Prayers for Family

Catholic Family Fun  |  Summer Vacation  |  summer activities

A Summer Bucket List for Catholic Families

By: Megan Swaim May 25th, 2026

Does your family make a Summer Bucket List? Megan Swaim has 20 ideas for families who want to celebrate their Catholic faith all summer long. We’re coming down the final stretch: summer break is almost here! Memorial Day is here! My children are looking forward to lazy summer days and endless hours of riding bikes and playing in the water, and I’m looking forward to being able to get into better chore routines. And also spending time together—I promise I’m not forgetting that! In the past few years, I’ve seen these great “Summer Bucket Lists” passed around the internet, full of fun ideas for making the most of school breaks and warm weather. You print your list, add some of your own ideas, and then spend the summer checking off the boxes—make s’mores, visit a museum, catch fireflies, read in a hammock … these lists can be quite comprehensive! But beyond the usual fun-in-the-sun activities, our family also really wants to prioritize living our faith together this summer. We know firsthand how easy it is to have good intentions but little follow-through, so putting prayer and service on our Bucket List will remind us of our goals and help keep us accountable. If, at the end of the summer, we’ve been to the pool every week, but the Adoration chapel only sparingly, the list will tell us. I’m hoping it will help us make prayer and service a high priority and get us excited to do these things together. If you’re making a Summer Bucket List for your family, here are 20+ ideas to help you live your Catholic faith together and have fun all summer!