50 Summer Box Ideas: Adventures, Activities, & Supplies
When we created our Summer Box tradition, we didn’t want another bin of toys that will inevitably turn moldy or end up at Goodwill. We wanted something to help us slow down, choose adventure, capture memories and save a few pieces along the way. We’re running hard after the spark.
Our tradition, lovingly named Once Upon A Summer, has three parts: an Activity Jar full of adventures waiting to happen, a Summer Journal to record the moments we want to remember, and a Keepsake Box to hold the treasures from the season. If you haven’t already, read my complete guide to starting a Summer Box tradition.
Every good adventure needs a few things along the way! These are some of our favorite ideas, activities, and supplies to have ready for a summer to remember.
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PART 1: ADVENTURE IDEAS FOR YOUR ACTIVITY JAR
(Things to DO)
Outdoor Adventures
- Have a backyard picnic
- Go on a nature scavenger hunt
- Catch lightning bugs
- Build a fort
- Have a water balloon fight
- Make homemade popsicles
- Take a family bike ride through the park
- Have a family field day
- Watch the sunset together
- Camp in the backyard
Creative Adventures
- Paint rocks
- Make friendship bracelets
- Create sidewalk chalk art
- Have a craft afternoon
- Make a summer scrapbook page
- Press flowers
- Make homemade cards
- Build something together
- Make a time capsule
Food Adventures
- Make lemonade
- Have a root beer float night
- Make homemade ice cream
- Bake cookies
- Have a picnic dinner
- Make a summer recipe together
- Popsicles on the porch while it rains
- S’mores night
Exploring Adventures
- Visit a farmers market
- Go berry picking
- Visit the library
- Explore a new park
- Go on a hike
- Take a day trip
- Star gazing or cloud watching
Rainy Day Rescues
- Visit an arcade
- Have a VHS movie marathon
- Have a game day or tournament:
- Battleship
- Skipbo / Uno
- Air hockey
- Ping pong
- Mancala
- Arts & crafts
- Karaoke battle
- Build legos
- Do a puzzle together
Water Fun
- Boat or Lake Day
- Beach trip
- Pool day
- Visit a splash pad
- Visit the water park
- Slip ‘n slide
- Go Fishing
- Creek adventure
- 90’s POOL PARTY
BONUS
Because we live on a homestead, I want to include a bonus section on some fun things or some necessary things made fun, 🙂 to do during this season:
- Feed the animals together
- Pick wildflowers
- Harvest fruit
- Make fig pie
- Make grape jelly
- Nature walk
- Bird watching
- Wash the animals (if they’ll cooperate)
- Collect pretty rocks
PART 2: THINGS TO HAVE READY FOR SUMMER ADVENTURES
(The supplies that support the jar)
Outdoor Adventure Basket
- Sidewalk chalk
- Bubbles
- Jump ropes
- Frisbee
- Kite
- Bug catcher
- Magnifying glass
- Binoculars
Water Fun Supplies
- Water balloons
- Splash pad
- Beach towels
- Goggles
- Water toys
Creative Supplies
- Watercolors
- Washable markers
- Friendship bracelet supplies
- Craft paper
- Stickers (unless you’re just OVER IT, like me)
Kitchen Supplies
- Popsicle molds
- Lemonade pitcher
PART 3: SUMMER JOURNAL IDEAS
(Things to capture)
- Favorite moment of the week
- Funniest thing someone said
- New things we tried
- Favorite meal
- Weather memory
- A drawing from the day
PART 4: KEEPSAKE BOX IDEAS
- Seashells
- Postcards
- Maps
- Tickets
- Photos
- Artwork
- Friendship bracelets
- Pressed flowers
- Souveniers
- Handwritten notes
- Recipes
A note in closing
This list is meant to be a collection of ideas and inspiration, not a summer to-do list. Choose the adventures that fit your family, your season of life, and your surroundings.
You don’t need a beach to have a beach day, a boat to have a water adventure, or a big budget to create a summer worth remembering. A backyard, a kitchen table, a walk around the neighborhood, or an afternoon with a jar of bubbles can become the moments your children treasure.
Use what you have. Adapt what you love. Make it your own.
The heart of the Summer Box isn’t the activities themselves—it’s the anticipation of an adventure, the memories made along the way, and the little pieces of the season you choose to keep.
