Making time this summer to relax and have fun with loved ones is so important to your whole health. Aside from pulling you out of a winter slump, it can have a positive impact on your family’s physical, mental and spiritual state. Here are some ideas for how to plan group activities and make memories you’ll all cherish.
Put Pen to Paper and Make It Happen
One way to ensure you make the most of your summer days and nights is by creating a summer bucket list that details all the things you want to try before the season ends. Working together to bring the activities on your list to life will help you connect with each family member and ensure everyone is included.
Perhaps you’ve always wanted to build a backyard treehouse, take a trip to the lake or simply jump in some rain puddles. A summer bucket list gets your family’s ideas down on paper, making them more likely to come true. Get started creating yours:
Include Every Idea
Even if some of your family’s ideas seem silly or impossible, add every experience you can imagine for the summer to your list. You can always edit it down later, but to get a good start you want each person to be as creative as possible.
And while your focus will likely linger on the fun activities, don’t forget the practical things your family needs to accomplish, too. For example, back-to-school checkups, sports physicals, vaccinations and shopping should all make the list.
Make Sure Everyone in the Family Participates
This isn’t a bucket list of things only Mom and Dad want to do, or a list of things only the kids might enjoy. Everyone in the family should contribute to the list so they have a say in the fun.
Be Specific
It’s fine to say you want to spend time at the park, but naming the park and the activity (perhaps frisbee) will make the idea tangible and more likely to happen.
Post Your List in a Conspicuous Place
Making sure your list is accessible to the whole family and hanging somewhere you can see it every day will help keep it top of mind. The kitchen refrigerator or a bulletin board can be great places to display your list.
Check Items off as You Go
Having some accountability — such as a goal to do one item on the bucket list each week — will keep it exciting (and keep you on track) as you work through the list.
Be Flexible, Too
It’s not likely you’ll be able to get to everything on the list, but you can have fun trying. When ideas for new great adventures come up, add them. Your list is meant to guide a summer of fun, not control it.
Consider a Theme
Consider planning to visit every public park in your city and take a family photo at each stop. Your kids may fondly remember it as the summer they tried every swing set in the city.
Support Your Whole Family’s Whole Health
A summer bucket list is all about spending time together as a family and making the most of the longer days, warmer weather and less-hectic schedules. Your list doesn’t have to cost a lot of money or include travel to faraway places — but it can. No matter what you choose to put on your list, you’ll enjoy making memories with the people who matter the most to you.
