Summer Bucket List Craft – Writing Project & Bulletin Board

A fun project that I have my students complete during the last week of school is a Summer Bucket List.  Most of the students in our classrooms don’t necessarily get to “plan” their summer, but this is a fun way to see what students want to do over those two months of freedom. This is one of my most popular end-of-the-year art projects for elementary!

Each flap is something students want to do with their friends, places they want to go, and things they want to do over the summer.  It’s a pretty self-explanatory activity.

Summer Bucket List Ideas

One thing I like to do with students is brainstorm summer bucket list ideas for each section.  The friend page is usually pretty easy for students to complete, but sometimes the places and things pages are a little more challenging, especially for students who don’t travel very often.

You can expect these places and things to be realistic places that students could visit or places they wish they could visit. For instance, a student might wish to visit family in a foreign country even though they are not planning a summer trip there.

What are some ideas that students can include on their Summer Bucket List?

While most students can think of going on a trip to fantastic places across the globe, some students may struggle to come up with easier-to-implement everyday summer ideas. Here are a few ideas that your students might want to include on their summer bucket list.

1. Have a scavenger hunt in the backyard
2. Make homemade ice cream
3. Catch fireflies at night
4. Create a water balloon fight
5. Put together a DIY slip and slide
6. Visit a local farm or petting zoo
7. Spend an afternoon at the beach
8. Go camping in the backyard or nearby park
9. Build an outdoor fort with blankets and chairs
10. Plan a picnic lunch in the park

What’s Included in the Summer Bucket List Craft?

Included are pages with and without lines as well as pages with half-page lines.  There are four versions of the pages to differentiate the craft for a variety of grade levels.

Also included are two versions of the font. There is a simple-to-read block version seen in the pictures and a more “fun” version as well.

That makes a total of eight different versions of each page to best meet the needs of your students.

I have used this summer bucket list craft with first through fifth-grade students, but I bet older and younger students would love it, too!

The Summer Bucket List includes six additional pages in all formats.  The pages include:

• Books I want to read
• Walks I want to take
• Skills I want to learn
• Ways I can help others
• Things I want to make
• Games I want to play

These additional pages can be layered in with the current pages.

Google Slides Version for Digital Learning

Now included is a Google Slides version for distance learning. Take a look at it here:

Photos of the Summer Bucket List Craftivity

Here are a few photos of the flap book at various stages and one classroom example.  Of course, my students love to use a lot of colors!

• Back-to-School Bus
• New Year Goal Setting Flap Book
• Valentine’s Day Flap Book
• St. Patrick’s Day Craftivity
• Summer Bucket List