Your 2025 Family Summer Bucket List: 8 Ways to Strengthen Your Family This Summer

Summer is finally here! Which means longer days, slower routines, and maybe even a little space to breathe. While it’s easy to fill the calendar with pool days, road trips, and backyard BBQs, this season also offers the perfect opportunity to slow down and find meaningful ways to prepare for the future.

 

Whether it’s getting organized, having important conversations, or making time to simply be together, these summer bucket list ideas are designed to help you protect, strengthen, and enjoy your family in the months ahead.

1. Create or Update Your Will

Okay, not the most exciting item on your bucket list… but maybe the most important. Creating a will is one of the simplest ways to make sure your family is protected if the unexpected happens. If you already have one, summer is a great time to review and update it. (Need help? Our No Cost Last Will and Testament Kit makes it easy.)

2. Schedule a Family Check-In

Between ice cream runs and weekend getaways, summer spending can add up fast. Set aside time to talk with your partner about savings goals, upcoming expenses, and big-picture plans. Try using a free budgeting app like Mint, Goodbudget, or even a Notion template to help you keep track of spending and stay on the same page.

 

3. Organize Important Documents

Use a slow Sunday or a rainy afternoon to organize your household’s essential paperwork: your legal will, insurance policies, emergency contacts, and medical info. Bonus: create digital backups or store copies in a fireproof safe so they’re easy to find if you ever need them.

 

4. Check In on Mental & Emotional Wellbeing

Summer is the perfect time to slow down, reflect, and ask your family… How’s everyone really doing? Try asking questions like: “What’s been making you feel happy lately?” or “Is there anything you’re feeling stressed about?” If mental health check-ins aren’t part of your usual routine, don’t worry if your family isn’t ready to open up right away. Leading with vulnerability about your own mental health can help get the conversation started. Most importantly, listen without judgment and remind your loved ones that you’re always there for them.
 

5. Review Your Safety Plans

From pool days to family road trips, summer comes with its own risks. Use this time to review and refresh your family’s safety routines. Make sure kids know basic info like your phone number and address. Practice fire escape routes, review water safety rules, and talk about what to do if they get separated from you in public.

Another smart step: request our No Cost McGruff Safe Kids ID Kit. Each kit includes fingerprinting tools, space for a recent photo, and essential emergency info that can be shared with law enforcement if needed and can save you a lot of time in a crisis. You can request up to five no cost kits for your family this summer by clicking here.

6. Take Care of Your Physical Health 

Long days in the sun are fun, but they can take a toll. Prioritize hydration, make sunscreen part of your daily routine, and get the whole family moving with evening walks, bike rides, or weekend hikes. Being active as a family doesn’t just benefit your physical health… it can strengthen emotional bonds, reduce stress, and improve overall mood. Plus, it’s a great way to spend quality time together without screens.

 

7. Make Space for Screen-Free Time

Designate one day a week as a “screen-free zone” and spend intentional time together. Whether it’s a backyard camping night, a family cook-off, or a weekend read-a-thon, small traditions like these create big memories (and fewer distractions).
 

8. Make (and Keep) Meaningful Memories

Capture the joy of summer in creative ways. Here’s a fun idea: get each family member a disposable camera to take on their summer adventures. At the end of the summer, develop the photos and put together a scrapbook to reflect on all the fun you had. These keepsakes will serve as a reminder of your time together for years to come.

 Make This Summer Count

This summer, let your bucket list be more than just popsicles and pool floats. Use the season to invest in your family’s future, and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing you’ve taken care of what matters most.


Need a simple place to start? Our No Cost Last Will and Testament Kit makes it easy to take the first step toward planning ahead. 

 
 

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