Year NINE of our chalkboard summer bucket list! It’s so cliche, but time really does fly by and these kids of ours are growing and changing by the day! Literally, by the day! I swear they wake up taller and with less of a baby face every single morning. Kate is 12 years old and going into 7th grade, and Drew will be 14 years old this summer and going into 8th grade. Teaching him how to drive is really at the top of the bucket list! Cue the tears! Here is how to plan summer activities with older kids.
Living in the Moment
With older kids, our summer looks a little different year after year. They no longer want to do all the things, and understandably so. The time has passed where we do all the cutesy “kid” things and I’m good with it. They want to be with their friends mostly. I get it. While it makes me a little sad that certain phases of our lives are over, I find it so fun to enter new phases with kids who are like mini adults. Kids get better with age!! All ages have their thing, but I’m a big believer in living in the moment and cherishing what’s happening in front of me.
Summer 2021 is one of our busiest ever! It’s certainly not lost on me that staying home with my kids and being able to create these lists and spend time together is a gift and a privilege. I will never take it for granted. Even on the hard days when I want them to go away. They are still teens after all. 🙂
Summer Travel
Our kids are playing multiple sports and we have a few road trips planned. We’re heading to Dallas and Colorado Springs for lacrosse tournaments, Iowa to visit family, North Carolina for a wedding, and heading to the lake with friends! I can’t believe it’s already the middle of June! I know this summer will fly by, but we have a few fun things planned. I’ve learned over the years that adding too much, or going over the top just isn’t feasible, so we like to keep our summer bucket list manageable! And there is zero pressure to do everything!
Volunteering
I always like to sprinkle in a few volunteer activities in the summer. We have two currently planned, and I’m looking for a third. Volunteer opportunities for kids can be hard to come by, even with older kids. I’ve reached out to a friend who is the ED of a non-profit and she has some work for them to do at her office one morning. We are also volunteering to prep food at Nourish KC one morning. I’d like to get a third on the calendar if you know of anywhere that takes kids! Harvesters now requires volunteers to be 16 years +.
Vaccines
Our kids are both age eligible for the vaccine, so they already have one dose under their belt. By the end of June they will be fully vaccinated! I feel lucky to have two kids old enough to receive it. We’re already planning our next overseas adventure!
Sports and hanging with friends is really the theme for our kids at their ages. Kate is playing beach volleyball and summer basketball. She’s also doing volleyball open gym and gymnastics. Drew is playing traveling lacrosse this summer and is finishing up his baseball season. They are both doing camps and and we want to hit up a Royals and Sporting KC game for sure! We are a huge sports family. It makes all of us happy!
Entertaining Older Kids
I was talking on my Instagram stories about keeping older kids entertained during the summer. It’s hard to find summer activities with older kids! Even though they are self-sufficient, they can’t drive or work, and they are too old for many activities we used to do together. My kids also haven’t gotten the memo about sleeping in, which means more hours in the day to fill. Many times my kids don’t want to do things, but I make them anyway. I also believe in being bored and figuring it out. I’ve never been a parent to entertain my kids 24/7. Even though I’m home, I have my own things I need to do. I’ve learned that big kids like to just hang out, so we watch shows/movies, go out to eat, go get ice cream or slushes, exercise, take a walk together.
Summer Activities with Older Kids
- Top Golf Pass (we have never done this, but I’ve heard it’s a good deal)
- YaYa’s Alpaca Farm (I’ve taken Kate, and it’s really fun! Most cities/towns have an Alpaca Farm you can visit)
- Main Event
- Dave & Busters
- Go to the movies
- Watch movies (pick a series to watch – this summer we’re doing Pirates of the Caribbean)
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Bike Rides
- Blackbob Water Park
- World’s of Fun (we’re going to Adventureland near Des Moines again this year)
- Sporting Events (Sporting, Royals, Monarchs)
- Zoo
- Backyard Camping (we always go camping with my parents once a summer)
- Shawnee Mission Park Marina (rent canoes, kayaks to take out on the lake)
- Kemper Museum (a modern art museum)
- Urban Air
- Negro Leagues Museum
- World War I Memorial
- Steamboat Arabia Museum (both my kids did this in elementary and loved it)
- Mini Golf (Nelson Atkins has their large course open again. We also get a summer pass from Blackbob park. The course is really old, but it’s cheap and close for us, and the kids love it)
- Farmer’s Market (get snacks/lunch)
- Eat – list 5 new places you want to try (donuts, ice cream, lunch, brunch)
- Golf (we have never played a round of golf together as a family, and hoping to get 9 holes in)
- Drive-In Movie theater
- Sprinkler Wiffle Ball (Our kids love to play wiffle ball. Turn the sprinklers on for a fun twist and stay cool at the same time)
- Night Swim (at least one night of the summer we like to close the pool down and swim at night)
- Olathe Lake (they have giant water inflatables)
- Pinstripes bowling
- State Fair (we’re hoping to get to the Iowa State Fair this year)
- Arboretum (this is close to us and we just walk and feed the fish)
- Watch the Olympics
Boredom Busters
- READ!
- play/practice basketball, volleyball, tennis, etc
- go to the gym
- exercise in the basement
- go for a walk
- CHORES!
- swim
- fish
- walk to get slushes/smoothies/lunch
- call a friend to hang out
- watch a documentary
- play cards
- play board games
- cook/bake
- practice typing skills
- puzzle
- bike ride
I hope this was helpful if you are also coming up with summer activities with older kids. Comment with other ideas and I’ll add to the list! I’ll link our former summer lists where there will be ideas for all ages (looks like 2019 is the only one I didn’t blog)!
