☀️ Summer is here, and if you're like most parents, you're staring down months of “I'm bored!” with both excitement and just a pinch of dread. But fear not—whether you're wrangling toddlers or entertaining tweens, this Summer Bucket List has something for everyone.  Fun, screen-free adventures for every age and stage. 

We've rounded up age-appropriate, memory-making activities that are big on fun and low on stress. Print it, pin it, and start checking off the sunshine-filled memories!

🎨 Ages 2–4: Little Explorers

These tiny humans are all about tactile play, wonder, and simple joys.

• Make homemade bubbles (and try to pop them with your nose!)
  

• Create a backyard water table using bins and cups
  

• Go on a nature color hunt—match flowers, leaves, and bugs to crayon colors
  

• Dance party in the sprinkler
  

• Collect rocks and paint them into “pet rocks”
  

• Visit a petting zoo or splash pad
  

• Try toddler-friendly “camping”—a tent indoors or on the porch!
  
  

🏖️ Ages 5–8: Creative Adventurers

Imaginative and curious, these kids love variety, movement, and making stuff.

• Build a cardboard fort or rocket ship
  

• Make a lemonade stand (and donate the money collected to a cause!)
  

• Try tie-dye t-shirts with wild colors
  

• DIY obstacle course in the backyard or park
  

• Have a themed picnic (pirates, superheroes, unicorns—go wild)
  

• Make a summer journal—draw, write, and sticker up the pages

• Make your own playdough

• Get out the sidewalk chalk and get creative with obstacle courses, murals and tracing each other.
  
  

🧗 Ages 9–13: Bold Explorers

Your tweens are independent but still love connection—especially on their terms.

• Create a summer playlist and have mini dance-offs
  

• Learn a new skill: juggling, baking bread, making friendship bracelets
  

• Plan and cook a family dinner (they’re in charge!)
  

• Have a backyard or living room movie night with popcorn mix-ins
  

• Go beachcombing, kayaking, paddle boarding or hike a new trail

• Go berry picking and make jam

• Volunteer somewhere new! SPCA, wildlife bird shelter, or kids camp to be a big helper

• Help organize a neighborhood get together
  

• Have a cake decorating contest

• Plant a small summer garden, (herbs, flowers, tomatoes- keep it simple)
  

• Build something epic—a birdhouse, LEGO city, or even a raft (safely, of course!)
  
  

🌟 Family-Wide Fun (All Ages Welcome!)

Perfect for sibling bonding or family memory-making:

• Host a backyard campout with stories, s’mores, and glow sticks
  

• Visit a local farm, zoo, or science museum
  

• Make ice cream in a bag

• Have a "YES" day
  

• Pick a family “theme day” each week (Hawaiian, medieval, backwards day)
  
  

📝 Pro Tip: Make it Your Own Summer Bucket List!

Let your kids help decorate and customize your bucket list. Hang it on the fridge, add stickers when you complete something, and leave space for their wild ideas. The goal isn’t perfection—it’s joy, connection, and a few sun-kissed memories that last long after the tan lines fade. Share your list with us by tagging #sleepoverfriends on social media.