Are you looking for fun free things to do this summer while staying close to home? Check out this extensive summer bucket list of ideas that won’t cost you a dime!

Summer in 2020 might look a little different than past summers due to some states and countries still under strict restrictions. Vacations have been canceled and you’ve been forced to stay home.

You don’t have to sit at home and be bored out of your mind, though. There are tons of fun things you can do at home or nearby.

And they won’t even cost you a dime!

I’ve created this summer bucket list full of free fun-filled ideas just to keep you (and your kids) from going insane this summer.

Summer Bucket List Ideas

1. Have a water fight
2. Play a water game in your backyard
3. Make snowcones and try different flavors
4. Catch fireflies
5. Watch the sunset
6. Have a lazy day reading library books under a tree
7. Have a picnic
8. Go on a backyard scavenger hunt
9. Go on a road trip to nowhere and take a ton of pictures of things starting with each letter of the alphabet. (A-animal, B-barn, etc.)
10. Dance in the rain
11. Learn something new
12. Volunteer somewhere
13. Stay up past midnight watching old movies
14. Make S’mores
15. Plant flowers
16. Have a family slumber party
17. Build a fort (for your slumber party, maybe?)
18. Have a snowball fight with paper balls
19. Go hiking
20. Go to the park
21. Play frisbee
22. Go fishing
23. Go to a free movie (our area has free traveling movies – check to see if there’s one near you)
24. Make your own fudgesicles
25. Roll down a hill
26. Ride your bike on a trail
27. Play board games on a rainy day
28. Run through the sprinklers
29. Make your own bubbles
30. Go camping in your backyard
31. Have a dance party
32. Paint rocks and leave them around town
33. Make homemade strawberry jam
34. Hunt for shapes in the clouds
35. Go birdwatching
36. Attend a free workshop
37. Hula Hoop in the rain
38. Make a bird feeder
39. Make paper airplanes and have a race
40. Skip rocks in the river
41. Make friendship bracelets
42. Complete a puzzle
43. Have a pillow fight
44. Decorate cookies or cupcakes with a summer theme
45. Attend a free outdoor concert
46. Make homemade slime
47. Stargaze and see how many constellations you can find
48. Fly a kite
49. Have a bonfire
50. Make wishes on dandelions
51. Climb a tree
52. Bury a time capsule
53. Play hide and seek
54. Start a journal
55. Visit a nursing home and read to someone (if you’re allowed to visit)
56. See if you can fry an egg on the sidewalk
57. Have a spa day at home
58. Watch fireworks
59. Have a water balloon fight
60. Create an end of summer scrapbook

Tips for creating your own summer bucket list

• Get the entire family involved. Gather everyone together and write down all of their ideas and things they would love to do over summer. Ask the kids what they would like to do and what new things they are interested in learning.
• Make sure you include something new that you’ve never done before.
• Hang your list somewhere it will be seen.
• Check off your list as you go and add new ideas as they come.

End of summer scrapbook

At the end of summer, create a scrapbook full of your summer photos and all the fun memories you created. Write down the things you enjoyed the most as well as the things you will probably never do again. Don’t forget to include your summer bucket list in your scrapbook! You can look at it for years to come and make new ones every year.

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Don’t forget about these money-saving ideas:
20 Ways to Spend a Money-Free Weekend
12 Ways to Get Books Free or Cheap
20 Unique Ways to Save Money
35 Topnotch Frugal Living Tips
Get Paid to Shop With Cash Back Apps

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