Last Updated on June 30, 2026 by Suzy McCullough
This list was mostly made by our now nearly 13-year-old when he was just 7. I have added a few myself afterwards, but these are mostly his ideas, and I feel they work pretty well for just about all ages.
This is a UK-based list of all the ultimate summer bucket list things to do with your kids. Chris Evans once said that you shouldn’t go abroad until you’ve explored all that the UK has to offer. Now I’m sure he doesn’t stand by this, but he does have a point.
We’ve tried to keep this as outdoors-based as much as possible. Let’s try not to spend the summer indoors, even if it rains.
- Bake a Cake
- Create a Family scrapbook
- Decorate Biscuits
- Feed ducks somewhere
- Fly a Kite
- Go Boating
- Go Bug Hunting
- Go Canoeing
- Go Glamping or to a Caravan Park
- Go Crabbing
- Go on a Trail somewhere
- Go on a Treasure Hunt with clues
- Go on lots of walks
- Go Paddling
- Go Swimming and have cake after
- Go to the Beach: There is so much to do and enjoy at the beach. On our list we have: Dig a hole, build a sandcastle, paddle in the water and body board. Plus have a ride on a donkey, take the metal detector and eat some fish and chips.
- Have a movie night with home-made pizza and popcorn
- Pick Fruit
- Make Ice-Cream/lollies
- Play in the Sprinklers or a Paddling pool
- Play Mini Golf / Crazy Golf
- Put up a Tent in the Back Garden
- Ride on a tourist Train
- See animals at a Zoo or Farm Park
- Take a Picnic somewhere full of treats
- Visit an Ice-Cream Parlour
- Visit a National Trust Property
- Visit a Splash park or outdoor paddling pool
- Visit a Stately Home with a Big Outdoor Playground
- Visit an English Heritage property
- Visit somewhere we’ve been meaning to go to for ages
I’ve left a couple blank for you to add your own.
Click on the image below for a Printable Checklist
Where will our summer of 2026 take us?
We have lots planned for this summer and for the first time in many years, we aren’t going abroad! We have been abroad this year and honestly, I’m so over the whole new system at border control. Why do we have to keep having our faces and fingers scanned? I’m sure they’d originally said we only had to do it once every 3 years. We’ve done it LOADS already and the queues have got me down!
We are off to South Wales glamping to see puffins, try out some fun activities at Zip World Tower, check out the showcaves and more. We have two short breaks to Shropshire planned, plus a week in North Yorkshire exploring caves and waterfalls. There’s a West Yorkshire and Derbyshire trip planned, plus a variety of days out. I also have to deal with the fact that my son is becoming a teenager soon. argh! They grow up way too fast. He’s got a get-together with friends planned to celebrate and we have a surprise booked for him. We have another special birthday to celebrate down in Reading and we are also hoping to go up to Kynren to check out the new Storied Land. Oh and a fishing trip!! Busy!!!
For even more Family Bucket list ideas why not check out our ultimate bucket list with over 400 ideas?
