This post is all about the ultimate high school senior summer bucket list!
The senior year of high school is a long-awaited year for many students, and the summer after is even more exciting; after four years of hard work, this summer is an actual break.
If you’re a graduating high school senior heading into the summer, check out this post for a comprehensive list of ideas for all the fun things you could do – both alone and with others. Learn how to maximize your time over the summer and have fun!

Fun With Friends
Make sure to spend time with your high school friends before leaving for college. Unless you go to the same school, you may not see them for several months.
Here are some fun activities you can enjoy with friends this summer:
- Go to the beach and have a picnic/bonfire
- Spend a day in the city nearest to you
- Dress up and hold a fake “prom”
- Have a fun photoshoot
- Have a sleepover at someone’s house or a hotel
- Travel to another state/country
- Watch the sunset
- Watch the sunrise
- Go karaoke
- Hold early/late birthday parties
- Have a pool party
- Hold a movie marathon
- Hold a game night
- Explore your city
- Hold a graduation party
- Go to a concert
- Go to an amusement park
- Visit an art museum
Time With Family
Your family is just as important as your friends, and if you’re moving to another country/state/country, you may also not see your parents for a while. So make sure to spend time with your family and show them you appreciate them.
Along with everything listed above (with friends), here are some activities you can enjoy with your family:
- Have a family dinner at a restaurant
- Cook a meal for your family
- Cook and have a family dinner at home
- Go on a road trip
- Travel to another state/country
- Spend July 4 together
- Go camping
- Write letters to each other
- Recreate a childhood tradition/activity
- Have a board game night
- Go through old photos/videos
- Share your favorite family memories
- Hold a gift exchange
- Go geocaching
- Hold a garage sale
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Learning New Things
I know, I know… learning may not be at the top of your list of “fun” things to do the summer after your senior year, especially since you just spent the last twelve years in school.
But if you have some downtime during the summer, learning new things is a great way to use your time rather than just scrolling aimlessly on your phone.
Here are a few productive ideas to consider for your senior summer bucket list:
- Learn a coding language
- Preview your college course
- Learn how to file taxes
- Learn how to do laundry
- Write/update your resume
- Set up a LinkedIn account
- Learn self-defense
- Learn to cook
- Learn to skateboard
- Learn to swim
- Practice public speaking
- Learn to play an instrument
Alone Time
As much fun as it is spending time with friends, you’ll likely have plenty of alone time during the summer too.
These are some of the best senior summer bucket list ideas you can do on your own this summer:
- Read a certain number of books
- Watch a certain number of movies
- Watch a certain number of documentaries
- Get a part-time job
- Start a blog
- Start an investment fund
- Find a new way to make money
- Write a letter to yourself
- Clean out your closet
- Visit your college campus
- Reach out to teachers you appreciate
- Reach out to future classmates
- Dye your hair a different color
- Get a manicure and/or pedicure
- Buy yourself something you’ve always wanted
- Buy a plant and take care of it
- Discover new music you enjoy
- Call an old friend/family member
Daily Habits To Build
Not every item on your senior summer bucket list has to be big. Sometimes building small daily habits is even more rewarding.
You have the whole summer ahead of you, so why not use the time to develop a great new habit or two? Here are some of the best daily habits to build this summer:
- Listen or watch the news
- Listen to an educational podcast
- Start a daily journal
- Start a bullet journal/scrapbook
- Start meditating
- Start working out
- Practice gratitude
- Take a walk outside
- Read for 20 minutes
- Wake up at the same time each day
- Take risks
- Perform random acts of kindness
- Go to sleep at the same time each day
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed this list of senior summer bucket list ideas!
This post will be occasionally updated with more ideas, so if you’ve achieved every single one of these things (good for you!), check back in a few weeks for some new ideas.
These are some of the best ways to make the most of your senior summer before going off to college in the fall!
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