Summer Solstice for Toddlers
For people in the northern hemisphere the Summer Solstice falls around June 21st (for my lovely southern hemisphere readers, check out our Winter Activities). The june solstice marks the longest day of the year, so the day with most daylight. This is when the earth’s maximum axial tilt towards the sun is 23° 26?! It is a wonderful time to start on some Summer Crafts for Preschoolers, but we have some more “specific” Summer Solstice Activities for you here today!
What does Solstice mean? When is the Summer Solstice 2024?
Solstice comes from the word Sol, which is latin for sun and sistere, which is latin for “to stand still”. We have the Summer Solstice – the longest day of the year on June (usually around the 21st) and the Winter Solstice, the shortest day in the year in December (also usually around the 21st of the month).
In 2024 the Summer Solstice is on 20th June 2024 and the Winter Solstice is on the 21st December 2024.
So let’s take a look at these craft and activities to try out during your own Solstice Celebration!
Summer Solstice Activities for Families with Toddlers and Preschoolers
Summer Solstice activities and crafts are generally all about nature, spending time outdoors and of course the sun itself. Think of it as the beginning of summer and all the fun summer activities you can do! Here are some of our favourite that really focusses on the Sun and Nature!
Make a Sundial
Making a sundial is super simple as Science Sparks shows us. The key is a surface that doesn’t move, a stick and then.. you will need to callibrate your own sundial. But I will let Science Sparks explain that to you! It easy and fun and a great way to observe the sun’s movements throughout the day!
Make Shadow Art
There are two really fun ways you can created shadow art with kids.. check out Rhytms of Play’s idea of tracing your own shadows and coloring it in with chalk paints.
Shadow Art with Toys
Or make shadow art of your toys as Kids’ Activity Blog has done here. Such a fun way to practice your pencil skills and tracing skills!
Sun Weaving – Sun inspired God’s Eye
Get weaving and make a classic God’s Eye weaving project in sunny colours – use warm yellows, oranges and reds. Combine with nature finds to make this a lovely nature inspired sun craft!
Make your own Sun Paper Crown
We love making paper crowns or paper headbands for all occassions.. and the summer solstice is another great time to make your very own Sunshine Crowns. Comes with hand printable suns! So cute!
Make a Flower Crown
Making flower crowns are a classic mid summer activity – especially if you come from a Scandinavian country like Sweden. Here are different ways you can have fun making flower crowns with preschoolers. The classic flower crown (only flowers needed) or use some sticky tape to make lovely flower crowns using fallen flowers or small “weeds”.
Make Sun Prints
You can buy special sun print paper.. but did you know you can make sun prints with acrylic paints too? Why not give this a go, as per Craftiments instructions?
Go on a Nature Color Hunt – Photograph the Rainbow
Spend time outdoors! One year, we went on a lovely little walk round the neighbourhood and made it our aim to find all the colours of the rainbow! As you can see from the flowers in our photo rainbow hunt collection, we took these around May… so not quite summer soltice.. but there are still plenty of colours to explore in June! And you don’t have to stick to just plants and nature.. see what you can find?
Photo by Vitolda Klein on Unsplash
Have a picnic
Of course you can simply have a lovely picnic and spend more time outdoors that way! We have some great Picnic Games you can play whilst out and about.
Talk about the Seasons
Talking about the seasons and how they all differ is always a lovely activity to revisit throughout the year. And as we head into midsummer, it is time to revisit the summer season – full of lush greens, butterflies and the beginning of summer flowers such as sunflowers. We have a number of 4 season activities for you to explore!
Make some Sun Suncatchers
Making a sun catcher is fun and easy and looks oh so pretty! You can see a set by both Busy Bee Learning and Rainy Day Mum here. Neither of these have a printable template (at present), so I created one with different size options for you here.
Learn about Sun Temples around the World
There are a number of ancient monments and temples that are dedicated to worshipping the sun. Why not pick one or two of these and learn more:
Sun temples in Europe
- Stonehenge in England (you can even watch a Stonehenge livestream event!)
- Mnajdra Temple in Malta
Sun temples in Africa
- The Temple of Karnak in Luxor
Sun temples in Middle and South America
- The Pyramid of Chichen Itza in Mexico
- Temple of the Sun at Machu Picchu in Peru
Pizza Box Solar Oven Smores
Smores are a staple summer food and with Take Them Outside‘s Solar Oven you can now cook your own using your old pizza boxes. Not only does this make a yummy summer snack and a super fun way to roast marshmallows, it also teaches children some science in the proce
Hope you have enjoyed this collection of Summer Solstice Celebrations! I would LOVE to hear what you end up getting up to! Why not tag me in your photos on Instagram!
In the meantime, here are some more fun themed Summer Crafts for preschoolers:
