A Family Guide for All Weathers!
Mindful activities for kids in summer… sounds lovely in theory, doesn’t it? Long lazy days, no school run, more time together as a family. Bliss!
And then real life kicks in. Routines fall apart, the siblings are squabbling by 9am, the heat makes everyone tetchy, and just when you think you’ve cracked it, a rainy day traps six restless legs indoors.
The change of scenery on holiday is so welcome but it doesn’t magically switch off anxiety for us or our kids. If anything, it can stir it up a little bit more.
The good news is that some of our favourite mindful moments happen in a paddling pool, on a muddy forest walk, or curled up together waiting for the rain to stop. So let’s explore how to weave a bit of mindful calm into your family’s summer, whatever the weather throws at you.
Start With Your Own Practice, Not Theirs
Here’s a truth bomb: “teaching kids mindfulness” doesn’t mean sitting them down and making them do it.
It rarely works that way, especially on holiday (we’ve tried!). The single most effective thing you can do is protect your own meditation practice, even in a lighter, looser, holiday-mode kind of way. Your kids will pick up far more from watching you regulate yourself in a stressful moment than from being told to “just breathe.”
The bonus is that it helps you cope too! The calmer your own nervous system stays, the calmer theirs gets. It really is that simple (even if it doesn’t always feel simple in the moment).
This is exactly why we created our Mindful Parenting course — to help you build a practice you can genuinely keep up during the chaos of the holidays, so mindfulness becomes something you do together as a family rather than another thing on your to-do list.
And if the grandparents are stepping in for childcare while you’re back at work this summer, we have a Mindful Grandparenting tutorial that covers the same ground through their lens, with simple tools to keep things calm on the days they’re in charge.
If you aren’t ready to take the course/tutorial step, enjoy our handy, free download that you can stick on the fridge and guide your family into mindful moments.
My Mindful Summer: Your Simple, Printable Anchor
To make life a bit easier, we’ve put together My Mindful Summer — a free, printable guide you can stick straight on the fridge. It’s full of pick-your-own mindful ideas for sunny days, rainy days, getting grounded, and connecting as a family.
A few tips to get the most out of it, without turning it into yet another job on your list:
- Take turns. Have a look at the options together and let your kids pick which one you’ll do that day.
- Missed a day? Who cares! A mindfulness guide that stresses you out has completely missed the point. Just pick whatever feels right, whenever you fancy it.
- Found a favourite? Do it again! There’s no rule saying you can’t repeat the ones you love, again and again and again.
Turning Everyday Summer Moments Into Peace
You don’t need to carve out separate “meditation time” as summer is already bursting with ready-made moments:
- Use your senses. A shower, a slice of watermelon, the walk to the shops, a dip in the sea — these can all become little pockets of mindfulness.
- Come back to the breath. Holiday stress — the packing, the travel, the sibling squabbles — often shows up as shallow, held breath. So teach a long out-breath (even if they are making lots of noise as they do it!)
- Get outside and get moving. Nature, gentle movement, a bit of imaginative play — it all counts as mindfulness too.
Beating the Heat (No Devices Required)
When it’s boiling and everyone’s a bit fried, mindfulness can double up as your cool-down strategy. Our Sunny Day Calm section in the My Mindful Summer guide was made exactly for this — screen-free ideas using ice, water, shade and a bit of stillness that genuinely help everyone feel cooler and calmer, kids included (and let’s be honest, you too).
Rainy Day, Stuck Indoors?
A washed-out day doesn’t have to mean surrendering to hours of screens (even though, no judgement, some days that’s exactly what happens!). Our Rainy Day Calm section has got you covered with simple, hands-on ideas to keep everyone occupied and settled. It pairs beautifully with our calming meditation playlist inspired by our children’s book — perfect for cushions on the floor, lights dimmed, and everyone just listening together.
Descarga aquíThe Bigger Picture
The truth is that none of this needs to be perfect. Some days the guide gets completely ignored, the colouring turns into a scribbly mess, and everyone ends up in front of the TV anyway — and that’s absolutely fine. This isn’t about a flawless mindfulness routine. It’s about giving your family small, repeatable moments to reset when summer gets a bit much, whichever end of the weather spectrum it throws at you.
Download the My Mindful Summer guide, stick it on the fridge, and dip in whenever it suits you.
And if you fancy a bit more support building this into everyday life — whether you’re the parent juggling it all, or the grandparent stepping in while parents are at work — our Crianza consciente y Mindful Grandparenting courses, along with the children’s book meditation playlist, are there to help the whole family find a little more calm together this summer.
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