Every year, teenagers across the world think about what they want to do over the summer. Some create a Summer Bucket List for Teens so they can plan their fun. Unfortunately, there is a wrench in the plans for this year.
How will the Summer of Coronavirus play out? This is going to be a big question mark for everyone. People everywhere are confused about what we will be able to do this summer. What is safe? Will we be able to travel and meet up with friends, and partake in all the usual summer fun? Or will we be under the constraints of social distancing?
As a teenager with a summer bucket list to fill and check off, the uncertainty of these times is unnerving. Still, we gotta live, or else we die a little inside. So how can teenagers of 2020 enjoy the summer and still keep each other and their loved ones safe?
Get realistic about your summer bucket list items
Summer is a time for running outside and making the most of the good weather, especially in places that have 4 seasons of mostly wind, rain, and snow.
So by now, people have had it with the idea of staying in and forfeiting our fun. But we have to think of others and the greater good. How can we do both? How can we have fun and stay safe?
Here are some ideas for the worst-case scenario where teenagers of 2020 will need to don their superhero suits as they still have fun while practicing maximum caution and helping to save the world.
How do you keep your summer bucket list for teens safe and fun?
These summer activities can be done with your family with no problem. But you might even be able to add good friends to the mix, with the utmost of caution and social distancing, as necessary. Awkward, but we can do it.
If you are meeting up with friends, have their family drive them as necessary, keep 6+ feet apart (conversations can still be had), and at least you will still be able to see them, joke around together, and laugh.
If you are doing these things with immediate family members you live with you can have at it. You already are spreading germs to each other indoors, you might as well have some fun while you’re at it.
Now start planning for some fun in the sun this summer with your Summer Bucket List for Teens!
For days with great weather
Take advantage of beautiful weather for your Summer Bucket List and enjoy these activities.
- Go to the beach/lake/pool/river to play in the water
- take up/learn a watersport like kayak, tubing, canoeing, surfing, windsurfing, paddleboat “one to a boat”
- Play beach volleyball one player on each side. Prepare to get your workout on.
- Go for a ride (bike, rollerblades, skateboard)
- Go for a walk
- Go for a hike in the woods
- Have a picnic (BYOBOF bring your own basket of food) in the park or even tailgating from the back of your cars.
- Play tennis
- Play badminton, volleyball, dodgeball, in your backyard. All safe while social distancing, especially with family.
For those warm summer nights
Warm summer nights call for bug juice and hanging out. Try these must-do activities to make this summer one you won’t forget.
- bonfire or smores in the firepit
- go to a drive-in movie. I have a feeling drive-in movies are going to make a comeback.
- watch a sunset in a great location
- have a game night
- play cards
- stargaze
- go to or better yet, perform an outdoor porch concert for the neighbors
- backyard camping
New things to try
Summer bucket list for teens ideas are all about trying new things and having new experiences. Add these to your list to check off and experience a sense of accomplishment.
- a new flavor of ice cream
- fly a kite
- volunteer with a charity or three! Provided it’s safe.
- apply for a summer job
- go berry picking
- redecorate/paint a bedroom
- plant a garden
- teach my pet a new trick
- jump off a pier and have someone take a cool picture
- learn to play Quidditch and start a team (let’s save this one for next year but it’s too good to take off the list)
Fun places to go
Summer evokes thoughts of travel and new experiences or revisiting favorite ones. See if your family can add a few of these to their plans for the summer:
- go camping
- visit a farm
- road trip
- on a hike up a mountain
- aquarium or museum if they are open
- visit a university or two you’re interested in. Walk the campus from the outside, and virtual tour with your device.
If you are stuck that home add these ideas to your summer bucket list for teens
If the weather is bad or things take a turn for the worse in your area and you are stuck inside, these are some ideas to turn your indoor time into a privilege of creative studio time for you.
- create a painting
- learn to play an instrument
- redecorate a room
- reorganize your bedroom
- draw a mural on your wall
- read a book a week
- create a scrapbook
- play cards, solitaire was my favorite way before computers or coronavirus
- learn to knit or crochet or sew
- start a new hobby
- learn to code
- learn how to fix things
- build something
- learn how to create graphic arts with a program like Canva
- learn how to cook or bake or both and get good at it
- start a Blog (ask me how, I would be happy to share some resources)
I hope this summer is everything you want it to be, and that your summer bucket list makes this the most memorable and fun summer of your life so far.
Other Summer Fun Posts
- How to Enjoy Powerful Family Bonding Activities in a Changing World
- The Epic List of Summer Sports for Kids to Enjoy This Year
- The 20 Most Popular Family Tradition Ideas To Share With Your Teen Now
- 12+ Daddy-Daughter Date Ideas that will Delight your Teen
- Balancing Youth Sports and Family Life is the Best
- 40 Most Surprising and Best Games for Teens
- The Best Harry Potter Games for Kids and Potterheads of 2020
Chandra is the chocolate-chip loving mother of 2 teenage girls who started over again with a baby boy in her 40’s! She is the author of The Mom’s Playbook to Conquering Softball Season. She gives other moms the tools they need to prepare their daughters for real life. Her content is centered on helping girls grow up to be well-rounded, equipped, expressive, confident, intelligent, capable, kind and independent.
