Craft a Winter Solstice Night and Day Play Mat

Celebrate the Winter Solstice, the shortest day (and longest night) of the year, with a handmade felt night-and-day play mat that invites storytelling, imaginative play, and meaningful family rituals. This gentle project is perfect for children and grown-ups to create together, and it’s a beautiful way to welcome the returning light.

If you’ve been exploring Winter Solstice Crafts to enrich your seasonal rhythm, this play mat is a lovely place to begin; simple, tactile, and filled with symbolism little hands can understand.

Gather Your Supplies:

These are the tools and materials we used to create our Winter Solstice Play Mat:

• Felt sheets
• Embroidery thread and needle
• Scissors

These soft, sensory-rich materials make this project approachable for crafters of all ages.

Create your Winter Solstice Play Mat:

Step 1: Cut Your Felt Shapes  

Cut your felt sheets into four half-circles. These will pair together into two full circles—one representing day, one representing night. You’ll want: Two white half circles for snowy winter ground One yellow half circle for day (or sunset) One deep blue half circle for night Then cut simple stars and small triangle “sun rays” from light yellow felt. We used five stars and eight triangles, but you can add more if your child loves embellishing.

Step 2: Stitch the Skies 

Sew the felt stars onto the blue night half circle. On the yellow day half circle, stitch your triangle sun rays so they arc along the curved edge. These tiny stitches bring texture and warmth, one of the reasons handmade Winter Solstice crafts feel so special.

Step 3: Add the Snow 

Sew each white half circle to its matching sky piece, as shown below. The contrast of snowy ground against the night and day skies makes a sweet backdrop for storytelling and seasonal play.

Step 4: Join Your Circles 

Place the night circle and day circle back-to-back. Using a simple blanket stitch, sew the edges together. This step creates a reversible play mat children can flip depending on the story they’re telling—sunrise adventures or cozy starlit scenes.

Step 5: 

Your handmade Winter Solstice Play Mat is ready to enjoy! Try pairing it with our Over the Moon Celebration Ring to mark the turning of the year, honor the long-awaited return of the light, or create a centering moment during your seasonal celebrations. This project is a gentle reminder that Winter Solstice crafts don’t need to be elaborate, just meaningful, hands-on invitations into the wonder of the season.

We hope your winter is filled with engaging fun and heaps of family laughter and love, and a few crafternoons spent together. Share your play, crafts, reading, learning or anything magical with us on Instagram @bellalunatoys and use our hashtag #bellalunatoys for a chance to be featured on our feed or stories. Happy crafting!