From magical dragon eggs to a no-sew mask, we’ve rounded up fun projects to make your little ones roar

They soar through your little adventurer’s imagination breathing fire, challenging knights of the realm, and guarding magical eggs against would-be thieves. In short, dragons are epic. And your half-pint can’t get enough of them. Indulge their fiery dreams with one of our favorite dragon crafts. And, since 2024 is the Year of the Dragon according to the lunar calendar, even more reason to break out the supplies and get crafty just in time for the Lunar New Year.

Geometric Shapes Dragon

This is the perfect dragon craft for preschoolers. You can cut out the shapes in advance and use other fun things to make each one unique.

Dazzling Dragon Egg

a cool dragon egg craft
Quite Frankly She Said

After you decorate dazzling dragon’s eggs, pretend to be Harry Potter whisking it out from under the Hungarian Horntail’s nose, while your Gryffindor team cheers you on. Get the details from Quite Frankly She Said.

Chinese Dragon Craft

a picture of a dragon craft
No Time for Flashcards

Bet you can’t guess what gives this Chinese dragon craft its scaly design. Find out at No Time for Flashcards, where easy step-by-step instructions walk you through this serpentine creation.

No-Sew Dragon Mask

no-sew dragon craft mask for kids
Lia Griffith

Cut and paste this adorable no-sew dragon mask that’ll transform your mini spitfire into one fierce fire-breather. Get the details from Lia Griffith.

Paper Plate Flying Dragons

a picture of a paper plate dragon craft
Pink Stripey Socks

Take to the skies when you engineer flying dragons. To complete this simple project, you need paper plates, paints or markers, and the downloadable template designed by Pink Stripey Socks. Print, cut, color, play!

Dragon's Eyes

a picture of painted dragon eyes
Allison Sutcliffe

Paint gleaming dragon’s eyes with this painless craft. We love the big payout this quick, arty activity has for tiny dragon lovers. To make your own, check out the how-to video from Our Peaceful Planet.

Related: 12 Easy Lunar New Year Projects for Kids

Toilet Paper Roll Dragon

Create a fire-breathing dragon with leftover toilet paper rolls. One Little Project spells out the need-to-know info to make this manually activated, monstrously fun craft.

Letter D Craft

No Time for Flashcards

Educate your preschoolers with this Dragon D craft. Designed by Allison at No Time for Flashcards, it’s as simple as A-B-C-D to make!

Dragon Hand Puppets

a picture of a cute dragon hand puppet
Ruffles and Rainboots

Colored construction paper is the main ingredient for this delightfully easy-to-put-together dragon hand puppet, designed by Sarah at Ruffles and Rainboots. We love these playful guys!

Origami Dragon Craft

This Origami dragon craft is easier than it looks! Check out this easy tutorial to get started.

Fire-Breathing Dragon Craft

Why not pair a reading session with your afternoon crafting time? Think Dragons Love Tacos, The Paper Bag Princess, or Don’t Wake the Dragon.

Fall Back can send your baby’s sleep schedule into a free fall, but these tips will help you weather the storm

Looking on the bright side is a smart way to weather the wild ride of infancy. This applies to everything from blowouts (a chance to wear another outfit before baby outgrows it!) to the arrival of Daylight Saving Time, also known as National Mess-with-Your-Baby’s-Sleep-Schedule Time.

In the case of fall back (this Sunday, November 5), you have an hour less of sunlight at the end of each day, so it’s a bit harder to find the bright side. But parents know it takes some effort to see the bi-annual shuffle in a good light. With these parent-tested tips for helping baby adjust to Daylight Saving time, your child’s bedtime routine—and your sanity—can be saved.

Start Early

The best way to keep Daylight Saving Time from throwing your baby’s routine out of whack is by preparing for the change well before it hits. Successful approaches vary, but most experts suggest shifting baby’s bedtime by 15 minutes every day or two in the week or so leading up to the seasonal shift. So, if baby typically goes down around 7:30 p.m., shift bedtime forward in quarter-hour increments until you reach the “new” bedtime of 8:30, which, with the time change, will actually still be 7:30 p.m.—your child’s original bedtime.

