Contrasting Teaching Tarot to Kids with Adult Learning
I’ve been a Tarot reader for over a decade, and a Tarot teacher for about five years. While I dedicate most of my time to creating educational Tarot content for adults, I always keep in mind that Tarot might be their first encounter with occult subjects. Concepts like “As Above, So Below” or the connection between water and emotions might be unfamiliar. That’s why my work is intentionally basic.
Thanks to summer vacation, spotty Wi-Fi, and energetic nieces and nephews, I am now dabbling in teaching kids Tarot (with the expressed permission from their parents, of course.)
While I don’t plan on launching Tarot classes for children yet, I am in an informal information-gathering phase on the difference between teaching tarot to adults and children.
WHY TEACH KIDS TAROT?
Tarot offers kids a unique way to express themselves using archetypes and symbols. The imagery inspires them to tap into their well of creativity and flex their storytelling muscles. They will learn common symbols that may be useful in English class (for example: white can represent purity, a dog can represent loyalty, castles can represents stability and safety).
Teaching Tarot helps kids learn to trust their intuition.
This isn’t necessarily about developing psychic ability but learning to listen to their own thoughts and emotions. They will learn to differentiate which ideas are their own and which ideas were influenced by friends or family.
Tarot can teach kids about consequences beyond the immediate and concrete.
With kids, there’s a lot of “do this or I will take away something you love.” Because that can be so effective at stopping the immediate bad behavior, some caregivers don’t take the time to explain why the “bad behavior” was bad in the first place.
Something that’s always annoyed me about mainstream religion is that some people claim to avoid bad, if not unlawful, behavior out of fear of going to hell and not because it’s…well, bad, period. I don’t want to murder anyone because it’s not my right to take a life, not because I’m afraid of going to hell. I don’t steal because it will erode trust between me and my community, not because I’m afraid of going to hell. I don’t commit adultery because I made a promise to be faithful and breaking that promise would ruin my character and reputation, not because I’m afraid of going to hell. Etc. Etc. Etc.
Tarot will teach children about the other consequences we live with when we make bad choices— regret, distrust, constantly looking over your shoulder, the legal system, etc.
THE DIFFERENCES
CONCEPTS
Adults have frames of reference that kids don’t. Adults can imagine The Fool as a court jester, but most kids don’t know what a court jester is yet. Adults can imagine The Hermit card as by associating it with an introvert, but some kids will need the concepts of introversion and extroversion explained to them. Tarot will provide a great opportunity to introduce them to larger life concepts.
APPROPIATE IMAGERY — USING A CHILDREN’S TAROT DECK
I am using a tarot deck designed for children because I don’t want to expose kids to imagery that may be inappropriate for their age. The Lover’s Card, for example, features two naked figures. While there’s nothing shameful about the human body, it’s not my place to decide when they should see artistic rendering of it. Not to mention that the drawings will certainly cause them to be distracted by a fit of giggles.
The Devil card can also be too scary, especially for kids raised with certain beliefs that make it difficult for them to see The Devil as a symbol rather than a literal devil from hell.
INTERACTIVE SESSIONS
Speaking of distraction, kids are energetic, but their attention span is fleeting. The sessions have to be exciting and interactive. You have to ask them to repeat after you to make sure they fully understood. Adults tend to have longer attention spans and can handle more in-depth discussions and extended study sessions.
LEARNING STYLE
Kids benefit from hands-on learning, games, storytelling, and visual aids. They enjoy activities like drawing their own Tarot cards or acting out card meanings. Adults, however, can engage more deeply with theoretical and abstract concepts, preferring lectures, readings, and discussions.
ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Even as someone who practices divination, I stress to the children that Tarot is a tool for self-exploration and not a definitive predictor of the future. Unless they are closer to eighteen years old, I do not believe children have the emotional maturity to use Tarot for prediction without becoming distressed when they see a “scary” Tarot card, like The Tower, The Devil, or the Ten of Swords. This is, of course, just my opinion. You know your child best.
I’m having a great time playing part of the cool aunt with the mysterious deck of cards. If you choose to teach kids Tarot, I recommend that you prioritize a having fun time for everyone involved.
If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to my newsletter for more esoteric content, or consider showing your support by buying me a coffee. If you’re a writer, download 300+ writing prompts inspired by the Tarot. If you’re a witch, access my Book of Shadows Notion Template here.
Comments