FAMILY | Bucket Load of Fun List – 25 Family Bucket List Ideas For 2025

April 4, 2025 Shell Robshaw-Bryan

Camping Features, Camping Tips & Advice, Family Camping, Homepage Feature, Tips & Advice

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We’re all familiar with the concept of a bucket list, but we’ve put together our own version that’s a little bit different. The Camping with Style Bucket Load of Fun List is a family bucket list full of outdoor family fun ideas and inspiration to fill your weekends, evenings, and school holidays with a whole lot of family fun this year!

Family fun doesn’t have to cost the earth or involve a grand adventure, and fun can be had in a multitude of ways. Feel free to pick and choose from our list to create your own, or why not do it the easy way and just download our ready-made family bucket list list?

1. Go Stargazing in a Dark Sky Reserve

Pack some cosy blankets, hot chocolate, and head to a certified Dark Sky location to marvel at the stars. If you can’t do that, simply lying outside in the garden or heading to a local park will do the trick.

2. Camp in Your Back Garden

During lockdown many of us discovered the simple joy of pitching up in our own back garden, so if you can’t get away, why not spend Friday night garden camping? All the fun of camping but with all the benefits of being at home, what could be better?

3. Build a Den in the Woods

Use fallen branches and leaves to create a secret hideout. It’s a classic outdoor activity that sparks creativity.

4. Go For A Swim

Discover a safe local lake, slow-flowing river, or head to the coast for a day out and go for a dip! Do ensure you take necessary precautions, including flotation devices and swim floats. Also remember that during spring in particular, water is still chilly, so enter slowly from the shore, never jump straight in and make sure you have what you need to get dry and to warm up quickly.

5. Take a Family Bike Ride

Explore local trails or cycle paths and pack a picnic for a day of adventure on two wheels. Destinations like the Monsal Trail in Derbyshire are ideal, with bike hire available and even a cafe to refuel at.

6. Garden Campfire

When you can’t go camping but want to sit outside under the stars or enjoy a cosy evening outdoors, a garden campfire is perfect. Just don’t forget the marshmallows!

7. Go on a Treasure Hunt

Create your own treasure hunt or give geocaching a go. We love geocaching, which is a modern-day outdoor treasure-hunting game using GPS. Find out more here.

8. Visit a National Park

Spend a day walking, exploring, and wildlife-spotting at one of the UK’s incredible National Parks. There are 15 National Parks to choose from, including the Brecon Beacons, Loch Lomond and The Trossachs, New Forest, Northumberland and the Yorkshire Dales.

9. Nature Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger hunts are fun for adults and kids, download the Camping with Style campsite scavenger hunt, head to Google to find something else to download or create your own based on what the kids will be able to find in the back garden or local area.

10. Try Paddleboarding or Kayaking

Find a local water sports centre and give paddleboarding, canoeing, or kayaking a go. Kids tend to have great natural balance thanks to a lower centre of gravity and with their fearless nature, it’s exhilarating and fun to try. If that doesn’t appeal, double kayaks are a great way to get out onto the water safely with kids.

11. Create a Nature Art Project

Collect leaves, pebbles, and twigs to make your own natural artwork. Nature mandalas are so soothing and satisfying to make and can have less impact on the environment than balancing rocks. Download the Camping with Style Nature Mandalas Guide.

12. Explore a Coastal Path

Hike along one of the UK’s stunning coastal paths and keep an eye out for seals, dolphins, and seabirds. Take a look at the National Trust website to find some inspiration.

13. Plant a Mini Garden

Create a small vegetable or flower garden to teach kids about nature and the joy of growing things. Easier still, grab a packet of sunflower seeds and plant them in pots. Get the kids to make little signs so they know whose is who and encourage them to nurture the sunflower once it begins to grow and see whose grows the biggest!

14. Go Rock Pooling

Visit a rocky beach at low tide and see what fascinating sea creatures you can find. This is an activity that is equally as enjoyable for adults as it is for kids and is a great way to spend mindful time in nature.

15. Try an Outdoor Scavenger Hunt

Create a list of natural items to find (like feathers, wildflowers, or animal tracks) and go exploring. For a ready-made list you can simply search the internet, create your own list or grab the brilliant gofindit scavenger hunt game.

16. Experience a Sunrise Hike

Wake up early and hike to a scenic spot to watch the sunrise together. Sadly social media has turned places like Mam Tor into a sunrise theme park, and there are much better options away from the crowds to choose for an early morning adventure.

17. Build a Bug Hotel

Use sticks, leaves, and recycled materials to create a shelter for insects in your garden. Baker Ross do a brilliant DIY bug hotel that kids can build and decorate themselves.

18. Have a Family Picnic

Pick a scenic spot, pack your favourite foods, and enjoy a leisurely outdoor feast. You don’t even have to travel far, the local park or woodland will do, or even your own back garden!

19. Go Wildlife Spotting

Visit a local nature reserve and try to spot birds, deer, foxes, or other local wildlife.

20. Visit an Outdoor Adventure Park

Climb, zip-line, and challenge yourselves at an outdoor adventure park. Go Ape and similar places are heaps of fun, but you might find lots of other options in your local area. Read about our family fun day out at Go Ape here.

21. Learn Bushcraft Skills

Practice basic survival skills like fire-starting, shelter-building, or identifying edible plants. Places like Delamere Forest in Cheshire offer bushcrafting skills suitable for kids and families, so look on Facebook or do an internet search to find something near you.

22. Try Wild Camping

For a real adventure, find a legal wild camping spot and spend a night under the stars. This gives kids a different type of camping experience, one that’s great for building resilience and confidence!

23. Explore a Local Forest

Take a long forest walk and listen to the sounds of nature. Look for fungi, birds, and woodland creatures. A nature identification book like National Geographic Kids Bugs Find It! or the Collins British Tree Guide.

24. Capture a Year in Photos

Create a family photo challenge by capturing your outdoor adventures throughout the year. Alternatively, download an app that encourages you to take 1 photo a day for a year and get the kids involved in choosing the photo of the day. At the end of the year you could create a photobook that you can all enjoy or even share with relatives.

25. Make a Seasonal Bucket List

At the start of each season, create a mini-list of things to do, like autumn leaf piles or summer beach days. Again, get the kids involved and create a full list you can refer back to packed full of ideas, so you’ll never be at a loose end with bored kids again!

Make 2025 the year you have a bucket load of family fun! Which of these will you try first? Remember, the goal is to have fun, explore, and create memories that will last a lifetime. Happy adventuring!