To really make this work, you’ll want to adjust all of the day’s activities, including naps, meals, and morning wake times. “With fall back, the biggest setback tends to be early mornings,” says Amanda Jewson, sleep consultant and founder of Baby’s Best Sleep. “If your baby wakes at 5 a.m., try to delay feeds and light exposure to help train the body to wake at a later time.”

Use Light and Darkness

Light exposure has a direct influence on the body’s circadian rhythm (internal biological clock). Less light signals our body to become sleepy, while more light stimulates us to feel awake. If you’re pushing back baby’s bedtime, expose them to more natural light in the afternoon to help them stay away a bit longer. As their new bedtime hour approaches, it may already be dark outside which works to your advantage. If it’s not, close your blackout blinds (or, pro tip: attach double-sided adhesive Velcro tabs to your wall and to the back of your curtains, then press to seal the edges) to ensure that the room is pitch black when you put your baby down. In the morning, when the time is appropriate to start your day, Jewson says to throw open you blinds so baby’s body starts getting used to their new wake time.

Give It Time

Here’s the hard truth: Some babies are particularly sensitive to changes in their sleep schedule, and it can take two to four weeks for changes to really settle in, according to Jewson. So if your little one fails to get with the program at first, even after trying the above steps, hang in there. Within a week or two, their sleep schedule should catch up.

Roll with It

In the meantime, if you have a wee one who isn’t cooperating despite your best efforts, try to look on that bright side. If your babe used to go down at 7 p.m. but has temporarily shifted to 6 p.m., that probably means you can go to bed an hour earlier, too! Yes, you’ll probably be waking up an hour earlier in the morning, but think of it as a week of extra morning playtime and snuggles with your little one. “A go-with-the-flow attitude can help tremendously here,” stresses Jewson. After all, this won’t last forever. As they say, the hours surrounding DST may seem long, but the years really are short.

We were late again.

The daily morning chaos had unfurled in all its glory: Oldest Child was refusing to eat breakfast (this time because of a newly erupted canker sore); Middle Child was lackadaisically searching the house for his shoes, which would inevitably be found a full five minutes later right by the door. Youngest Child, always barefoot, was insisting we find her Aurora doll before we leave.

And there I was, just willing them to hurry up, like usual. Standing against the doorway holding three backpacks, three winter coats, and a pair of toddler boots, I waited.

“We’re going to be late!” I called.

“Come on!” I yelled.

“Let’s go!” I insisted.

Eventually, the three of them ambled downstairs and shuffled out the door, the two older boys bickering with each other about something I didn’t have the patience to decipher. And when Middle Child whimpered something about being late, I shrugged my shoulders and said, “It is what it is. Next time we’ll do it differently.”

And we will. Because as of that moment, I decided that I’m done rushing my kids around.

At least, I’m going to try. Because what good does it do? Sure, in this instance, we might have made it to school on time. But isn’t it better to just accept that we’re late and face the inevitable consequences (in this case, a tardy slip and an embarrassing solo walk into the classroom)? Isn’t the best solution to figure out a way to get them out the door earlier? To leave room for dawdling because, well, that’s just what kids do?

Experts agree. In this Psychology Today article by Dr. Laura Markham, author of Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids, she says that rushing our children “interrupts their developmental work of exploring the world, so they lose their curiosity.” She also says that hurrying kids from one place to another can “habituate them to busyness.”

In other words, they’ll be bored with life at a regular pace. Furthermore, rushing them can also cause anxiety. They’re human after all, and always feeling like you’re going to be late is stressful for anyone, big or little.

Kids don’t rush. They probably don’t get why we grownups always do. For a kid, walking to school is a time to explore (even if you’re late). Leaving the playground is still, after all, time at a playground (even if Mom is ready to go). Getting in and out of the car is a time to dawdle (even if it makes Mom crazy). Simply: life is for living.

It’s us grownups who have it wrong.

