close to home |
| Watch a movie at a drive-in theater | 3+ | Low cost | Either |
| Cheer at a minor league baseball game | 4+ | Low cost | Either |
| Make giant bubbles with a homemade wand | 1+ | Low cost | Close to home |
| Chalk a giant mural on the driveway or sidewalk | 2+ | Free | Close to home |
| Run a lemonade stand | 5–12 | Low cost | Close to home |
| Tie-dye T-shirts for the whole family | 5+ | Low cost | Close to home |
| Grill dinner and eat it outside | All ages | Low cost | Close to home |
| Have a picnic somewhere new | All ages | Free | Either |
| Make homemade popsicles from your favorite juice or fruit | 2+ | Low cost | Close to home |
| Eat ice cream for dinner, just once | 2+ | Low cost | Close to home |
| Let each kid pick a new fruit or vegetable at a farmers market | 2+ | Low cost | Close to home |
| Make s'mores over a fire pit or campfire | 3+ | Low cost | Either |
| Join your library's summer reading challenge | 2+ | Free | Close to home |
| Have a backyard movie night with a sheet for a screen | 3+ | Low cost | Close to home |
| Spend a whole day at a beach or lake | All ages | Low cost | Trip |
| Take a road trip to a state none of you have visited | All ages | Splurge | Trip |
| Stay a night at a hotel with a pool | All ages | Splurge | Trip |
| Ride a ferry or a boat somewhere | All ages | Low cost | Trip |
| Go camping overnight at a campground | 2+ | Low cost | Trip |
| Spend a day at a water park or theme park | 3+ | Splurge | Trip |
| Paddle a canoe or kayak together | 8+ | Low cost | Trip |
Fall bucket list ideas (31)
| Idea | Ages | Cost | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rake a giant leaf pile and jump in it | 1+ | Free | Close to home |
| Go on a flashlight walk after dark | 3+ | Free | Close to home |
| Learn to skip a stone | 5+ | Free | Either |
| Hike a trail that ends at a view or a waterfall | 5+ | Free | Trip |
| Ride bikes on a rail trail | 5+ | Free | Trip |
| Pick your own pumpkin at a pumpkin patch | All ages | Low cost | Either |
| Go to a county or state fair | 2+ | Low cost | Either |
| Go apple picking | 2+ | Low cost | Either |
| Go on a hayride | 2+ | Low cost | Trip |
| Play a round of mini golf | 3+ | Low cost | Close to home |
| Watch a movie at a drive-in theater | 3+ | Low cost | Either |
| Find your way through a corn maze | 4+ | Low cost | Trip |
| Go to a local high school or college football game | 4+ | Low cost | Close to home |
| Collect acorns, pinecones and leaves for a nature craft | 2+ | Free | Close to home |
| Carve (or paint) a pumpkin each | 3+ | Low cost | Close to home |
| Make leaf rubbings or press the best leaves you find | 3+ | Free | Close to home |
| Make a pinecone bird feeder and watch who visits | 3+ | Low cost | Close to home |
| Build a scarecrow from old clothes | 4+ | Low cost | Close to home |
| Make your own Halloween costumes | 4+ | Low cost | Close to home |
| Have a picnic somewhere new | All ages | Free | Either |
| Let each kid pick a new fruit or vegetable at a farmers market | 2+ | Low cost | Close to home |
| Drink hot apple cider at a farm or orchard | 2+ | Low cost | Either |
| Make s'mores over a fire pit or campfire | 3+ | Low cost | Either |
| Roast the pumpkin seeds | 3+ | Free | Close to home |
| Bake an apple pie or apple crisp together | 4+ | Low cost | Close to home |
| Have a backyard movie night with a sheet for a screen | 3+ | Low cost | Close to home |
| Make a thankful tree: one paper leaf per thing you are grateful for | 4+ | Free | Close to home |
| Ride a ferry or a boat somewhere | All ages | Low cost | Trip |
| Take a fall foliage drive and stop for the best view | All ages | Low cost | Trip |
| Rent a cabin for a weekend away | All ages | Splurge | Trip |
| Go camping overnight at a campground | 2+ | Low cost | Trip |
Winter bucket list ideas (20)
| Idea | Ages | Cost | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Build a snowman (or a snow family) when it snows | 2+ | Free | Close to home |
| Go sledding | 3+ | Free | Either |
| Look for animal tracks in the snow or mud | 3+ | Free | Either |
| Have a snowball fight | 4+ | Free | Close to home |
| Count birds for the Great Backyard Bird Count in February (Audubon says 15 minutes is enough) (source) | 4+ | Free | Close to home |
| Join a local Christmas Bird Count (Audubon runs them from December 14 to January 5) (source) | 6+ | Free | Close to home |
| Watch the Geminid meteor shower (NASA puts the peak in mid-December) (source) | 6+ | Free | Either |
