Celebrate the Summer Solstice
10 Simple Ways to Celebrate the Summer Solstice with Your Kids and Family
The Summer Solstice, falling on or around 21st June each year, marks the longest day and shortest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. It's a time of light, warmth, abundance, and new beginnings. For families, it offers a magical opportunity to pause, reflect, and connect both with each other and with nature.
If you’re wondering how to celebrate this special day in a gentle, meaningful way with your children, here are 10 simple, soul-filled ideas to bring the sunshine into your home and heart.
🌅 1. Watch the Sunrise or Sunset
Start or end the longest day of the year by watching the sun rise or set together. Take a thermos of hot chocolate or a picnic breakfast/dinner and find a quiet spot. It’s a calming and awe-inspiring way to welcome summer and enjoy time as a family.
🌻 2. Create a Nature Mandala or Sun Art
Go for a nature walk and collect petals, leaves, sticks, and stones. Use your treasures to create a nature mandala in your garden or local park. You could also draw or paint a bright sun or spiral both powerful solstice symbols.
🔥 3. Light a Bonfire or Candles
Fire has long been a symbol of the sun’s power. If you have an outdoor space, light a small family bonfire and toast marshmallows. Indoors, light a few candles and take a moment to share what you’re grateful for, or what you're ready to let go of.
🌺 4. Make Flower Crowns
Get crafty and make flower crowns with real or artificial blooms. It’s a lovely creative activity and a fun way for children to feel connected to nature. Don’t forget a family photo once everyone’s wearing theirs!
🥗 5. Enjoy a Seasonal Feast
Celebrate the abundance of summer with a simple solstice meal. Eat outside if the weather allows, and enjoy seasonal produce like strawberries, cucumbers, fresh greens, and herbs. Let the kids help with setting the table or making decorations.
🧘♀️ 6. Try a Family Yoga or Sun Salutation Session
Stretch into summer with some gentle movement. Sun Salutations are a lovely way to honour the light. You don’t have to be a yogi just follow along with a short YouTube video or make up your own moves.
🎨 7. Make a Sun Catcher or Summer Collage
Bring some sunshine indoors with a homemade sun catcher. Use coloured tissue paper, contact paper, or even old plastic lids. Alternatively, create a “summer dreams” collage together with magazine cut-outs of all the things you’d love to do this season.
🌼 8. Write a Summer Bucket List
Sit down as a family and write a list of all the things you’d love to do this summer, from big adventures to everyday joys. Stick it on the fridge and tick them off as you go. It’s a fun way to make summer feel intentional and exciting.
🌀 9. Walk a Spiral or Labyrinth
Spirals represent the journey inward and outward, perfect for the solstice. Use sticks or stones to make a simple spiral path and walk it slowly together. Reflect on what you’re leaving behind and what you’re walking towards this season.
✨ 10. Reflect & Set Intentions
End the day by sitting down together and reflecting:
What have you loved most about the year so far?
What are you grateful for?
What would you like more of this summer?
Write your answers on slips of paper or in a family journal.
The Summer Solstice invites us to pause, connect, and celebrate the light both in the world and within ourselves. However you choose to mark the day, let it be gentle, joyful, and uniquely yours.
Wishing you a sunshine-filled solstice