Last week my three-year-old threw a tantrum because I wouldn’t let her stop and visit our next-door neighbor when we pulled into our driveway at the end of the day. And yesterday she wanted me to chase a woman halfway down our block because she wanted to pet her doggie. I said no both times because I just wanted to go inside and put everything down (the backpacks, half-eaten snacks, and trash that I’m always fishing out of the car at the end of the day). Meanwhile, if we had done it her way, we would have strengthened our friendships with the neighbors and maybe made a new friend.

Today, I tried it differently. On the last few blocks of our way to school, I let my daughter get out of the stroller. It sounds like it shouldn’t be a big deal, but we’ve got a mile-long walk to school—if she walked it, we’d have to leave at sunrise.

At first, she held my hand, and we walked together. This is nice, I thought. I can do this. Then, she broke free. She leaped onto the grass. She hopped atop a low garden wall and walked, balance-beam-st‌yle, the whole length of it, her arms stretched out like a poised gymnast. She stopped to pick flowers, handing me one and saying, “Mommy, will you marry me?” (because she thinks that’s what people do when they get married). In short, she did what kids are supposed to do, which is to simply delight in the world.

And even amid the adorableness of it all, even while I knew that this was the right way to mother her, I felt my bubbling impatience, my desire to hurry. But I held it in. I tried to be there with her because she deserved to enjoy every inch of that walk. Every moment.

This isn’t all to say it’s okay to let our kids be irresponsible or that it’s okay to be late to school. But we parents need to give them more time to get there. More time to find their shoes, pick flowers, tie their own laces, or zip their own jackets so we don’t get frustrated and take those learning experiences from them.

“Rushing costs us,” Markham says on her blog. “It stresses us out, so we enjoy our children less. It makes us less patient, so it’s hard to feel good about our parenting.” So how do we do it? Here are six things I’m going to try:

Leave more time for transitions

Leave for school or activities at least 15 minutes early to give kids the ability to take their time.

Make park dates longer

Try to make your playground visits last. If we only block out a half-hour for a playground visit, our kids will probably be resistant to leave (and we’ll end up frustrated). Stay longer, so kids are ready to go when it’s time.

Shift the evening schedule earlier

This one is going to be hard for us because our evenings with three little ones are pure chaos. But I figure if we have dinner at 5 p.m., we can get our kids to bed by 6:30 or 7 p.m., which will give them an hour or two to read or play in their rooms before lights out (and before I totally lose it).

Find time for quiet

Teach kids the value of slowing down by planning time for quiet moments. Go watch the sunset. Color in silence. Lay on the grass and look at the clouds. Sometimes, it’s those silent moments that speak the loudest.

Take leisurely walks

You’d be surprised how much fun kids can have just walking around the block. Let them explore. Let them linger. Smell flowers. Play in the leaves. Let them enjoy the world around them and try to suppress any desire to say, “Come on” or “We have to go.” See how long it takes them to move on naturally.

Be in the moment with them

In those moments when it’s hard to wait, try to stop and see what your children are seeing. Try to find the fun where they find it. Maybe—if we’re lucky—we can learn a little something.

Melissa Heckscher is a writer and mother of three living in Los Angeles. She is a former staff writer for the Los Angeles Newspaper Group and the author of several books, including,The Pregnancy Test: 150 Important, Embarrassing, and Slightly Neurotic Questions (Quirk Books, 2011). 

Pack your hiking boots, your swim trunks, and the s’mores—these cozy cabins just outside Dallas are calling your name

If you are desperate for a change of scenery, we’ve got just the spots for you. These Airbnb rentals near Dallas are the perfect cozy cabins you’ve been dreaming of. You’ll find tons of family-friendly amenities in these Airbnb rentals for families that include a log cabin, a totally cute A-frame, and even a cabin with a pool! Get ready to relax in the great outdoors!

