Summer. The season of endless sunny days (if we’re lucky), requests for ice lollies and umpteen bottles of sunscreen. 

For the first few days of the holidays, parents desperately try to settle the kids into their new summer routine and avoid the dreaded chorus of “I’m bored.” 

Having no school for weeks on end does sound great on paper, but in reality, it’s almost a full-time job trying to come up with ideas to keep the family entertained. A lack of routine and structure during school holidays can be disruptive, and it’s important to focus on being mindful during the summer months. 

At Mind Marvels, we aim to give children calming tools and practical strategies to understand and regulate their own emotions through our sessions. But how do we promote self-regulation of emotions? It doesn’t need to be complicated – by making it fun, they will learn organically!

These are some mindful (and fun) summer activities that will help kids understand their feelings and pay attention to the overall wellbeing of their bodies and minds. 

Using our senses to fully engage with a familiar outdoor space opens up the world around us! 

Outdoor Mindful Activities 

Go on a safari in the garden (or green space)

Garden safaris are all about curiosity, observation, and connecting with nature. Spend time observing the wildlife around you. 

• Look for birds, insects, and small mammals. You might spot butterflies, bees, or even a hedgehog!
• Lift up rocks, logs, or fallen leaves to discover hidden creatures like beetles, worms, and spiders.
• Investigate ponds or water features for tadpoles, dragonfly larvae, and aquatic plants.
• Finally, identify different plant species in your garden. Notice their leaves, flowers, and growth patterns.

Enjoy your adventure!

Look up! (cloud watching)

All you need for this is a blanket… Once the blanket is down on the ground, lie back and stare at the clouds in the sky. 

• What do you see initially? People? Animals? Magical creatures?
• Spend a longer time looking at the clouds and watch how they gently move and change shape.
• Ask yourself – how has the cloud changed?
• Can you make a story from all the different shapes in the sky? 

This is an excellent thought exercise. It reminds us that our thoughts are a bit like clouds—passing through our minds. 

Mindful walking

This activity is perfect for exploring your local neighbourhood. Alternatively, you can take it to a woodland or park. 

• Firstly get to your destination and try to get everyone to notice at least 10 things they haven’t noticed or seen before. 
• Start with visual things – the colour of a door, a particularly lovely garden or a beautiful plant.
• Then listen for sounds and look for new smells.
• Ask why haven’t you/I noticed these things before? 

Using our senses to fully engage with a familiar outdoor space opens up the world around us! 

Mindful activities for rainy days (or too hot to go outside days)

Make a calm glitter jar

This might sound simple (it is to make), but why does it keep children mindful? A calm glitter jar is fantastic for sensory needs, dealing with big emotions and stress, combatting boredom, and as a calming timer. 

How to make a calm glitter jar:

• Rinse out a glass jar with hot tap water to prevent cracking.
• Pour glitter glue or clear glue into the jar, about 20% of the jar’s capacity.
• Add warm water to the glue and mix well.
• Add food colouring, glitter, and/or confetti (you can get all kinds of shapes such as hearts etc) 
• Stir well with a few drops of soap or glycerin to swirl the glitter slowly.
• Glue the lid on the jar and shake gently to enjoy.  

Make a mindful scrapbook

For this crafty activity, you can use old photos, old magazines, bits of coloured paper or card, and different materials such as string or ribbon.

• Sort through everything with your kids and talk about the things you have gathered. What memories do these spark? Why did they choose this specific material? 
• Create a collage exploring core memories. If you have seen Inside Out, this idea was popularised in this film! It is essentially five emotional moments said to shape your personality. 
• Or create a scrapbook of creative expression. Use beautiful backgrounds to make your scrapbook and fully immerse yourselves in creating something truly imaginative. 

Mindful scrapbooking is a way to curate memories, thoughts and emotions in a really expressive way! 

Try some progressive muscle relaxation

This is a lovely way to relax the body, and kids can learn the joy of slowing down—especially after a day of running around (this might be perfect to do just before nap time).

• Start by lying down on a yoga mat, sofa, bed or blanket in a quiet space. 
• Close your eyes and focus on tensing and relaxing each muscle group for 2 to 3 seconds.
• Start with your feet and toes, and then move up to your knees, thighs, glutes, chest, arms, hands, neck, jaw, and eyes.
• After tensing the muscles, release the tension and relax the muscles for 20-30 seconds.
• Maintain deep, slow breaths the entire time. 
• Pay attention to how the tension feels and how it changes when you relax.

Try it, and see how it works for you and your kids! 

We hope we’ve given you some great ideas for enjoying the outdoors, like going on garden safaris, watching clouds, or taking mindful walks. And if you’re stuck inside, you can always make calming glitter jars, start a mindful scrapbook, or give progressive muscle relaxation a try!