Mermaids and Pirates Themed Summer Bucket List for Kids

Summer is just around the corner and it’s going to be a hot one! Luckily for you, we have some adorable new styles designed to help your family stay cool and protected from the sun. 

Our new mermaids and pirates collection brings back all of your favorite short styles, along with new beach towels, rashguards for little ones and so much more. Stay cute and cool this summer with Birdie Bean. 

Shop Pirates and Mermaids here.  

Speaking of staying cool, summer gets hot and as moms, one of our jobs is to help our Birdies stay cool. But you don’t want them to be stuck inside all day! These activities should help them get outside to play, while also staying cool, healthy and happy all summer long. 

We know that the kids burn so much more energy running around outside, which means a better summer for mom as well.  

Have the best summer ever with our pirates and mermaids approved summer-themed bucket list for kids. 

Pirates & Mermaids-Themed Bucket List for Kids

Free Mermaid and Pirates Coloring Pages

As much as you want to get the kids outside, some days it’s just too hot! Keep them entertained while you cook, clean or put your feet up with these free coloring pages. 

We love sharing free coloring pages with you (because well, they’re free!) but also because you don’t have to run out buying coloring books that the kids are just going to fight over or get bored of… Instead you can print the exact pages they want to color – and they can all have the same coloring page if they want. 

Here’s a link where you can download 28 cute coloring pages that are all pirate and mermaid themed! If you want to join in the coloring fun (or if you have older kids as well) check out these more complex mermaid coloring pages here.

Make Your Own Pirate Hat

The best way to kick off a day of playing pirates is to make your own pirate hat. This is super easy to do, because we’ve found a free printable that you can color in at home! Simply print off as many pirate hats as you’ll need, color them in and then aye matey! You’re ready to hit the open sea. 

There’s also free ‘color by number’ printable and a few other cute summer activities here.  

Sparkly Mermaid Slime Sensory Play

When the idea of making ‘slime’ first hit the blogs… I thought it would be too messy and way too much work for our house! But lately I’ve been finding more easy slime recipes that double as entertaining sensory play for the little ones. 

Slime is slightly cool to the touch, and can be stretched, molded or squished. You can even put small items in the slime that your kids then have to pick out (great for fine motor skills). And if you’re worried about slime making a mess, it’s easily dissolved out of clothes with a bit of vinegar or wiped off of surfaces. 

We already know that this sparkly mermaid slime is going to be a hit in your house! Follow along with Jennifer from Sugar, Spice and Glitter to make your mermaid slime. 

Pirate Treasure Slime

If you’ve got more pirates in your house than mermaids, try this gold and shiny pirate treasure slime instead of the sparkly mermaid slime. Very similar, just using gold and pirates booty (gemstones) instead of mermaid glitter. Make pirate treasure slime with Taming Little Monsters, here. 

Pirate Themed Scavenger Hunt 

There are several ways that you could make your Birdies a pirate themed scavenger hunt for the backyard, but the more creativity you put into it – the more fun they’ll have! You can set the scene, hide treasure and create a hand drawn map that takes them all around the backyard. 

We love the idea of having markers along the way to help them feel like they're getting close to the treasure. You can put challenges along the way (i.e. they have to spot two different insects and find three leaves to pass level one). You can really tailor this treasure hunt to your kids activity level and the space you’re using. 

Just don’t forget to mark the treasure with a big X! 

If you want some cute map inspiration, check this out. 

Bake Mermaid Cookies 

When we started looking for cute mermaid cookies recipes, we’ll be honest – it looked like a lot of work. We don’t know about you, but we don’t really have time to be piping various icing colors onto intricate cookie patterns, no matter how cute they look. 

That’s why, when we saw these mermaid-themed funfetti cookies from Heather at Boston Girl Bakes, we knew we’d found a truly mom-friendly recipe. These cookies take less than 30 minutes to put together and they’re perfect for your summer of mermaid and pirate fun. 

Follow along with her *very* easy recipe here. 

Does it Sink or Float - Pirate Style

Sinking and floating is a great science experiment – especially for young kids. You can easily make this activity pirate themed by using treasure from around the house. Think of things that you know will sink or float, like a necklace, pirate ship, small tea cup, etc. Fill a container halfway with water and grab a sheet of paper for keeping score. 

Before starting, have them hold each item to predict whether it will sink or float. Then ask them to place in the water for the test. As they go along, hopefully they’ll start to learn by feel, which items will sink versus which items will float. 

Science Sparks made a pirate themed version of this experiment. See what they did here. 

Make Exploding Treasure Chests

For a great sensory activity and science experiment – make these fizzing pirates chests. Don’t worry, nothing will actually be exploding in your kitchen, but there will be lots of melting and fizzing as these pirate chests melt to expose their treasure within. 

You only need six items to make this experiment (and two of them are optional!). There are so many ways that you can cater this activity to your kids and what you already have at home. This is one of our favorite pirate-themed activities that we found. 

Make your own exploding treasure chests here. 

Mermaid Tale Suncatcher

These mermaid tale suncatchers are the summer activity that keeps on giving! We even found a free printable that makes these easy to follow along. (If you haven’t noticed, we love finding free printables for you!) Holly from the Kids Activities Blog has everything you need to make your own mermaid tale suncatcher. 

We love how cute these look, and they’re perfect for decorating your home and creating an endless supply of summer rainbows indoors. 

Healthy Homemade Fruit Popsicles 

Lastly, we wanted to share a healthy summer treat. There’s nothing better than a cool popsicle on a hot summer’s day – but most store bought popsicles are full of sugar. It’s actually really easy to make your own tasty and healthy popsicles at home. 

All you need is five ingredients, and you can use whatever fruit your family loves! Follow along with this super easy recipe here. These cool treats can be the perfect way to chill out after playing outside all day in the sun! 

With summer just around the corner, we want to help you make memories, have fun and stay cool! The absolute best way to have a mermaid and pirate approved summer is with this collection. With everything from your favorite short styles, to rashguards and adorable beach towels, make sure to shop the collection before it sells out. 

Be the first to know when we have a new collection launching (plus get exclusive access to giveaways and discounts) by signing up for our text alerts. And don’t forget to get social with us! Follow along on Instagram (@birdiebeanbaby).