Granbury, TX: A-Frame Cabin

Airbnb

This peaceful A-Frame cabin is updated with all the modern amenities and is located just minutes from Historic Granbury Square. Situated on three wooded lots, there is a wood-burning stove inside, an outdoor fire pit to roast marshmallows, and a window AC unit for humid nights. Make it a lake day on a boat, kayak, jet ski, or paddleboard on Lake Granbury, or go boating on the gorgeous banks of the Brazos River.

Sleeps: 6
Cost: $112/night
Online: airbnb.com

Grafod, TX: Cross TImbers Lakefront Cabin

Airbnb

Enjoy a relaxing vacation at this waterfront home nestled in the Cross Timbers forest with beautiful panoramic lake views and a partially covered swim dock right on the water. For the adventuring sort, this home comes with kayaks and is easily accessible to nearby hiking and bike trails. 

Sleeps: 4
Cost: $209/night
Online: airbnb.com

Chico, TX: Waterfront Lake Bridgeport Haven

Airbnb

Located on Lake Bridgeport, this spacious 4-bedroom, 2-bathroom home in Chico overlooks the lake and offers an abundance of amenities like a private dock and boat slip, a fire pit for roasting s'mores, and is within walking distance of a must-eat smokehouse for those nights you want to take a break from the grill. 

Sleeps: 13
Cost: $331/night
Online: airbnb.com

Graham, TX: Shores Ranch Getaway Cabin

Airbnb

This cozy little cabin, just 15 miles west of Graham, TX, is a great spot to watch the beautiful sunsets from the front porch while rocking in a rocking chair. Best part? Lake Graham is just a few minutes away where you can fish and boat all day long.

Sleeps: 4
Cost: $75/night
Online: airbnb.com

Nevada, TX: Lake Lavon Secluded Cabin

Airbnb

This lakefront cabin will quickly become your family's favorite vacation spot. Start your morning with a cup of coffee on the back deck overlooking Lake Lavon and then spend the day kayaking and paddle boarding (rental fee is extra) and then finish off the nights at the fire pit.

Sleeps: 6
Cost: $202/night
Online: airbnb.com

Lake Cypress Springs: Spacious Mid-Century A-Frame

Airbnb

The whole crew will love relaxing at this large log cabin just feet away from Lake Cypress Springs. There's a sandy beach, kayaks to use on-site, and a boat slip for your watercraft. Feeling adventurous? There are hiking trails, a peach orchard, a winery, and two towns—Mt. Vernon and Winnsboro—nearby for boutique shopping and great restaurants. 

Sleeps: 4
Cost: $179/night
Online: airbnb.com

Ennis, TX: Winding Ridge Guest House

Airbnb

Winding Ridge is a two-bedroom early 1900‘s replica guest house located on 22 acres of charming Texas Hill Country. Kids will love stepping outside to play with the miniature herd of horses, donkeys, and goats—your own private petting zoo! Bring your own bicycles or use the two guest bikes to roam the winding countryside. There's a jacuzzi, fire pit, a shared pool, and central AC to keep you cool on those hot summer nights. 

Sleeps: 6
Cost: $279/night
Online: airbnb.com

Please note, prices listed were valid at the time of publication but rates can fluctuate at different times of the year. If you buy something from the links in this article, we may earn affiliate commission or compensation.

No need to get wet: being just near a blue space is great for your health

If you needed an excuse to hit the coast year then you’ll be happy to learn that going to the beach changes your brain, according to science. Actually, being near any body of water (think: lake, river or the sea) brings many health benefits for your mind and body in what scientists call “blue space.”

In fact, a new study from the Journal of Environmental Psychology reveals that exposure to blue space as a child has a major impact on a person’s mental health and will encourage them to maintain a healthy relationship with nature into adulthood.

“Building familiarity with and confidence in and around blue spaces in childhood may stimulate a joy of, and greater propensity to spend recreational time in, nature in adulthood, with positive consequences for adult subjective well-being,” says the study.

Related: 30 Things You Can Do at the Beach (Besides Build a Sandcastle)

Devon Daniel/Unsplash

The study involved 18 countries and examined the relationship between adult well being and a person’s exposure to blue space as a child. Respondents shared their experiences with blue space during childhood, including how frequently they visited it and how comfortable their parents were allowing them to be in and near water. In a nutshell: the more blue space exposure as a child equalled a better adult well being.

