With uninterrupted schedules, taking on these summer bucket list ideas for active families is a fun and adventurous way to spend the warm days. These simple summer ideas are ideal for those with young children who want to do activities together.
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Fall used to be my favorite season.
It had to be because it was cross country season and running on trails through the crunchy leaves with a team felt like freedom. While I still enjoy fall, over the last few years, my favorite season has shifted to summer.
I like the heat. I love taking the kids to the beach as many times as we can manage. I love the lack of school schedule. I love all the fresh fruits and vegetables that come out of the gardens in my own backyard and the farms around me. I love that the kids can run outside right after breakfast, or even breakfast on the porch, and not have to stress about jackets, snow, ice, or the dark.
Summer is by far my favorite season.
With a new season, comes a bucket list.
I am a huge fan of lists of any kind. Rob frequently gives me a friendly, “I knew it,” look anytime I hunt down a piece of paper and state, “I need to make a list.”
A summer bucket list is no different.
Actually, it is a bit different because instead of a grocery list, it is a list of fun activities I get to plan to do with Zoey, William, and Hazel. It is a list of memories that are waiting to be made, places waiting to be explored, and experiences we get to have as a family during the summer of minimal schedules, hot weather, and time together.
That is a list I am happy to write every single day.
These are the top six must dos on our summer bucket list ideas for active families. Within each of them are a few specifics, like the specific parks to visit or farms to pick at.
Run a Race
This one is really for me.
In the summer of 2021, I ran two ultra marathons. While that may happen again this summer, I am not yet sure of the distance I want to race, but I know I want to complete at least one.
If you have your sites set on racing this summer also, I have a few training plans to help get you to your finish line.
Finish Line Strong 5k Training Plan – This is really 3 training plans in one as it includes 12 week plans for beginner, intermediate, and advanced runners. Each plan provides you with interval workouts, runner-specific strength training, and core workouts so you can cross your finish line feeling strong and ready for more.
10K Training Plan – This plan is ideal for intermediate runners to make your finish line a personal best.
The 8 Week Base Training Running Plan – This free running plan helps you build a cardiovascular foundation safely. Start with easy runs and progress to faster and longer distances so you are ready for a full training plan.
Beach Days
I grew up spending my entire summers at the beach. Now that we finally live near water (something Arizona and Colorado didn’t have), I make sure we do 1-2 days at the beach each week.
My personal bucket list includes a handful of different beaches to visit this summer – some of our favorites and some new ones.
The plan is to have towels, swimsuits, life jackets, and sand toys in the car and at the ready, so we can just hop out to a beach when the mood strikes. A more pre-planned beach day would include a packed picnic lunch in the kids’ favorite Bentgo lunch boxes.
These are the 15 must have items for a day at the beach with toddlers.
These are the necessary items to have an easy and comfortable day at the beach with a baby.
Garden
I got deep into the research, video watching, Instagram following, and executing of a 300 square foot vegetable garden last summer. It was always my dream to have an epic fruit and vegetable garden and I was finally able to take it on.
The plan this summer is to continue to nurture the garden I worked hard to learn about and make last year. I want to include the kids more in the planting and be able to let the garden work flow more naturally without me needing to do it all right.
Bring on all the fresh zucchini so we can make this recipe!
Tour Playgrounds
My kids just love a playground, but with their varying motor skill levels (ages 5, 3, and 2), not all playgrounds work well for us.
There are a good number of pretty epic playgrounds within an hour driving distance from us that cover the age span. I know the kids will love making a day of it traveling to the playground, having unlimited playtime, and packing a lunch. Bonus points for the ones that include a splash pad!
I have a list of the specific playgrounds we plan to visit and am looking forward to checking them off.
I will say that if you have small children, decide how big of a playground you can handle. When the kids were ages 4, 2, and newborn, I saved the really big ones for days when Rob could come with us. There is no need to feel stressed about playgrounds, or to have your kids being unsafe without being able to supervise them the way they need.
This Playground Chase Cardio Workout is an excellent one to add to your weekly workouts as it focuses on the movements and strong muscles you need to chase your kids around a playground.
Berry Picking
Minnesota has an incredibly abundant growing season. Even though it is short, there is fresh produce everywhere during the summer months.
Going berry picking with the kids is one of my favorite activities and one they love to do since they love fruit (and eat more than ends up in their containers).
We plan to go blueberry and strawberry picking. Raspberry picking maybe added to the list as well, but I have to find a farm that is closer to home.
If any berries are leftover from all the fresh eating, they head to the freezer for future smoothies, to eat frozen, or to add to recipes.
Library Summer Reading Challenge
We love our books around here and have hit the 1,000 books before kindergarten with all three kids.
During the summer, we really enjoy continuing our reading habit and join in on the library’s summer reading challenge. The challenge is usually pretty lowkey, but gives the kids something to focus on. Typically there is a prize at the end for them as well.
With these 6 main summer bucket list items, our summer is going to be full of activities, times outside, and memories. The goal is to really spend time together, while the kids still want to hang out with me, and have lots of adventures.
I like to keep my summer bucket list ideas for active families in the back of my planner. When I am planning our week ahead, I flip to our bucket list and then pick out what we can do for that week. I am so looking forward to spending this unscheduled time with my crew. Bring on summer!
Looking for more activites to do with your kids? Check out these posts:
I’m Brooke Selb, a Personal Trainer and Health Coach specializing in helping busy moms and moms to be to easily juggle mom life with family friendly recipes, and easy exercise routines to help you achieve your fitness goals that fit in with your already busy life with sound nutritional advice.
