In this post, we’re talking about why you should make a summer bucket list – especially if you have young kids. Setting goals helps us to be intentional with our time. A summer bucket list is the way that we can be intentional with our families – making memories, building family culture, and being intentional with the time we have with our families.
S4E5 – What Do Jerusalem, Athens & Rome Have to Do With Your Faith? – A More Beautiful Life Collective Podcast
- S4E5 – What Do Jerusalem, Athens & Rome Have to Do With Your Faith?
- S4E4 – You Don't Have to Agree With Them to Learn From Them: Why You Should Study Church History
- S4E3 – Bible Alone? Can We Really Just Follow the Bible?
- S4E2 – What If Questioning Your Faith Isn’t a Bad Thing?
- S4E1 – Before You Pass Down Your Faith, Ask Yourself This
This was the first week of summer, and it was filled with sticky summer days, park trips, and playgrounds. For the first 5 years of marriage, I was a teacher (one year of high school, one year of middle school). After I had my son, I tried to make it a point to do something fun with him each week. I taught summer school that first summer, but each Friday we would head to a local place and have fun seeing the sights together.
When I stayed home with my son and daughter, the first summer was full of trips and outings. But, as our budget got tighter and we added our third, those happy days out kind of stopped. It’s hard to feel like going out when you inevitably spend $50 and have one meltdown en route per trip.
It is challenging to get the kids dressed and out the door. It’s hard to remember all the things you need to pack and have your life together enough to pack lunches so you aren’t tempted to swing by Chick-fil-A on the way home. You get sweaty. Your kids get dirty. And, unless you are going to the same-old, same-old places, you don’t really know what to expect.
Still, it’s worth it. Laura Vanderkam talks about this in her book Tranquility by Tuesday. We often don’t feel like accomplishing the memory-making thing in the present, but really, we aren’t doing those activities for our present self. We are doing it for our past and future selves.
When we plan events we can look forward to, we create anticipation in our lives, which helps us to overcome the mundane moments. We also create a bank of ‘feel-good’ memories to look back on for our future selves, building a family culture in the process.
So, even though chasing kids around a playground might be the last thing you want to do this week, it is worth it for the experience on multiple levels.
A Summer Bucketlist: Why you should make one, especially if you have kids!
One of my goals this past week was to write down a summer bucket list for myself and my family. These are the goals, activities, and places I want to go and do. One of my life sayings is Thoreau’s quote: “I want to live deep and suck the marrow out of life.” To do this, we have to make goals that get us off our phones and off the couch. They don’t have to be grand, but they do need to match up with our vision for our family culture. (I used my List of 100 dreams to help me brainstorm.)
Here are some questions to get you thinking:
- What are some ‘must-do’ trips and experiences for the summer?
- Think about your lifetime goals (using your list of 100 dreams). What would be 2-3 items you could add to your bucket list?
- What are some things your family wants to do this summer?
Remember, if you want to make your bucket list sustainable, you probably need to do these things:
Tip #1: Plan all ranges of activities.
You need experiences that are free, along with those bigger experiences that cost money. Experiences that are close by (and at home!), and those that might require more of a day trip. Things you can do solo-parenting and things to do in a group. Rainy day activities and days spent outside in the sun. Making a list of a wide range of activities will help you to be intentional with your time while making the most of your summer.
Tip #2: Make a budget line for your Summer Bucketlist.
Being a SAHM with a single income means that we often don’t get to go on big vacations (unless we are going with grandparents and/or family). But that doesn’t mean that we don’t have rich and meaningful experiences as a family! Our experiences just look different. That being said, it’s easy to let things get out of hand when we are trying to make ‘influencer-level’ experiences happen.
We don’t need to spend a bunch of money to build family culture and accomplish our summer bucket list, but we do need to make it something that shows up in our budget. Think about how much you could comfortably spend on these experiences ($25 a week? $50 a week?) and make it a line item. That way you have good boundaries set on what you can and can’t afford each week.
Tip #3: Stock up on Summer Survival Supplies.
Sunscreen? Check! (That is, if you use sunscreen. Crunchy mamas – looking at you!) Bugspray? Check! Chalk? Check! Craft supplies? Check!