“Adults also had familiarity with and confidence around coasts, rivers, and lakes, as well as higher levels of joy around bodies of water and a greater propensity to spend recreational time in nature during adulthood, says WebMD. “In turn, this lifted their mood and wellbeing.”

The impact that bodies of water have on our well-being are numerous: reduced depression, increased levels of creativity, and the ability to naturally de-stress are just a few. Now you know why spending time soaking up the waves and summer sun makes you feel so amazing!

Here’s how it works. Scientists say that being near water and listening to the waves can bring you to a more meditative state and lead to reduced depression. The undulating waves are relaxing, acting as a de-stimulator and can help bring more mental clarity as well.

While your mind is in a relaxed state, you are more likely to be more creative as your brain rests. The blue state helps take you away from the everyday stressors of life and you are free to let your imagination roam. The Global Healing Center recommends literally surrounding yourself with the color blue to bring about a sense of calm and inspire creativity.

Related: 9 Ways You Can Support Your Child’s Mental Health Right Now

Andie Huber
Tinybeans

Scientists also say that a swim in the ocean can de-stress you, stat. Not only can the water feel refreshing, but the naturally occurring negative ions are also said to help counteract the positive ions we come into contact with on a day to day basis, leaving us in a more peaceful and relaxed state.

Just stepping foot onto the sandy shores of the beach does a body good. Researchers say that the simple act of touching sun-warmed sand brings almost immediate comfort––unless you’re not a sand person.

Finally, standing in front of a huge body of water can give you a fresh perspective on life. That sense of awe you feel being next to something so huge in life can really minimize the things you stress on from day to day.

The next time you’re feeling dragged down by life, why not hit up your closest beach? Indulge in the blue space––your mind and body will thank you.

 

“Please don’t jump on the couch.”

“I told you not to jump on the couch.”

“STOP JUMPING ON THE COUCH! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU?!”

We set limits, and our children test them.

Conventional parenting advice says that it’s a children’s job to test our limits and that they’ll do this to find out how we’ll react. They want to find holes in our patience or our logic, and to check that we’re going to hold our limit. They are trying to establish a hierarchy of power in the relationship, and gain control of the situation.

And they are. If we view our relationship with our child as a zero-sum game, one person’s win has to be balanced by another person’s loss.  And if we aren’t the winner, then the alternative—that our child might have the upper hand—is too difficult to even imagine.

And if our goal is to make sure your children don’t get the upper hand, then we’ll always be in this struggle to make sure we’re on top.

We Feel Like We Need Control

At the root of these struggles is what feels like a need for control. And I say “feels like,” because any illusion that we have control over anything in our lives is exactly that: an illusion.

We feel like we control our schedules, our children’s activities, our finances. But if we think about it, actually very little of those things are under our control.  (Don’t think about it too long—it can be scary!)

Society tells us that it’s our job to be in control—we learned this from our parents (as well as school), and now we’re teaching it to our children by setting limits on their behavior.

But what if it didn’t have to be like this? What if we could not be in an antagonistic relationship with our children and also not have them constantly test us?

Most parents assume that the solution to children not listening (or deliberately ignoring) limits is, you guessed it, more limits. And stronger enforcement of limits. That when our children listen to us, we might be able to back off a little. Maybe.

The Solution Is Fewer Limits

Yes, I know it seems counterintuitive. If our children aren’t listening to us now, how could setting fewer limits possibly be the answer?

Because setting limits sets the tone of our relationship. And if our relationship is based on power, antagonism, and control, then our children will always try to get the upper hand. How could they not? They are learning from us that someone needs to have it, and the person who doesn’t have it gets walked all over, so they’d better at least give it a shot.

But if we set fewer limits, we set an entirely different tone.

A collaborative tone. A communicative tone. A tone that says: “Our relationship is the most important thing to me.”

So how do we set fewer limits without letting our kids walk all over us?

The key is to set limits that are grounded in your values. When you do this, your child hears in your voice that you’re serious. (You’ve noticed this before, right? When you say something that you believe in, and your child doesn’t protest?)

So you set limits on issues that are important to you—and the rest of them—you let go.

It’s not easy.

It’s a huge mindset shift, so I run a free workshop to help parents do it.

The strangest part about it all is that it doesn’t require us to get our children to do anything. We aren’t trying to change their behavior. We aren’t trying to control them, or win a battle over them. We’re finding a new way to be in a relationship with them that’s so much more peaceful and joyful and just plain fun!

And also, it’s easier than the other way. Because everyone could use some more easy in their life right now.

 

Feature photo: Pixel-Shot via Shutterstock

Jen Lumanlan fills the gaps in her parenting intuition through research, via a Master’s in Psychology (Child Development) and another in Education.  Her podcast, Your Parenting Mojo, provides rigorous yet accessible information on parenting and child development to help parents tame the overwhelm and raise resilient, thriving children.

The year’s almost over—what was your favorite part? Have your kids ask themselves that question and others with this easy DIY time capsule. Of course, while building a time capsule makes a fun New Year’s Eve craft project, it can be done any time of year. Give your kids the gift of nostalgia! Read on for the simple instructions.

time-capsule-supplies

What you’ll need:

Two 16 oz plastic soda bottles
Box cutter or craft knife (XActo knife)
Scissors
Labels
Clear packing tape
Paper, pens, paint, ticket stubs, knickknacks, etc. to help fill your time capsule with memories

cutting-time-capsule

Step One: Cut your “capsule”
Remove the labels from two clear plastic soda bottles. Then, using a box cutter or X-ACTO knife, (parents!) cut the bottles where the flat side meets the sloped top as shown.

bottle-notches-time-capsule

Step Two: Cut notches in one of the bottles
Use scissors to cut four notches in the rim of ONE of the bottles. This will make it easier to squeeze one bottle into into the other to make the capsule shape.

activities-for-time-capsule

Step Three: Now, freeze time!
Now that the capsule is prepped, it’s time to find ways to fill it. Talk to your kids about their favorite moments from the year — then see if you can find small items or photos to represent those moments. Some recommendations: Have your little memory-makers put their handprints on paper; it’s a fun way for them to see how they (and their hands) grow from year to year. Also: A simple questionnaire is a must for recording your kids’ current faves. Not sure what questions to ask? Try this easy printable from Uncommon Designs Online.

You could also have your kids write a letter to their future selves, give advice to their future selves, or make a hypothesis as to what their future selves will be doing in exactly one year (or whenever you’ve decided to open your time capsule). Have fun with it!
.

stuff-for-time-capsule

Step Four: Gather all your materials
Make sure you’ll have enough space to fit all your year-end goodies into your capsule. Our capsule included: Handprints of all three kids; a 2016 questionnaire; four pages of thumbnail-sized photos of our year; some Pokemon cards and figures; and two self portraits.

rolled-up-time-capsule

Step Five: Pack it up!
Roll up your papers and photos and slide it into one end of the capsule. Insert any small items in the middle. Then, close the capsule by sliding the two bottles together (the notched side should squeeze right into the other side). Seal your capsule with clear packing tape.

time-capsule

Step Six: Label and decorate
Label your time capsule with the year and the appropriate instructions as to when the capsule can be opened.

time-capsule-on-shelf
Step Seven: Hide (or bury) it somewhere until next year
Want to bury your time capsule? Go for it! As long as your capsule is completely sealed, it should last underground for a year or two without a problem. Not up for digging, or don’t have the proper yard for burying? Place your time capsule high on a shelf or drawer, out of reach of prying hands. Open it next year… in five years… whenever you’re ready for some instant nostalgia.

Happy New Year!

— All copy and photos by Melissa Heckscher

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How to Make a Vision Board for 2022 with the Kids

My Family Gave Up on New Year’s Resolutions. Here’s Why Yours Should, Too

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*This post was inspired by a similar Time Capsule project at Our Peaceful Planet

For a plethora of reasons, kids need all the sleep they can get. But trying to get your littles to find the R&R they need can be a challenge for parents.

