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    See More:   Elementary Aged Kids Family Kids activities Parenting Preschoolers Teens & Tweens

    Last Modified: Apr 8, 2022 by Tara Ziegmont 16 Comments

    A Kids' Bucket List - 82 Things Every Kid Should Do Before They Grow Up

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    Printable kids bucket listPin

    I grew up in a trailer home in the boonies, over the hill, through the woods, and across the dirt road from Old Grandma (who still lives there).

    I remember distinctly the very first time I ever went into the big city (Pittsburgh). I gazed at the groups of people standing on street corners, waiting to cross, and the long lines of cars and the tall buildings. I saw people who looked different from me. I was completely in awe. I must have been about five years old.

    My kids have had a decidedly different experience. They have iPads and live in the suburbs. They have only ever ridden their bikes on paved roads. They have been to Philadelphia and Washington DC and Baltimore, more times than they can count.

    If you're looking for a way to get your kids to take charge of their own entertainment, click over to this post where I have created a unique, card-based list of 150 of the best screen-free activities for elementary kids up through teens.

    So with that in mind, I wanted to make a life list for my kids, things they have done and will do someday.

    1. Ride in a taxi - They did this in Philadelphia, and Grace can't wait to do it again.
    2. Ride on a city bus
    3. Take the subway - New York City, June 2019
    4. Take a train - New Jersey Transit, June 2019
    5. Climb the Eiffel Tower (Grace and Allie added this.)
    6. Ride in an airplane - Did this on the way to our Disney cruise, December 2017
    7. Play in the ocean - We take a family vacation to Ocean City, Maryland every year.
    8. Build a sand castle - Ocean City
    9. Get buried in the sand - Ocean City
    10. Collect sea shells and other beach treasures - Ocean City
    11. Catch a crab - Ocean City
    12. Become a Jr. Ranger at a National Park - Assateague Island in Maryland & The White House
    13. Ride on the Maid of the Mist under Niagara Falls - September 2018
    14. See a movie at the drive-in theater - June 2019
    15. Practice yoga - Girl Scouts
    16. Swim in a wave pool - Hersheypark
    17. Ride rides in an amusement park - Hersheypark
    18. Ride a roller coaster - Hersheypark
    19. Learn to ice skate - Grace took lessons, but Allie hasn't.
    20. Have dinner at the Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the Grand Canyon
    21. Look out from the top of the Washington Monument
    22. Tour the White House - November 2015
    23. See the Statue of Liberty in person - June 2019
    24. Go on a cruise - December 2017
    25. Visit Walt Disney World - December 2017
    26. Attend a home Penn State football game in person - I think the Blue & White game counts.
    27. Perform in a play - Grace has, but Allie hasn't.
    28. Visit China (Grace added this.)
    29. Visit Mexico (Grace added this.)
    30. Visit Japan (Grace added this.)
    31. Swim with dolphins
    32. Go on an eco-safari in Africa
    33. Hike to a waterfall - July 2019
      (The rest go back to my own childhood. I don't want them to miss out on the fun that I had as a kid, despite all the yuppy experiences they've had.)
    34. Learn to play an instrument - Grace & Allie take piano, guitar, and ukulele lessons.
    35. Swim in a creek - Near our house
    36. Swim in a lake - Also near our house
    37. Roll down a really big hill - At a local park
    38. Camp out - They have both done this.
    39. Fly a kite - At the beach
    40. Pick cherries from a tree - At Strite's Orchard in Harrisburg
    41. Pick apples from a tree - At Strite's
    42. Pick and eat raspberries - At home
    43. Make mud pies - At home
    44. Climb a tree - At home
    45. Make a whistle from an acorn cap - Aunt Amanda taught them this, but they haven't gotten good at it yet.
    46. Feed the birds - At home
    47. Catch tadpoles
    48. Grow a garden - At home
    49. Cook over a camp fire - At home
    50. Climb a mountain
    51. Find a geocache - June 2016
    52. See the Northern Lights
    53. Watch a meteor shower
    54. Care for a pet - At home
    55. Explore a cave
    56. Have fun at a carnival - I think the York Fair counts.
    57. Milk a cow
    58. Go roller skating - Near our house
    59. Take a boat ride on the river - With my uncle and Old Grandma and also on the Pride of the Susquehanna in Harrisburg
    60. Sell Girl Scout cookies - They have both done this.
    61. Tie their own shoelaces - They can both do this.
    62. Learn to cook with a recipe - They're both pretty good at this.
    63. Learn how to handle money
    64. Create a painting
    65. Make jam from fresh fruit
    66. Roast marshmallows & make s’mores - Frequently in the summer
    67. Learn to crochet or knit
    68. Visit an art museum
    69. Visit a science museum - Whitaker Center in Harrisburg
    70. Go to vacation bible school - yearly
    71. Learn to sew
    72. Get a manicure at a spa - Grace has done this, but Allie hasn't.
    73. Volunteer at a homeless shelter
    74. Volunteer at an animal shelter
    75. Learn a second language
    76. Sign up for a library card - both have library cards
    77. See a Broadway show - Saw Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway, June 2019
    78. Travel to a third world country
    79. Join the Girl Scouts or 4H - They are in both.
    80. Run a 5k - Both girls have walked 5Ks with me and HATED the experience.
    81. Go whale watching
    82. Swing on a tire swing - There is a tire swing at the elementary school near our house.

