10 Summer Traditions to Start With Your Kids

I don’t know about you, but summer feels like the season where you’re trying to capture every moment and just make it count. And my favorite part about summer is that the days feel longer, the daily routine becomes unhurried and there’s just more room for magic. Lately, I’ve been thinking about the traditions I want our family to have, the little things that we do every year that our kids will look fondly on when they’re older (and maybe even do with their own kids)! I want the simple traditions though, ones that aren’t over the top or pinterest perfect- they’re just little things we can do over the summer that will leave lasting memories.

If you’re in the same camp and looking for some easy, memorable traditions to create with your family this summer, I’ve got you covered. Here are ten traditions you can easily start today, to make summer feel magical and memorable.

1. Friday Night Ice Cream

When the weather gets warmer we try to have Friday night be our pizza and ice cream night and it’s a tradition that I hope to carry well into when my kids are older. We usually make a pizza at home and then go out for ice cream but you can skip the pizza making and jump straight to the good part. To make this really fun pick a local spot (or try new places every week), and have everyone vote on the ice cream flavors. See who can come up with the best combination of flavors, or who can eat their ice cream the cleanest.

2. Weekly Library Date & Reading Picnic

This one is so special and fun because not only are you helping your kids to develop a love of reading, but you’re also spending time outside together too. For this, head over to your local library, fill a bag with books, then go to a park and read them on a blanket together. You can pack a picnic lunch or just some snacks, but it’s one of my favorite ways to spend a morning together, and it’s free too.

3. Popsicle Walk

Summer basically means popsicles are a necessity. We go on daily popsicle walks in my house over here. It’s how we celebrate summer and get some steps in. On rainy days, the walks turn into popsicle porch hangouts and those are just as special too.

4. Adventure Days

Pick one/ two Saturday’s over the summer months to go on a random adventure, the less planning the better. OR let everyone in the family have their own special adventure day where they choose what to do, and where to eat.

5. Glow Stick (or flashlight) Walk

This is always so much fun for my kids and it’s super easy and affordable. To do this, just grab a pack of glow sticks from the dollar tree and go on a family walk at night. Then throw them into a bath. If you don’t feel like getting glow sticks, power up the flashlights and take them on your next moonlit stroll.

6. First & Last Day of Summer Photos

If you want a memory that will hit you right in the mom feels, this is the one. Pick a spot, strike a pose, and capture the first and last day of summer as a family. If you’re a homeschooling family like we are, I just take a photo on June 1st and then another one on September 1st.

7. S’mores Night

Now I’m all for s’mores basically all summer, but this night is for a specific purpose. Plan for it to be near the end of summer and have a big backyard fire pit night where you make smores and share your highlights of summer. It’s always so fun to hear everyone’s favorite summer memory and just bask in what you accomplished together as a family.

8. Summer Scrapbook

In the same vein, having photo evidence of your summer is always one of my favorite things. Make sure you’re taking family photos all summer or just capture special moments, print them out at the end and make scrapbooks together. To make scrapbooks I always just pick up a sketchpad from the craft store and then we all glue in photos and decorate the pages together. My kids love looking through summer scrapbooks of years past.

9. Home Camp

Take a week (or a few) and bring camp to your house. Play games, make crafts, and just HAVE fun. My kids live for home camp. For my home camps I pick a theme like zoo, space, insects and then designate a week day to have its own theme. I have make it Monday where we craft, taste it Tuesday where I make the kids a special snack that corresponds with our theme, water Wednesday where we bring in some type of themed water activity, thinking Thursday and fun Friday. We’ve been doing home camps for the past two years and I don’t see them stopping anytime soon.

10. Family Chefs

Pick one night a week in the summer where everyone cooks together. It can be as simple as prepping salads or setting the table, the goal is to just work as a team. You can even take it further and come up with themed dinner nights where you cook cuisines from different parts of the world. I love having us all spin a globe and then stop it on a random country. Wherever we stop it, we look up recipes for that region and try and make them together. It’s a great way to combine learning into the summer as well.

As you can see these traditions don’t have to be over the top or cost anything at all. The goal is to just spend time together and make memories along the way. Which one is your favorite idea?