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Summer is almost here, and regardless of whether your kids go to public or private school, it is fun to mark the end of the school year and the beginning of summer with some kind of special activity or event. It doesn’t have to be big or expensive, but it can often be helpful to mark seasonal transitions with something fun and memorable. Here are 12 summer kickoff ideas that you could use to celebrate the beginning of summer!
12 Summer Kickoff Ideas
Remember that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to make something memorable. The point is just to mix things up and do something
Surprise the kids with a fun outing
You could get them up early the morning after they’re done with school with a surprise doughnut run or a visit to a local trampoline park. Wherever you go, waiting until the last minute to tell them makes it even more fun!
Rent a bounce house and have a pizza party
Pitch in with friends and rent a bounce house (with or without water) and spend the first day of summer with pizza and outdoor fun.
Go to the beach or pool
If you have water access nearby, plan to spend the whole day, or a morning or afternoon, at a beach or pool or lake.
Sit down and make summer bucket lists
Give all your kids paper and markers and let them start making a list of the things they’d like to do this summer. If you have pre-writing aged kids, then they can draw pictures of what they want to do!
Begin a summer family project
Do you have something you’re trying to accomplish? Maybe you’re going to build a shed in the backyard, repaint the kids’ rooms, or start training your new dog. Whatever it is, begin it in earnest as a way to mark the extra time you’ll have this summer!
Start a movie marathon
Over the past few years we have worked our way through various movie franchises. You could watch all the Star Wars movies, all the Marvel superhero movies, etc. Begin it on the first night of summer!
Have a water balloon fight
Have some friends over and fill hundreds of water balloons, then let the kids go to town!
Go berry picking
If you have berries in season where you are, go berry picking and then come home and make a sweet treat for after dinner.
Have ice cream sundaes for dinner
Really throw tradition out the window and do something silly and delicious: have ice cream sundaes for dinner! Your kids will think you’re the coolest parents ever.
Roast marshmallows /make s’mores
If you have access to a fire, making s’mores is a traditional summer activity and a memorable way to get things off to a summer-y start.
Pick up milkshakes on the way home from school
If your kids attend an in-person school, pick them up on the last day and go get milkshakes or slushies.
Take a big trip to the library
One of our favorite summer traditions is to take a giant trip to the library. With less on our schedule, we can each fill up a bag of books and have lots to read as the summer gets started.
Do you have any fun summer kickoff ideas? Let us know in the comments!