    What am I missing?

    Save a printable version of the list below. Print one out and check off the items as your kids do each one.

    If you're looking for a way to get your kids to take charge of their own daily entertainment, click over to this post where I have created a unique, card-based list of 150 of the best screen-free activities for elementary kids up through teens.

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    1. Robyn Wright says

      October 19, 2015 at 2:04 pm

      I love this list! How about some snow items? I know you all live where you get plenty of snow, but so many kids don't and making snowballs, snow angels, building a snowman, etc. is something every child should do at least once!

      Reply
      • Tara Ziegmont says

        October 19, 2015 at 8:57 pm

        YES! You're absolutely right. I'm going to add them.

        Reply
    2. Claire Carroll says

      October 20, 2015 at 6:17 pm

      Go to all 50 states. I'm still working on this. We just climbed a mountain(ok, a big hill-it's the high point of our state) with my daughter and 4 year old grandson.

      Reply
    3. Yetunde says

      November 22, 2015 at 7:55 pm

      That's an inspirational list. I'll have to adapt it for my kids. Thanks for posting

      Reply
    4. M says

      January 28, 2016 at 9:12 pm

      Love this post and shared it with my kids who wanted to add...What about swing in a tire swing? Hang out in a treehouse? 🙂

      Reply
      • Tara Ziegmont says

        January 30, 2016 at 11:02 am

        Great ideas! We have a tree house, and I never thought of that! My older daughter gets sick in tire swings, but that's still a great one!

        Reply
    5. Katheryn says

      March 23, 2016 at 10:11 am

      If you're still around Pittsburgh, try buttermilk falls in Chippewa. It's an easy hike if the kids are young. Not a crazy rainforest waterfall, but enough to be neat.

      Otherwise, if you ever make it towards Seattle, the Olympic Penninsula has a rain forest, glacier carved lake, hot spring, and waterfall. An amazing camping experience/bucket list cross off. ...there's also a drive in 🙂

      Reply
    6. Shelley Crittenden says

      April 03, 2016 at 7:41 pm

      See a play, ride on an air boat in Florida, whale watching, cook with grand parents

      Reply
    7. Erica says

      August 02, 2017 at 4:55 pm

      For number 14, find one near you! Drive-ins are awesome. We go about every two weeks to Benjie's drive-in just north of Baltimore. http://www.bengies.com/ . We live about 50 minutes away but we love it so much that it's worth the drive.

      Reply
    8. Jenn C says

      May 12, 2018 at 8:18 pm

      Serve at a homeless shelter
      Serve at an animal shelter or sanctuary
      Learn a different language
      Get a library membership
      See a Broadway production at a local Performing Arts Center
      Donate to Blessings in a backpack or similar charity
      Travel to a third world country (as a teen)
      Become active in a local club that interests them
      Run a 5K
      Help plant and maintain a garden

      Reply
    9. Dani says

      May 13, 2018 at 6:55 pm

      Haha...#51 “find a geocache”... found one while on a hike when visiting home (which is NY, but my kids and I live in Africa) and saw this Tupperware out in the middle of nowhere and thought..oh what a waste of a good container that someone left out in the middle of nowhere.. so I brought it home...only to open it later and discover it was a geocache. Doh! Needless to say we brought it back the next week. So...can tick off #51...lol

      Reply
      • Tara Ziegmont says

        May 13, 2018 at 8:55 pm

        Hilarious! Glad you returned it when you figured it out!

        Reply
    10. Joy says

      May 27, 2018 at 9:57 am

      Learn recipes
      Learn about how to handle money. Open a bank account.
      Create a painting
      Make jam from The raspberries . Canning
      Have a show at home on a rainy day. Karaoke style 🙂 we created a stage with curtains (sheets) Christmas lights, served juice and soda in fancy glasses. We also made id’s for the adults to get in lol oh and fake money to pay for drinks
      Go camping, make s’mores
      Learn to chrochet (you tube videos)
      Visit an art museum. Then paint a painting and hang on the wall
      Go to vacation bible school at a nearby church.
      Learn how to sew. Teach how to sew a button or take a class at local craft store.
      Learn about journaling
      Girls Spa day! Take them to get their nails painted. 😉

      Reply
    11. Sharon says

      August 06, 2018 at 3:25 am

      Please don’t swim with dolphins in captivity! You can swim and see sea turtles in Mexico in the wild, but supporting dolphins in captivity is just wrong. The rest of the ideas are sure great though.

      Reply

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