10 ways to celebrate the summer solstice as a family

The summer solstice is just around the corner – this year, here in the UK, it falls on June 21st {at 5.24 am to be precise!}. We love to celebrate the solstice as a family, marking the longest day and the arrival of the summer season. As much as I love the beauty of winter, I’m definitely a warm weather kind of girl – I love long, hot, sunny days when we can be outside all day long soaking up the sunshine and the warmth after the long cold winter.

Creating rituals and celebrations with your kids is a fantastic way to help them feel included, and to remind them how important the world is – the solstice reminds us how integral the sun is to our lives. Here are a few fun ways to celebrate the solstice as a family

1| Great the sunrise – I love to get up early on the solstice, take the kiddos outside to welcome the sun rising with a sun salutation – check Youtube for sun salutation videos if you need some guidance.

2| Eat outdoors – after our sun salutation, we often have an early morning breakfast picnic, perhaps a BBQ later in the day or pack up a picnic and take it to a local park or woodland

3| Make a nature mandala – this is one of my favourite activities! We collect a variety of twigs, leaves, flowers and any other items we find in the garden/park and make a beautiful sun mandala.

4| Design a flower crown – my girls have always loved to make their own flower crowns, and it’s a traditional way people celebrate the solstice – this flower crown tutorial is fantastic if you haven’t made one before.

5| Make a summer bucket list – involving the kids in coming up with a list of activities we want to do over the summer is a great way to welcome the beginning of a new season. It’s always fun to tick them off as we go along too!

6| Plant some flowers – while much of my garden is already in bloom, we like to plant something to mark the occasion.

7| Make a sun weaving – these make perfect garden decorations or you could bring them inside to brighten up your home. It’s a fun activity that kids of all ages can get involved with.

8| Read a book – two of my favourite summer solstice books to share with my kids are The Longest Day: Celebrating the Summer Solstice and The Summer Solstice – they are ones I pull out year after year.

9| Have a bonfire – A bonfire is a perfect way to celebrate the solstice. Dance, bang some drums, sing, play some music. If you don’t have space for a bonfire, you could have a small fire in a fire pit or even just use a BBQ!

10| Make a summer nature table – our ‘nature table’ is the mantlepiece in our playroom, the kids love adding to it through the year with seasonal finds on our walks. The Solstice is a great day to clear off the old and make a summer display.

Do you celebrate the summer solstice as a family? I’d love to know what you do to celebrate!

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