End of school year family celebration ideas

Summer vacation has officially started for some, but for others, they’re still counting down the days to freedom. The school year is crazy busy and even though the “lazy days of summer” don’t necessarily include moms and dads as they continue heading to work every day, these summer months are decidedly more chill than those nine months of hustle and bustle. So we’re here with some ideas to help you kick off the summer fun!

End of School Year Family Celebration Ideas

Sweet Treats

• Get the fire pit going and roast your first s’mores of the summer!
• Treat yourself to a last day of school afterschool stop at your favorite yogurt/ice cream shop!
• Get all the fixings for one serious ice cream party at home! I’m talking Root Beer Floats, Banana Splits, homemade Milk Shakes, Sundaes complete with syrup, sprinkles, and whipped cream!

Good Eats

• My favorite way to celebrate the last day of school is lunch out with my girl and the fam, followed by a little shopping adventure. (And if your shopping includes Barnes & Noble as ours always does, don't forget to ask for your Summer Reading Journal!)
• Treat the kids to dinner out. (Preferably a family favorite or a special place you don’t often get to go to)
• Backyard BBQ! Whether it’s burgers and dogs, steaks and chicken, one of the bonuses to barbecuing is the adaptability of it all. Added bonus if you eat dinner outside!

Under the Stars

• Kick off your summer fun with a glow-in-the-dark wiffle ball game at the park or in the backyard – why not get the neighborhood in on the game?! (For this, our family stuffs glow sticks – bracelet/necklace size – in the wiffle ball. We tried looping them through the holes, but they kept getting hit off).
• Head to Veterans Park for the first of Firefly’s free Movies in the Park series with Moana on Friday, June 2 at dusk!
• Or load up the car/truck and go to the Amusement Park Drive-in Theatre!

Outdoor Awesomeness

• Summer hours at Geyser Park kick off on Memorial Day, so get out with the fam for some mini golf, laser maze, arcade games!
• Weather-cooperating, bust out the slip ‘n’ slide, get the sprinklers going, stock up on water balloons…Nothing says summer like all of this watery goodness!
• Load up on the silly string, hand them out to the family, and go crazy!!
• Have a picnic and make time to lay on the grass, watching the clouds float by.

One of the absolute best things you can do, is to sit down as a family and put your thinking caps on, making a Summer Fun Bucket List. Put your ideas in a jar, on a board, wherever, and plan to draw from your list all summer long!