| Drive around to see the holiday lights | All ages | Free | Close to home |
| Go ice skating | 4+ | Low cost | Either |
| Make a pinecone bird feeder and watch who visits | 3+ | Low cost | Close to home |
| Cut paper snowflakes and hang them in the window | 4+ | Free | Close to home |
| Build a gingerbread house | 4+ | Low cost | Close to home |
| Set up a hot cocoa bar with toppings | 2+ | Low cost | Close to home |
| Bake and decorate cookies | 3+ | Low cost | Close to home |
| Hold a New Year's countdown at noon | 2–9 | Free | Close to home |
| Stay a night at a hotel with a pool | All ages | Splurge | Trip |
| Rent a cabin for a weekend away | All ages | Splurge | Trip |
| Take a trip somewhere warm | All ages | Splurge | Trip |
| Spend a day at an indoor water park | 2+ | Splurge | Trip |
| Take a ski or snowboard lesson | 5+ | Splurge | Trip |
Spring bucket list ideas (21)
| Idea | Ages | Cost | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Go puddle jumping in rain boots | 1–9 | Free | Close to home |
| Plant seeds and grow something you can eat | 2+ | Low cost | Close to home |
| Go on a wildflower walk and count the colors | 2+ | Free | Either |
| Fly a kite on a windy day | 3+ | Low cost | Either |
| Look for frogs and tadpoles at a pond | 3+ | Free | Close to home |
| Learn to skip a stone | 5+ | Free | Either |
| Hike a trail that ends at a view or a waterfall | 5+ | Free | Trip |
| Ride bikes on a rail trail | 5+ | Free | Trip |
| Visit a farm in spring to see the baby animals | All ages | Low cost | Trip |
| Visit a botanical garden in bloom | All ages | Low cost | Either |
| Play a round of mini golf | 3+ | Low cost | Close to home |
| Cheer at a minor league baseball game | 4+ | Low cost | Either |
| Make giant bubbles with a homemade wand | 1+ | Low cost | Close to home |
| Chalk a giant mural on the driveway or sidewalk | 2+ | Free | Close to home |
| Have a picnic somewhere new | All ages | Free | Either |
| Let each kid pick a new fruit or vegetable at a farmers market | 2+ | Low cost | Close to home |
| Hide eggs (or anything) for a backyard hunt | 2–12 | Low cost | Close to home |
| Spring clean and donate the toys you have outgrown | 4+ | Free | Close to home |
| Ride a ferry or a boat somewhere | All ages | Low cost | Trip |
| Take a spring break trip together | All ages | Splurge | Trip |
| Go camping overnight at a campground | 2+ | Low cost | Trip |
Any-season ideas (46)
| Idea | Ages | Cost | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watch a sunrise together | All ages | Free | Either |
| Watch the sunset from the highest spot nearby | All ages | Free | Either |
| Walk a boardwalk, pier or waterfront path | All ages | Free | Trip |
| Try the playground in a town you are passing through | 0–10 | Free | Trip |
| Do a neighborhood scavenger hunt | 3+ | Free | Close to home |
| Go stargazing and find the Big Dipper | 4+ | Free | Either |
| Find your first geocache | 6+ | Free | Either |
| Get every kid their own library card | All ages | Free | Close to home |
| Spend a morning at a children's museum | 0–9 | Low cost | Close to home |
| Visit a zoo or aquarium | All ages | Low cost | Either |
| Stop at a quirky roadside attraction | All ages | Low cost | Trip |
| Find a covered bridge, lighthouse or old mill to visit | All ages | Free | Trip |
| Find a free-admission day at a local museum | 3+ | Free | Close to home |
| Go bowling | 4+ | Low cost | Close to home |
| See a play or a children's theater show | 4+ | Low cost | Close to home |
| Visit a science center or planetarium | 5+ | Low cost | Either |
| Volunteer together for a morning | 6+ | Free | Close to home |
| Take a family photo in the same spot every season | All ages | Free | Close to home |
| Build something big out of cardboard boxes | 2+ | Free | Close to home |
| Collect a postcard or sticker from every stop | 3+ | Low cost | Trip |
| Write and mail a letter to a grandparent | 4+ | Low cost | Close to home |
| Make a time capsule to open in a year | 5+ | Free | Close to home |
| Keep a family journal of the season, one line a day | 5+ | Free | Close to home |
| Go out for a pancake breakfast on a weekday off | All ages | Low cost | Close to home |
| Eat at a local diner on a road trip | All ages | Low cost | Trip |
| Eat a packed lunch at a scenic overlook | All ages | Free | Trip |
| Try a food from a country none of you have tasted | 2+ | Low cost | Close to home |
| Let the kids plan and cook one dinner | 8+ | Low cost | Close to home |