In a new study by Stanford Medicine, researchers found a simple and effective way that children can snag an extra hour of sleep. Published in The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, the study found that at-risk children who participated in meditation gained more than an hour of sleep per night!

photo: iStock

So what did the meditation entail? Within the curriculum, more than 100 third and fifth-graders were trained to bring their attention to the present, practice yoga-based movements and learn exercise for deep breathing.

The coursework was taught twice a week for two years in elementary and middle schools within the study. Interestingly enough, despite the instructors not providing techniques to help sleep specifically, children within the study gained an average of 74 minutes of sleep per night.

While the results demonstrated a vast amount of data surrounding the topics of stress, meditation and sleep, the main takeaway is that the art of meditation can go a long way when it comes to preparing for bedtime. Not sure where to start? Check out this easy way to calm down before bedtime and these easy meditations for kids to get on your way to a peaceful bout of slumber.

To read all the important takeaways, you can read the entire study here.

––Karly Wood

 

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Want Your Kid to Eat Healthier? There’s a Research-Backed Hack For That

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It’s been a year and then some, and you have very likely spent most of that time at home, probably hunched over a computer—yours or your kids. This is why for Mother’s Day, something that goes a little beyond the typical bouquet of flowers is in order. You know who agrees? Mindy Kaling! She put together this “Mindful Retreats by Mindy Kaling” wishlist. Scroll down to learn more of her favorite stays and experiences on Airbnb (including one our editor tried out.)

Airbnb

Kaling's picks are all about peace, tranquility, and the great outdoors. Whether traveling with kids in tow or solo, Mindy’s wishlist of mindful stays and experiences are immersed in nature, from a peaceful treehouse with an ocean view in Aptos, California to a mountain bliss yoga hike in Phoenix, Arizona.

“The best feeling, as a mom, is when I get to travel with my kids and show them something they have never seen before. I’m like this friendly wizard who shows them new places and experiences! I’ve been dreaming of a relaxing vacation with my kids for a while, getting them outdoors somewhere away from the noise and routine of the city,” said Mindy. “Over the last year, I’ve spent some time wanderlusting on Airbnb and planning our next escape, and I’m excited to share my very own wishlist with you all!”

“Mindful Retreats by Mindy Kaling” Wishlist

Airbnb

Stays:

Vineyard Retreat with Spa and Pool (Occidental, California)

Malibu Airstream Eco Retreat Above The Clouds (Malibu, California)

Vereda-Palapa Moringa- Dream with Art in Paradise (Yelapa, Jalisco, Mexico)

Skyhouse Canyon Lake (Canyon Lake, Texas)

La Bastide du Baou « Les Rosiers » (Callian, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France)

Alkira Eco-Glamping Retreat (Emerald, Victoria, Australia)

Invisible House Joshua Tree (Joshua Tree, California)

Huard - Private Spa - Lake - Near Gatineau Ottawa (Val-des-Monts, Québec, Canada)

Peaceful Treehouse with Ocean View (Aptos, California)

Experiences:

Mountain Bliss Yoga Hike (Phoenix, Arizona)

Soak in a hot spring under the stars (Boulder City, Nevada)

Jungle Singing Bowls Healing Meditation (Kecamatan Tegallalang, Indonesia)

Aerial Yoga on the Beach (Rincon, Puerto Rico)

Meditative Mountain Hike (Seattle, Washington)

Native Spirit Guide (Sedona, Arizona)

Editor's picks:

Privacy, Stunning Sunsets on a Lake (Loon Lake, Minnesota)

Back to Eden Farm & Animal Experience (Gilroy, CA)

Click here for other wishlist-worthy stays and experiences in the greatest outdoors. If you’re not able to celebrate Mother’s Day in person, here are Online Experiences to gift or take together, allowing you to connect and explore the world with others virtually.

Happy trails!

—Amber Guetebier

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