Celebrate the sunny and warm weather with these mindfulness mats that can be used in many ways ...
Need a fun way to provide an invitation to have some calming mindfulness time for your child or students? These printable Summer themed mindfulness mats are a wonderful invitation to slow down and create!
After the enjoyment that our first set of printable mindfulness mats have had, I decided it was time to make a second set. Read on to find out how we have been using them at home.
*Please note these mindfulness mats and loose parts were used with adult supervision. Small parts are recommended for ages 3+. You know your child best as to whether these suggested ideas are suitable or not.
How we have been using these mindfulness mats at home.
We have been enjoying slow days at home while we are on holidays from school. My girls (Miss 6 and Miss 3) have both been enjoying lots of free play time together, which has been lovely to watch.
Sometimes they have enjoyed/needed an invitation to play and create and so I created these Summer themed mindfulness mats for them to use in a range of ways. They are great for slowing down and having some calming time.
We put on some calming music and the girls choose how/when they engage. They both choose which mindfulness mats they would like from the printable pages.
Miss 6 really enjoys painting with water colour paints and has loved using the new water colour paint palette that she got for Christmas.
Miss 3 enjoys loose parts play and playdough, which is how she has been using these mindfulness mats.
Why mindful play mats?
These printable pages allow for some quiet time to just be and focus on the present moment, whether it be painting or playing with some loose parts. Some quiet mindfulness time to find flow in creating and playing is very beneficial for wellbeing, as it allows time to slow down and be present (for children and adults too!).
These printable play mats can be used in a range of ways depending on the child's interests. They can be used for some quiet time alone, or with others to enjoy some time creating and being together.
Some ways to use these Summer themed mindfulness mats:
Paint with watercolour paints
Water colour paints are great as they are less messy than normal paint. This water colour paint palette is called Djeco Gouache paint set. I bought it from The Creative Toy Shop.
Use with loose parts
We love loose parts play. Here the girls had a selection of Grapat mandala pieces, glass gemstones, Bauspiel lucite cubes, acrylic gemstones and wooden heart beads (from Kmart).
The wave page works well for tracing with loose parts.
The ice-cream page has been a favourite so far with both girls and works really well with loose parts or for colouring/paint.
Miss 3 enjoyed decorating the icy-pole page with lucite cubes.
Other ideas:
For older children colour with crayons, pencils, textas as part of some mindfulness colouring time.
Put some on some peaceful music while your child is using these to create a calming environment. We like instrumental or other calming music on Spotify.
Collage - provide a range of materials and glue to explore and use to decorate the pages.
Take a page outside and put out a picnic rug or use a small table. Enjoy the fresh air and sunshine while you create.
Take some time out to enjoy some mindfulness time with your child and join in too.
Enlarge the designs to A3 size for a larger surface to work on.
Use the printable mats with a range of loose parts from nature e.g. flower petals, leaves, pebbles, shells etc.
Use with playdough - place in a reusable sleeve for a more sustainable option or laminate.
Use with stamps or dot markers.
Use on the light panel with loose parts to fill e.g. glass gemstones, coloured magnetic chips, acrylic gemstones etc.
There are many possibilities and I am sure that you can think of many more not listed here.
These Summer mindfulness pages have 29 different printable pages including: waves, shells, sandcastles, an ice-cream cone, icy-pole, sun, sunhat, beach umbrella, sunflowers, pebble stack, jelly fish, picnic basket, watermelon, pineapple, beach towel, starfish, sunglasses, beach ball and seahorse.
(The updated version of the Summer mindfulness mats (January 2024) now includes some mindful prompts & updated images)
How do I get my copy of the
Summer themed mindfulness mats?
These Summer mindfulness mats are a free printable for email list subscribers.
You download these by heading to the main menu and selecting the VIP Free Playful Library tab and entering the password sent in your welcome email/blog update emails.
Not a subscriber yet?
Sign up on the bottom of this page to print and play straight away! You will also get access to all other VIP printable resources already in the playful library. I am adding more resources to the library over time.
Thank you for reading this post!
I hope you have found some inspiration for inviting some mindfulness time with your child/children.
Remember it doesn't need to be complicated. You can just invite your child to draw or play with some playdough for some calming time. Follow their interests to find what works best for them and you may even enjoy some time together!
We enjoy getting out art materials and drawing or painting with watercolours together for some mindfulness time.
If you would like more mindfulness mats - you can see the first set here: Mindfulness Mats for Kids.
Until next time, have fun learning in a playful way!
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