What to Do in July

How to Plan Your Year: July

Even if you’re not planning any big vacations, choose a few quirky holidays to celebrate and pick some summer bucket list activities to treat yourself and take advantage of the more laidback vibes of summer. Here’s a list of what to do in July.

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What to Do in July: Holidays

National Picnic Month

July is National Picnic Month. Find a shady spot in a park, by a lake, or even in your backyard, and enjoy a picnic lunch this month.

National Ice Cream Month

Celebrate National Ice Cream Month in July with one of these ideas:

have an ice cream social with plenty of add-ons and toppings
visit your favorite local ice cream shop
try a new ice cream shop (and try an unusual flavor)
make your own ice cream

Independence Day

Celebrate America’s birthday on July 4th with a BBQ, attend a parade, or watch fireworks.

Picnic basket

Ice cream bowls

Ice cream sundae kit

July 4th door decoration

July List of Fun Holidays

Here are some of the quirky, wacky “holidays” in July. Choose a few to celebrate with your kids for a little treat, a little learning, and a whole lot of fun.

National Eat Your Beans Day

Celebrate National Eat Your Beans Day on July 3rd. Make an extra big batch of baked beans and have enough to accompany your 4th of July BBQ, or try refried beans or bean dip with tortilla chips.

National Graham Cracker Day

July 5th is National Graham Cracker Day. Go for the kid classic with roasted s’mores or make this delicious and easy no-bake chocolate eclair dessert.

Fried Chicken Day

National Fried Chicken Day is July 6th. Authentic fried chicken is a once-in-a-while treat at our house, but I recently discovered how to get really crispy baked chicken (the secret is baking powder) and now “fried” chicken is on the regular dinner rotation.

National Sugar Cookie Day

National Sugar Cookie Day is July 9th. Have your kids help bake up a batch of sugar cookies to celebrate. My kids love helping in the kitchen, and sugar cookies are extra fun because they’re perfect for decorating with colorful frosting and sprinkles!

Blueberry Muffin Day

July 11th is National Blueberry Muffin Day. We love the Starbucks Copycat Blueberry Muffin recipe from Crazy for Crust so much that I like to make a DIY muffin mix with the required dry ingredients from this recipe, ready to add the blueberries and wet ingredients. You can read about my process for this in my List of Favorite Make-Ahead Recipes. Make an extra dozen and drop them at your local fire or police station or offer them to a neighbor.

Click here to read my Big List of Blueberry Recipes

National Mac & Cheese Day

National Mac & Cheese Day is July 15th. Whether your kids insist on the Kraft Mac & Cheese from a box, or you try a gourmet take on a classic recipe, this is the day to indulge your cheese and noodle-loving taste buds.

National Gummy Worm Day

Celebrate National Gummy Worm Day on July 15th. Your kids will declare you BEST MOM EVER when you offer a handful of these sweet treats as a surprise celebration.

National Cousins Day

July 24th is National Cousins Day. Catch up with the cousins today via Zoom, FaceTime or even a quick text to let them know you’re thinking of them.

Lasagna Day

National Lasagna Day is July 29th. This perennial family favorite is delicious in its traditional form, or you can try a variation like sausage and basil lasagna or a lower-carb zucchini lasagna.

National Cheesecake Day

July 30th is National Cheesecake Day. Try a copycat recipe or enjoy a slice from your favorite bakery.

Grab a complete set of lists to plan your whole year with fun holidays, monthly bucket list ideas, home maintenance tasks, and more in my Etsy shop.

Complete Set of Monthly Lists
Monthly Fun Calendars / Monthly Bucket Lists / Monthly Home Maintenance + more!

Bucket List Ideas for July

My monthly bucket lists include seasonal activities, physical activity, planning or goal setting, self-care, organizing ideas, and more. Here are some suggestions for your June bucket list. Choose a few or do them all!

plan a weekend getaway
start shopping for school supplies
hold a Family Olympics
summer manicure or pedicure
try a new workout
sketch a landscape outside
eat a popsicle
grill steaks or burgers
go to an outdoor movie
visit a flower farm
declutter bathroom cabinets
mid-year cleanout of paper files
walk through a forest or nature preserve
watch fireworks
make a travel bucket list

Read How to Hold a Family Olympics

Plan Ahead in July

Here’s what’s coming up. Keep these dates in mind for future reference and planning.

Back to school planning: Think about tackling a few of these tasks early to ease the transition when school starts.

watch for school supply sales and stock up for at-home crafts too
inventory kids clothing and make a list of what they need
think about a meal planning system
prep a lunch-making station that makes it easy for your kids to make their own lunches

Home Maintenance to Tackle in July

Summer is prime time for outdoor projects. Tackle a painting project in July or take a day to do touch-up painting on your home, garage, or deck.

If you’ve been working through regular home maintenance tasks all year, summer is a great time to focus on a few home improvement projects. Choose something to tackle in July and make that your home maintenance focus this month.

How to Plan Your Year: July Lists

By taking the time to plan a few projects each month, seasonal bucket list activities, and a few holidays to celebrate, you’ll get into a rhythm of taking care of the work that needs to be done and making time for fun and family.

Use these lists of fun holidays, bucket list ideas, and home maintenance tasks as a starting point. Add your own projects and personal priorities for June and you’ll have a useful list of what to do in July.

My Planning List Bundle can help you create monthly plans to reuse year after year to organize your life.

Get it today and start planning your year one month at a time!

Printable List of Fun Holidays

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