Summer Adventure Bingo

No matter where you are located, you can enjoy this Adventure Bingo! Enjoy simple summer fun, find new ways to explore, and connect through adventuring!

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We kicked off our summer adventure season yesterday with a visit to one of our favorite local spots and beginning to compete a new adventure bingo card.

The day before, and even the morning of, we were unsure of whether or not we would or should go on the outing. There were several reasons not to go that would have made staying home perfectly justified. But, in the end, I knew that we all needed the time in nature to unplug, have fun, and connect with each other.

As I was looking for an Instagram post I created last summer after visiting the same spot, I read the caption I shared then and it was just as timely and perfect now:

“…We checked all the boxes: leaving later than planned because there’s always so much to do, a long drive to decompress from the mild depature-angst, releasing a deep sigh of relief in spending the next five hours unplugged in the mountains with friends and critters and connection.

I never want to paint a picture that it’s easy to do all the things I share here. A lot of time it’s HARD. It’s hard to grow your own food. It is hard to choose whole ingredients more than packaged. It’s hard to spend a majority of your waking time raising children. It’s hard homeschooling. It’s hard to get out for adventures.

But on the other side of that effort and push and drive and commitment is reward. Reward that is more than worth the hard.

...(On adventures) We put aside all the things vying for our attention at home and have the chance to just BE. We can be who we are without the other stuff. Just people who deeply enjoy the natural world and deeply enjoy each other’s company.

For at least a little while, it’s as simple as that.”

This is what adventuring does for us and is why I’m so passionate about not only making it a priority in our home, but also sharing hacks and simple solutions to make it easier for others to get out and explore and adventure more as well.

If you’re wanting a fun way to motivate yourself, your friends, or your family to take more adventures this summer (small or big), then let this Adventure Bingo game be a fun incentive!

Keep reading to see:

How to print multiple versions of the bingo cards
A handful of recommended books to inspire more adventures
One of my MOST EFFECTIVE tips for getting out the door

I rearranged the “adventures” in three different versions so participants can “compete” against each other. Or, simply print one bingo to use as a family and see how many boxes you can fill in!

INSPIRE MORE ADVENTURES THROUGH BOOKS

Books are, of course, a great way to motivate and inspire everyone to take more adventures. As a mother, reading about the value and potential of spending more time outdoors, giving my kids more opportunities to challenge themselves, and how adventuring leads to more connection really pushes me to make this a priority in our family life. The tips and tricks from experienced adventuring families also help!

Books for parents:

I prefer audiobooks for these, because I can listen while doing other things, on the drive to adventures, or even (true story) in the tent while waiting for my little kids to fall asleep.

Adventuring Together, Greta Eskridge
Let Them Be Kids, Jessica Smartt
Barefoot & Balanced, Angela Hanscom
Last Child in the Woods, Richard Louv

Books for kids:

100 Days of Adventure, Greta Eskridge
1000 Hours Outside: Activities to Match Screen Time with Green Time, Ginny Yulrich
Wild & Free Nature, Ainsley Arment
Outdoor School: Hiking and Camping
Swallows & Amazons, Arthur Ransome
Hatchet, Gary Paulsen
The Penderwicks, Jeanne Birdsall
The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkein

HOW TO GET OUT THE DOOR MORE EASILY!

This will be my third summer using these ready-to-go adventure bags! I think having curated bags for the different types of outings we go on is one of the most helpful things you can do to make it easier to leave the house with what you need. We keep these bags (one for water/sand days, one for hiking, and one for parks) right by the door in a storage ottoman.

You can read more about the system and see what is packed in each bag in my Adventure Day Bags post. Whether or not you pack them just like I do isn’t the point. The goal is to get things ready ahead of time so the process of getting out the door will be less overwhelming and time-consuming.

You can also find a “Get Out the Door Checklist” in the same post. I used it yesterday when we finally decided we were going and it was time to gather all the things we needed for the day!

If you enjoy adventuring, getting outdoors with your family, and tips to make those things easier, check out my Family Adventuring page! There are ideas for eating outdoors and when you get back from long days, mom hacks for staying comfortable, packing ideas for the car, and more.

Summer Adventure Bingo