| Learn to cook one meal start to finish | 10+ | Low cost | Close to home |
| Have a pajama day with nowhere to be | All ages | Free | Close to home |
| Build a blanket fort and read in it | 2+ | Free | Close to home |
| Play road trip bingo on a long drive | 2+ | Free | Trip |
| Put on a family talent show | 3+ | Free | Close to home |
| Have a yes day (with ground rules agreed first) | 3+ | Free | Close to home |
| Have a sleepover at the grandparents' or cousins' | 3+ | Free | Either |
| Hold a family game night with a new card or board game | 4+ | Free | Close to home |
| Let the oldest kid plan a whole day out | 8+ | Low cost | Either |
| Visit a national park on an NPS fee-free day (free entrance for US citizens and residents) (source) | All ages | Free | Trip |
| Got a fourth grader? Get the free Every Kid Outdoors pass and use it at a federal park (source) | All ages | Free | Trip |
| Take a photo at a state line sign | All ages | Free | Trip |
| Explore a nearby town you have never been to | All ages | Low cost | Trip |
| Take a train ride somewhere, just for the ride | All ages | Low cost | Trip |
| Plan a staycation weekend: be tourists in your own town | All ages | Low cost | Close to home |
| Take a weekend trip to a city you have never visited | All ages | Splurge | Trip |
| Take a family trip somewhere none of you have been | All ages | Splurge | Trip |
| Earn a Junior Ranger badge at a national park (the NPS activity booklet is free) (source) | 4+ | Low cost | Trip |
Planning the big-ticket item?
Most bucket lists have one trip on them. The family trip finder quiz matches destinations to your kids' ages, budget and flight time; the best time to go finder picks the month; and for a drive, start with our family road trip routes and printable road trip bingo. For a national park day, see the best national parks for kids.
Sources
Last checked: . Each page below was opened and read; the ideas that name these programs or dates say only what the page says. Dates such as fee-free days and count weekends change each year, so check the page before you go. The rest of the list is everyday family activities with no source to cite.
- NASA Science: Perseids (peak mid-August; best seen before dawn)
- NASA Science: Geminids (active early to mid-December; peak Dec. 13-14 in 2026)
- National Park Service: Become a Junior Ranger
- National Park Service: Fee-free days (US citizens and residents from 2026)
- Every Kid Outdoors: free federal lands pass for fourth graders
- National Audubon Society: Great Backyard Bird Count (February 12-15, 2027)
- National Audubon Society: Christmas Bird Count (December 14 to January 5)
Family bucket lists: what parents ask
What should be on a summer bucket list for kids?
Mix a few easy at-home wins (sprinkler, homemade popsicles, a backyard campout) with outings (a splash pad, berry picking, a ballgame) and one or two bigger days like a beach or lake trip. Pick ideas every kid in the family can join, and keep the list short enough to finish.
How do you make a family bucket list?
Start from the season and your kids' ages, set a budget, then let each person add one idea of their own. Twenty items is a comfortable size for a summer; ten suits a shorter season or very young kids. Print it and put it where everyone sees it.
What are free summer bucket list ideas?
Running through the sprinkler, catching fireflies, a backyard tent night, chalk murals, a library summer reading challenge, free concerts in the park and staying up for the Perseid meteor shower, which NASA says peaks in mid-August. Set the budget to Free only above for a full list.
What goes on a fall bucket list for families?
Apple picking, a pumpkin patch, a corn maze, a hayride, jumping in a leaf pile, carving pumpkins and roasting the seeds, baking an apple crisp and a fall foliage drive. Choose Fall above to get a list sized to your kids' ages.
What are good winter bucket list ideas for kids?
Sledding, a snowman, ice skating, a hot cocoa bar, gingerbread houses, driving around to see holiday lights and counting birds for Audubon's Great Backyard Bird Count in February, which asks for as little as 15 minutes.
Is this family bucket list printable?
Yes. Press Print and only the list prints, with a tick box beside each idea and your family name on top if you add one. It runs in your browser; nothing you type is uploaded.
Heading somewhere? Make a packing list for the trip, or browse every free family trip finder.