The Bucket List Series: Family Activities For Every Season

Need ideas for family activities all year round? Need ideas on making yearly planning with the family a bit easier?

Start a Family Bucket List and Make Life Easier!

Try creating a bucket list.  A bucket list of a checklist of activities that one wants to do in a season or in a lifetime. It's sorta like a to-do list (but of fun and unique activities).

Sometimes life moves fast and we wish we could have done the one thing our heart desires. It could be traveling, reading a book or creating a piece of art. 

When it comes to creating bucket lists for the family, it's about starting new traditions and honoring activities that are based on our values and beliefs.  

That's why I created seasonal bucket lists for the family. These were the benefits for us:

• We created family traditions unique to our family. I wanted to help create some new family traditions for my son to remember. When two people get married and start a family, each one brings their own set of expectations in terms of what traditions will be honored at home. Creating a family bucket list is like creating an informal contract (but more fun of course) of agreed upon activities that can be done every year. In fact, keeping copies of bucket lists to use for next year will be an easy way to rally the family around honored activities and events. In the process, you are establishing your own traditions!

• We created memories. I wanted to remember to stop and savor the beauty and symbols of certain times of the year with the people I love. With a little one in tow, it's so easy to get caught up in everyday routine of changing diapers, feeding, keeping up with doctor appointments, putting food on the table, doing laundry and trying to get more sleep!  In the back of my mind, however, I knew that if I wanted to experience more with my family, I have to get intentional about it. Bucket lists helped us do this! 

• We started to keep up with the family calendar. For many of us moms, we are the keepers of the family social calendar. We record birthdays, appointments, holidays, school activities, and our own schedule to boot! I remember some of the weeks we overbooked and burned out. That's why I now keep copies of the bucket lists--it allows us to prioritize what special moments we expect are coming up and want to share with family. We wanted to make sure that those activities are calendared in. You can add some  new activities or subtract activities--it's totally up to your family. Keep the lists in your home management binder; it's definitely one way to help plan out the year.

100+ Ideas for Family Activities For the Year (Bucket Lists by Season)

Below you'll find one year's worth of bucket list activities that helped my family anticipate the upcoming season and plan accordingly. I drafted a bucket list for each season of the year (winter, spring, summer, and fall). Each list also contains some commentary about the beauty of bucket lists. 

If YOU need more ideas, read on!

The Winter Bucket List (This list includes 20 winter traditions to consider.  Also check out this post on putting a holiday binder together to find a printable list of Christmas traditions).

The Spring Bucket List (30 spring activity ideas to choose from before summer gets here!)

The Summer Bucket List (35+ summer activities tailored for families with babies or toddlers)

The Fall Bucket List (20+ ideas to get you started in the fall). 

So What's Next?

• If you feel a bit overwhelmed with your family's schedule, try planning seasonally.  While it's never too late to sit down and plan the entire year, try planning the next three months ahead.  Or the next month. Or for the next three weeks. 

• Give bucket lists a try. Write down a list of family activities you want to do for each season. No need to be overwhelmed. Pick some ideas from the lists above and start with a few each season.

• Write it down.  Print it.  Keep it and update it yearly.