Winter Solstice Ideas for Kids

If you are looking for some Winter Solstice Family Activities and Ideas, look no further! This year Winter Solstice will be on the 21st December 2024. And we have some great Winter Solstice Ideas for Kids to share with you today! If you are in the Southern Hemisphere, you may enjoy these Summer Solstice Activities.

Photo by Denys Nevozhai on Unsplash

What is the Winter Solstice

The Winter Solstice is the what is seen as the shortest day of the year (ie the least day light hours). It is when the Earth is tilted the furthest away from the sun. This day usually falls in and around the 21st or 22nd December. Some people also say that the Winter Solstice is the same as Yule. But it depends on your definition of Yule etc. Let’s keep it simple and separate the two out.

In 2024 the Winter Solstice is on the 21st December!

How to Celebrate the Winter Solstice

Both the Winter Solstice and Summer Solstice put a heavy emphasis on NATURE and being close to nature. Whilst in the summer, you can celebrate this with extra time outdoors, in Winter, of course it is great to connect with nature, but then to also come “indoors” and embrace the coziness of the winter days. To fight the darkness of the days but welcome it. So with that in mind, I have some themes to explore with you today!

The 2min Read Version of Winter Solstic Celebrations

If you haven’t got time to explore this WHOLE article and read all the details as well as explore the different links to craft instructions etc.. here is the 2min read version.

Keep your Winter Solstice Celebrations simple:

• Go for a lovely “conscious” walk outside – really LOOK and LISTEN to nature
• Make a lantern of sorts – the most basic is to simply light a candle
• Get snuggly – with books and hot chocolates and read!!

Now to the more detailed exploration of the Winter Solstice!

Photo by Andréas BRUN on Unsplash

Connect With Nature

With being dark and gloomy outdoors… connecting with nature may not feel like the obvious thing to do. But like all seasons, there is beauty to be seen and enjoyed in the winter months too. Take some time out of your day to go out and observe, see, hear and simply enjoy nature. Maybe it is a crisp blue sky day. Maybe it is wet and soggy. Maybe there is snow. Take 5min and go for a walk. Can you see red berries on a the trees. Are any birds out? Maybe you can see a dew heavy spider’s web.

Movement and time outdoors, are always good for the soul. So on this darkest day of the year, take it upon yourself to head outdoors even if it just a short while. If for whatever reason you can’t make it. Maybe take 5 – 10 minutes to look out of your friend. Make a concerted effort to “see” and “notice” things you don’t normally look at closely!

If you find it difficult to “naturally” connect with nature.. why not make it into a nature hunt – see if you can photograph 5 different things that feel “like winter” or see if you can find some nice nature items – e.g. a pine cone or a holly leaf!

Bring Nature Indoors – Decorate or Craft

If you do have the opportunity to head outdoors, why not bring a little nature in. Alternatively, you can maybe have a friend drop some bits and pieces round to you – or maybe even get a florist to deliver some “raw” materials. But bringing nature indoors is always another wonderful way to connect with nature. You can either “get crafty” with your nature bits and piece of decorate your mantle/ kitchen table or coffee table with pinetree cut offs, holly and pinecones! When decorating, take a moment to enjoy the texture and smell of each item and how they all differ!

Top of the nature indoors list, is making simple nature wreaths. We have a simple one that only needs IVY to make – something that grows abundantly in my ally way. This could be a wreath for your door, garden gate, or make a small one and put a church candle in the centre (NOTE: always be careful with live flames).

You can also encourage children to get crafty with their nature finds. We love making Ice Ornaments or Pinecone Crafts (the snowy pinecone owl is particularly cute and easy!

Or maybe you can take you nature finds and turn them into Nature Mandalas – both indoors and outdoors!

Make Lanterns/ Light a Candle/ An evening of Candle Light

Once you have had your time outdoors, embrace the darkness and make yourself nice and cozy indoors. You can do this by lighting some candles and maybe a fire if you have one. Or, if you have children, why not make some simple Lanterns with them?

Here is a range of lovely luminaries, candle holders and lanterns you can make even with preschoolers:

Read Books about Winter Solstice

Now you have your lighting sorted.. why not grab a lovely book and cozy down for a good read! This of course can be ANY book, but if you are reading with younger children, then maybe a Winter Themed book is lovely or you can even look for some Winter Soltice books (affiliate links added for convenience).

Explore some Winter Crafts

Of course Winter Solstics is also “Mid Winter”. So I feel ANYTHING Winter Themed is a wonderful activity for this time of year. I already shared the Ice ornaments above, but how about some bird feeders to help our feather friends in the coming months? Or why not explore some art projects? Love this Bird Cake Recipe too:

Practice Self-Care and Gratitude

Similarly to the snuggling up and reading, now is a good time to practice some self-care as well as gratitude. Practice some envigorating self care (a nice warm bath with a hot cocoa afterwards would be nice!). Or maybe have a pamper evening with the kids, with home made face masks and a pedicure!

Similarly it is also a good time to write down all the things you are thankful for! Always a great way to lift the spirits.

Reflect on the Year and Set Goals

Not unlike the calendar New Year, the Winter Solstice in many ways is the “new start” of the “new year”, as the days slowly become longer again and we look forward to spring. So why not reflect on the year gone by, and write down some ideas for the new year. Keep it simple and “general”. Goals should never be a chore, but more of a guide for the new year! Many people like to pick a theme or a word for the new year – e.g. Thrive or Happy and focus on these!

I hope you have enjoyed this set of Winter Solstice Ideas and Activities and that you and your family dip in and out of the ideas and have a go!

If you want some more ideas to explore, why not look at our Winter Art Projects – we have a Art Projects for Preschoolers and Art Projects for Kids: