50+ Ideas for a Senior Year Bucket List

Inside: More than 50+ ideas for a senior year bucket list.

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They said it would happen, and it did. I blinked, and the next thing I knew, I had a senior in high school! How did that happen?

I’ve heard from other parents that senior year goes by so fast, and I can see why. College applications or developing future plans, finishing up a rigorous course load, part-time jobs, sports, and tons of graduation activities can make it hard to fit in some quality time with dear old Mom and Dad.

And I get it. I remember what it was like to be 18 and ready to fly the nest (back when dinosaurs roamed the Earth.)

But that doesn’t mean I’m giving up on making some senior memories with my teenager. Time stops for no one, and I wanted to make the most of what could be our last full year together.

How to create a senior year bucket list

The term “bucket list” originates from the phrase “before you kick the bucket,” but now it is more about creating a list of things you want to accomplish in a specific time period instead of before death. Our bucket list allowed us to articulate what my daughter and I wanted to explore together before she left for college. It focused our attention and made us more accountable.

One thing to keep in mind is that the words “bucket list” can stir up some pretty heavy-duty fears. Defined as a list of things to do before you die, it can be a reminder of our own mortality and may not fit the connection you want to achieve with your senior. That’s why many of you may want another idea for other names for a bucket list, such as “Senior Year Living List” or “Live It Love It List.” You can even name it, “Fun Stuff for Senior Year.” It doesn’t have to be fancy or perfect. It just has to be something that makes it fun for you both.

How to Start a Senior Year Fun List

The first thing we decided is this was a bucket list in name only. It wasn’t about completing every task exactly as much as it was about spending some time together. We wanted to complete it during her senior year, but we know that life happens, so we committed to just doing our best and ticking off items whenever possible.

Here are three tips to get you started:

1. Set some parameters

Over the summer, I told my teen daughter my plan. I wanted to come up with bucket list items we could do together that wouldn’t add a lot of stress or extra time to her plate but that would provide us with some great memories and bonding experiences before she flew the nest.

Surprisingly, she sounded just as excited as I was. I think she really liked the idea of us doing something together where she could have input and some control.

We also needed to be cost-conscious because college expenses were just around the corner.

I took my daughter to our favorite coffee shop, and we started chatting about some fun things we both liked to do. Because she does everything from her phone, we decided to create a profile on BucketList.net. There are a few bucket list apps, but they don’t have the resources of Bucketlist.net that we found.

Your online profile lets you make a list, keep a record of achievements, meet others who want to achieve life goals and be inspired by others. We liked being able to browse others’ bucket lists and comments so we could decide what we wanted to do.

We also decided to do no more than ten things on our bucket list. With academics, sports, and college planning, I didn’t want it to seem like another responsibility, so we felt ten activities were manageable (one per month if you broke it down.)

2. Start brainstorming “big picture” ideas

Instead of picking specific ideas to start, we thought we’d come up with some big-picture ideas–headings that could guide us to what we wanted to do together.

For example, we both knew we loved to see new places, so travel was one heading. Then we created a few more to help guide us to our specific list. Here are ten experiences we put together:

Travel
Food
Music
Volunteering
Photos
Adventure
Personal growth
Creative
Fitness
Just for fun

Breaking it down into chunks, it helped us start to visualize the types of activities we could do, but more importantly, it helped us hone in on some of the things we would both like to do.

3. Create your list

Once we had our big-picture items, the ideas started flowing. We wrote all our ideas on paper and then started two lists: One was for her senior year, the other was a list we would keep for things we wanted to do longer-term that we didn’t think we could fit in for senior year (Yes, I almost cried when she suggested to make the second list.)

Here is what we came up with for our senior year bucket list, and then scroll down below to find more ideas to get your creative juices flowing with your teen.