Having grab-and-go supplies for the places that you normally visit makes it so much easier to get out of the house and make those memories for your summer bucket list. I always keep a bag of extra diapers and a change of clothes for everyone – including myself! – in the car. That way if we end up in the mud or water, we’re prepared. If you go to the pool, make a grab-and-go pool bag. If you live by the beach, do the same! You can make a hiking bag, a nature walk bag, and make a ‘get outside’ supply station by your side door or in the garage with the things you need to make it happen!
Tip #4: Pack lunches for the day – even if you’re staying home.
I can’t tell you how many times we’ve wrapped up school and chores throughout the year and wanted to pack up and get out of the house. But then I look at the clock, and it’s 11:15. So do I go knowing full well the kids will be hungry in an hour? Do we try to throw a block of cheese and some pepperoni in a bag (which I have done)? Do we just give in to the siren call of fast food?
I realized this week that I was making it harder on myself than it needed to be. Even though we are a mostly stay-at-home, homeschool family, packing lunches is the way to go. We can pack them in the morning and put them in the fridge. The lunches are the kids’ snack boxes for the day (meaning they can only eat what’s put in their lunchboxes), and if it’s time to load up in the car, all I have to do is grab their boxes, throw them in a cooler, and head out the door!
This is just one more step towards eliminating friction so that you can accomplish your summer bucket list!
Tip #5: Don’t forget to make plans and set goals for yourself, too!
Just because you are trying to make memorable experiences for your kids doesn’t mean you have to neglect yourself in the process. Make this summer one that you enjoy too! This could look like choosing one activity or skill you want to learn more about and setting aside time each week to do that. It could look like pool days with a book. It could look like weekly or monthly date nights at a nice restaurant. Add your ideas to your summer bucket list, be intentional, and it can happen!
Visit A More Beautiful Life Collective Shop for bible studies, planners, and other resources.
My Summer of Beautiful Things – A Summer Bucket List for Families with Kids
Here are some ideas to get you started on creating your own summer bucket list. Personalize it to where you live, your family’s interests, and your personal goals.
Local Places to Visit and See:
- Make a list of local and state county parks. Visit 10 of them. (South Carolina does an Ultimate Outsider Challenge if you visit all 50 state parks.)
- Find one new playground each week and compile them all into a list.
- Visit a local waterpark or splash pad.
- Find a museum nearby and attend one of their events.
- Go to storytime at the local library.
Day Trips:
- Take a trip to the closest beach.
- Take a trip to the closest lake.
- Find a city (within 2-3 hours) and spend the day there.
- Visit an aquarium.
- Visit a theme park.
Activities Around the House:
- Make slime
- Put together a puzzle
- Reading Challenge – It’s back at Pizza Hut
- Build a pillow fort
- Plant and tend a garden
- Make a list of 5-10 crafts to complete and do them throughout the summer.
- Listen to a complete audiobook of your favorite children’s book,
Family Goals and Skills to Learn:
- Find a devotional or children’s Bible and read through it. – We love the Jesus Storybook Bible.
- Complete a family Bible verse memory challenge. – Here are 27 Bible verses to memorize as a Family.
- Learn an instrument together – like the piano.
- Start doing family worship together, and learn a few hymns along the way.
- Pick a sport that you can play together – like pickleball – and have a night each week when you play the sport.
- Have a family game night.
- Learn to bake (or cook) with your kids!
- Have a family movie night in different spaces – go to the movie theater, find a drive-in, or get a projector and watch a movie outside.
- Host a family for a themed dinner party.
- Pick a theme night for family dinner – Around the World, Sushi, Pizza, whatever! – and enjoy the food.
- Camp out under the stars.
- Make treats and deliver to families in your church.
- Attend VBS or other church events!
Personal Goals and Skills to Learn:
- Make this the year you find the exercise you love and start doing it.
- Pick a craft or hobby you can do with your hands and learn it.
- Pay off one credit card or loan.
- Make a list of date night restaurants to try and go to three.
- Have a weekend away with your spouse – no kids!
- And this is a little in each category: Create a home I love coming home to!
For more ideas and activities, check out these lists:
- 75+ activities to do around your house with kids
- 10 Screen-Free Activities
- Summer Time Crafts for Kids
- More Craft Ideas
What are you adding to your summer bucket list? I’d love to hear in the comments below!
Until next time, keep creating a life you love and cultivating your heart for God.
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