Mini Minds Hub · Free printable
Summer Holiday Bucket List: Free Printable Planner for Year 2
- ForYear 2
- StageKey Stage 1
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
Summer Holiday Bucket List is a free printable planner for Year 2 (ages 6 to 7), in Key Stage 1. Children read a list of simple summer ideas, choose the ones they want to try and tick them off as they happen. It needs only a pencil, and page 2 gives the grown-up notes, help ideas and a stretch task.
It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, the free library of printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company that has been making games for families since 1795. Print both pages, give page 1 to your child and keep page 2 for yourself. Black and white printing works well.
What is on the sheet
Children read a list of simple summer ideas and tick off the ones they do. The ideas include making a picnic, building a den, flying a kite, planting a seed and looking at the stars. Children choose what to try, read each idea carefully and tick it when it is done. It is a planner, not a test, so children can talk about their favourites as they go.
- Make a picnic
- Build a den
- Go for a long walk
- Draw with chalk outside
- Visit a park
- Fly a kite
- Splash in puddles or a paddling pool
- Read a book in the shade
- Bake something yummy
- Plant a seed
- Look at the stars
- Put on a show for family
Ways to get the most from the list
Choose together
Read the list aloud first. Ask your child to pick the ideas they like best. Having a say makes children keener to do them.
Plan a few at a time
Pick two or three ideas for the week and talk about when they could happen. Planning ahead is a useful habit.
Tick and talk
When an idea is done, let your child tick it. Then ask what they enjoyed. Saying it out loud helps them remember.
Add your own
Leave room for new ideas. Children can write their own on the back and make the list truly theirs.
Why a bucket list for the holidays?
A bucket list is a list of things someone would like to do. For children, the long summer holiday can feel like a big stretch of empty days. A list gives them something to look forward to and a say in how the time is spent. Year 2 children can read short phrases, so a list of simple ideas is within their reach.
Planning is a real life skill. Choosing an idea, deciding when to do it and ticking it off teaches children to think ahead. Many of the ideas are free and outdoors, such as chalk drawing, a walk or a visit to the park. They need little money, and they give families plenty to talk about afterwards.
Adults do the dangerous parts. If you bake, an adult uses the oven, handles hot trays and does any cutting with knives. Stay within arm's reach of children at any paddling pool and watch them all the time, as small children can get into trouble in very little water. Fly kites away from roads and overhead power lines. Use sun cream and shade on hot days. Look at the stars with an adult.
Summer facts for curious children
- A kite flies because moving air pushes against it and lifts it.
- The Sun is a star. It looks much bigger and brighter than other stars because it is much closer to us.
- Most seeds need water and warmth to start growing.
- In the UK, summer days are longer, so it stays light later in the evening.
- Chalk drawings on a pavement usually wash away in the rain.
Skills and curriculum link
- Reading a list
- Planning ahead
- Making choices
- Speaking and listening
- Talking about experiences
What children will be able to do
- I can plan things I would like to do.
- I can read my list and tick things off.
- I can say which activity I enjoyed most.
Ideas to help with each kind of activity
- Outdoor ideasCheck the weather together before you go. Talk about what to wear and what to take, such as a hat, water and sun cream.
- Making ideasGather what you need before you start. Let your child say what they will need and help to collect it.
- Quiet ideasChoose a comfy spot and let your child pick the book or the view. Short, calm time suits some children best.
- Evening ideasPick a clear, dry evening and a safe place close to home. Take a blanket and go together.
Key words
- Bucket listA list of things you would like to do.
- PlanTo decide what you will do and when you will do it.
- TickA small mark that shows something is done.
- ChecklistA list where you tick each item when it is done.
- ChooseTo pick one thing from several.
- FavouriteThe one you like best.
How to use it
- Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2 for yourself.
- Read the list aloud together the first time. Talk about each idea and what it would involve.
- Ask your child to choose a few ideas to try this week. Point to them or circle them lightly.
- Tick each idea when it is done. Ask what your child enjoyed most.
- Come back to the sheet through the holiday. Choose new ideas and add some of your own.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Start with the easiest ideas, such as drawing with chalk or reading a book in the shade, and do them together. Read the list aloud and point to each word as you say it. Let your child choose just two ideas to begin with.
To stretch confident children
Ask your child to write three bucket list ideas of their own on the back of the sheet. They can add a few words about what they will need for each one. Then ask them to put their ideas in order, from the one they most want to do to the one they least want to do.
Make it a game
Choose an idea at random. Toss a coin: heads means do the idea you are pointing at, tails means point to a different one. Or number the ideas down the page, roll a dice and count down to the matching idea. Then do it that week.
Talk about it
- Which idea are you most looking forward to, and why?
- What would you need to take with you for that one?
- How will you know when you have done it?
- Who would you like to do it with?
- What would you add to your list?
- Which idea did you enjoy most, and what made it fun?
Take it off the page
Picnic planning
Ask your child to plan a picnic. They can draw the food they would pack and say who is coming. Then have the picnic indoors or outdoors.
Den building
Use blankets, cushions and chairs to build a den. Ask your child to explain their design before they start.
Seed diary
Plant a seed in a pot and draw it each few days. Ask your child what they notice has changed.
Who it is for
Parents
Read the list with your child and let them choose. Pick a few ideas each week rather than trying to do everything at once. Tick them off together and ask what they enjoyed. Keep it relaxed, as this is meant to be fun.
Teachers
Use it at the end of the summer term, as a class talk starter or an early finisher task. Children can read the list, choose favourites and compare choices with a partner. It also works as a take home sheet to send with the end of year pack.
Home educators
Use it as a gentle start to a summer plan. It links well with outdoor play, gardening, cooking with an adult and reading together. Children can keep the sheet in a folder and add notes, drawings or photos as each idea is done.
Where this fits
Before this, children learn to read simple words and short phrases and to talk about what they like. A bucket list builds on that by asking them to read familiar ideas and make a choice.
After this, children can write longer lists and plans of their own. They can use them for trips, parties or school projects, and start to write short sentences about what they did and how it went.
Check it worked
Ask these when the sheet is finished. Listen for the reasoning, not just the answer.
- Which activity are you most looking forward to?
- How will you know when you have done each one?
- What would you add to your list?
Questions parents and teachers ask
- What age is Summer Holiday Bucket List for?
It is written for Year 2 (ages 6 to 7), in Key Stage 1. Younger children can use it with an adult reading the list aloud, and older children can add ideas of their own.
- What will children practise?
They practise reading a short list, planning and making choices. They also practise talking about what they have done and which activity they enjoyed most.
- Is it free?
Yes. It is free to print for home and classroom use. You can print it again for brothers, sisters or another summer.
- Is there a set time to finish it?
No. It is a planner for the whole holiday, so children tick ideas off as they happen. You can look at it for a few minutes at a time, whenever it suits you.
- Is this a screen free activity?
Yes. It needs only paper and a pencil. The ideas on the list are mostly outdoors or hands on, so they take children away from screens as well.
- Can teachers use it in class?
Yes. It works as a starter, plenary, early finisher task or end of term activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing, and page 2 has help and stretch ideas for mixed groups.
- Do I need to print in colour?
No. It prints well in black and white on plain A4 paper. Children can add their own colour with pencils or crayons if they like.
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Made by Jaques of London, making games for families since 1795. A printable supports classroom learning and does not replace a teacher.