A good family calendar does not need to list everything. It needs the things that help you get out the door: the free events, the rainy-day backups, the seasonal weekends, and the small outings that work even when the day is already half gone.

What to watch for

• Library story times and summer reading events
• Spray parks, wading pools, and beach days
• Farmers markets with music or kid-friendly food
• Community festivals and neighborhood parades
• Indoor play spaces for smoky, rainy, or too-hot days
• Short ferry rides, farms, gardens, and easy day trips

The best Seattle-area family plans usually have one main thing and one easy backup. That is the kind of calendar Little Big Seattle is building.