How to Make Amazing Summer Memories
Summer Time, Fun Time
Every day during summer does it seem like your children come up with a “new” idea or activity they want to try today? Or maybe you find it hard to plan fun summer activities to keep your children active all summer? Today, I’ve got a plan to help you design fun activities and great summer memories. Let’s get started.
Summer days are longer. The sun sets later. The extra daylight gives us more time to enjoy activities we miss during the winter. Summer is a great time to get our children more active and involved with outdoor activities.
Summer memories from our childhood are special. Times we share together as a family are important and grow family bonds (just ask my sisters about the summer we went to Wisconsin, and just yesterday, Mother’s Day, we were talking about when we visited Graceland). Summer memories do last a lifetime.
How to Plan a Memorable Summer
1. Make Your Bucket List
Start by making a bucket list of everything your family would like to do this summer. Get everyone in the family together and let them share their ideas. During this brainstorming time, let everyone share all their ideas without deciding if it’s a good idea or a bad idea (some bad ideas might spin other good ideas). Don’t evaluate ideas on this step, just come up with the most complete list possible activities you would like to do during the summer.
Let everyone in the family participate. Get Dad involved, get your 17 year-old involved, even let your 2 and 3-year-old share ideas. It’s a family summer and you want everyone to have input.
2. Pick Your Favorites from the Bucket List
After you finish step one, you should have a pretty long list. Far more ideas and suggestions than you could complete in a summer. It’s time to start narrowing your focus. Here are few ideas on how to focus your bucket list:
- Eliminate anything you can’t afford
- Eliminate things you have done before (unless they are activities you would repeat like swimming at the beach or going to the community pool each week)
- Eliminate things too far away
- Eliminate things with too many constraints/need extra planning (a family trip to Europe would be awesome, but if you don’t have passports it’s probably not going to happen this year).
Start looking at what you have left to do on your list. What activities and plans from this list would all or most all the family would love to do this summer?
Next, transfer all the activities you plan to do this summer to a new bucket list – we will call this the shortened bucket list or Summer {Year} Bucket List. Don’t throw out all the other ideas you had, you can keep them on your master bucket list, they might be great ideas for next summer, Christmas Break or spring.
3. Plan Your Activities
After you have your list of summer activities and things to do on your shortened bucket list, take out your calendar and start planning.
Look at everything you would like to do as a family this summer and start planning dates when you will do them. Some things will be activities for the weekdays, some activities will be on the weekend and some might even need a few vacation days or overnight travel.
Plan your whole summer from now to the first day of school.
4. Invite Your Friends and Family
What are summer memories without family and friends? As you write your bucket list include a few activities that will involve family and friends.
Plan a 4th of July BBQ and invite your family and friends. If you go to parks and hike the trails, invite your family and friends to come too.
Your summer memories with family and friends will make your experiences so much richer and sweeter to remember as time goes by.
5. Don’t Forget to Relax
It’s easy to get so involved with planning a summer of fun that you forget to relax and enjoy the summer. Be sure to include activities that allow you time for rest and relaxation t0o.
You can have great summer memories hanging out by the pool and watching $1 summer movies at the local theater.
If you need more ideas for summer fun, here’s a list of 75 FREE summer activities you can try.
Your turn…
How do you make summer memories? What’s your favorite summer memory from your childhood?