Photo shoot: we had a specific session for her senior photos, but we asked our neighbor to take a few of just together at a local park. My teen coordinated the outfits, and we honored her special request to include our dog in a few of our shots. Note: I did make a photo book for my teen to take to college with her and included these shots at the end.
Blood donation: When your teen turns 17, they can become a blood donor if they qualify. As a long-term donor myself, I was touched that she would even consider it. We picked two dates about four months apart and scheduled our donation and then lunch afterward.
Hike new trail: we found a hiking area about 45 minutes from home to try out. She almost backed out of this one at the last second, but then was so glad we went.
See a musical: my daughter and I both love Broadway-type shows, so we decided to support her friends and see the school musical together.
Weekend trip: This one was tough because my daughter is an athlete and has two siblings, so finding the right weekend was challenging. We found a great weekend spot just two hours away and went off-season to keep costs low.
Movie marathon: my senior agreed to watch three of my favorite 80s movies with me, and I would also watch three of her teen favorites. We started this on one rainy Sunday where we binge-watched three movies in a row while eating popcorn.
Concert: This is where we decided to splurge (and we also included Dad). We told her to find a show she wanted to attend with us, and we would buy the tickets as part of her graduation gift. We were thankful it was Ed Sheeran!
The coffee shop tour: once a month, we went and tried a local coffee shop. My daughter loves supporting small businesses, but she also likes a good latte (this was my favorite item on the list.)
New workouts: This one was hard for me, as my daughter is an athlete and I’m more of a walker, but she loves to try new fitness classes. We found a few opportunities at our local Y and committed to signing up, including Yoga, cycling (which almost killed me), and 80s aerobics. We also are considering signing up for a self-defense class before she leaves for college.
Sunrise/Sunset: I’m not a morning person, but honestly, this was one of the best things we did together. Sitting at one of our local spots and watching the sun come up with her almost brought me to tears. If you have a teen willing to do it, go.

4. Important tips to consider

It’s totally okay to include other people, like siblings, friends, significant others, etc. in your activities. Yes, you want it to be just the two of you, but remember, sometimes we need to be cognizant of what our teen’s needs are as well.
Don’t make too big of a deal out of everything. They may sometimes be going along for the ride and not enjoying it, but that doesn’t mean they don’t value it.
Remain flexible. They are experiencing a lot of highs and lows right now, so this may not be their priority. Ride the wave and follow their lead.

More senior year bucket list ideas

Go to a sporting event
Cook your favorite family meal together
Create a family recipe book
Volunteer (animal shelter, foodbank, crisis center, etc.)
Create a shared playlist
Camp
Go to a new beach/park
Go to every local museum
Write letters for each of you to open in 10 years
Do a color run
Play hooky from work/school together
Plant a garden
Do old-school arts and crafts
Make homemade cookies or ice cream
Watch a sunrise and a sunset
Look at baby photos of you and your teen
Visit farmer’s markets
Learn a new instrument together
Try an art class (pottery, painting, etc.)
Take a trip to visit a family member
Collect goods or money for charity
Make a family tree
Stargaze
Get on the water (paddle, canoe, kayak)
Go on a picnic
Plan a dream trip
College visits
Learn to meditate
Recreate an family photo of the past
Do a TikTok together
Visit places you loved when they were a child
Commit to Sunday night dinner or brunch
Play a full game of Monopoly
Learn to play guitar or another instrument
Spend the day at the arcade
Visit all the museums in your state possible
Create your family tree
Camp in the backyard
Create a quilt from old t-shirts
Foster a dog or cat
Make a photo album they can keep or find photos to share in a digital photo frame.

Keep an open mind

When the goal is to make memories and spend one-on-one time together, what you do doesn’t matter. Just let your teen take the lead whenever possible, and enjoy! And remember, you may not love the idea of it, but you’ll never regret the time you spent together!

Raising teens and tweens is hard, but you don’t have to do it alone. Here are some other articles parents found helpful:

Hey Dads, Please Stay Close During These Tough Teenage Years

Dear High School Senior Who Doesn’t Have It All Together

Dear Senior, There Are Five Things I Want You to Know Before You Go

50+ Ideas for a Senior Year Bucket List

How to create a senior year bucket list