Tarot and Children

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 19 Sep 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

angela	19 Sep 2002
Hi everyone, I'm just looking for ideas and opinions about using tarot with children. Can young children learn about tarot? What age is too young, if any? What are some ideas for introducing the tarot to children? Does anyone have children and have any ideas or stories to share? Are some decks more suited to children than others? I'm looking forward to hearing your ideas. angela

cricket	19 Sep 2002
HI angela. :) First off, welcome (since I didn't do that earlier). I have a two year old and a three year old, and both of them are interested in tarot already. We found this out by accident. I had just gotten a new deck and was sitting down looking through it, and the older one came up next to me and started telling 'stories' about the cards - hitting the meanings on the head almost every time. The younger one likes to look at the pictures, too, and they both love it when we lay a few random cards out and make a story out of them. Good decks? Anything fairly lighthearted. My kids really like the Universal Waite. They don't like the Whimsical very much for some reason, though. Which is odd. They actually like pretty much any deck that doesn't have harsh colors or images. It all depends on the children themselves what they will or will not like and/or relate to.

Major Tom	19 Sep 2002
The book Tarot Games - 45 Playful Ways to Explore Tarot Cards Together by Cait Johnson & Maura D. Shaw has an entire chapter of Games Especially (But Not Only) for Children. It's a book I highly recommend - not just for people with children - but for anyone wishing to share tarot with their friends. :)

Bella	19 Sep 2002
My daughter is almost 6, and has been "reading" with me for about a year. I bought her the Whimsical Tarot for herself, and she lays out the cards and tells stories with it. If I have one of my decks out at the same time, she likes to compare and contrast cards (i.e., how is this empress different from that one) and make that part of the story. I think decks with simpler artwork, illustrated minors, and no "scary" cards are more interesting for kids. For example, my daughter thinks my Haindl deck is ugly , Robin Wood is nice, and Phantasmagorical is funny.

Rhiannon	19 Sep 2002
My daughter really wants her own deck as well. She's 8. I thought about getting her the Whimsical for her birthday but decided to wait until Christmas. Although I would be thrilled with a deck for MY birthday... she really wanted a Bratz doll. LOL R :)

Kiama	19 Sep 2002
I don't have kids yet, but have two sisters who are lots younger than me. I found that they love, as Cricket said, telling stories with the cards. My sisters' fave game to play is having me shuffle the cards (The deck is too big for their small hands)and them dealing off 5-7 cards, then creating a story to fit in with the pictures, much as kids do when they've go a picture book before they can read... It is amazing how they can hit the traditional meanings right on the head by dong this! And I often find this game helps them boost their creativity and confidence in themselves. I let my sisters use the Robin Wood deck, cuz they like the colourful, easy to look at artwork, and the fact that the Minors are fully illustrated really helps them build the stories. Whimsical deck could also be useful for choosing the betime story to tell them, cuz each card shows a scene from a nursery rhyme or fairytale. I think age is relatively unimportant, however with older children who are maybe 12/13/14 years old, you need to break through the preconcieved ideas they have about Tarot eg- Tarot is evil. Tarot tells the future and everything the cards say will definitely happen. I don't think there is an age too young when it comes to Tarot. For me, the cads are like books. And the kids in my family ahve been told stories and have been reading them as soon as thy were able. For my family, books are a fundametal part of the dailyroutine. There was nothing special about them, but they had a great enjoyment value and were stunningly great! The same for Tarot. If kids aren't bought up with them, then soetimes they have the tendency to think they are weird or unusual, which can stunt their learning of the subject. But if they are brought up surrounded by Tarot, then reading or being round the cards is as natural to them as it is for most kids to read a book/watch the TV. Another game my sisters enjoy with a Tarot deck (Esp. Robin Wood) is to create a house with them, and use the Court Cards as the 'dolls'. Theythen play with the house and dolls as they would a normal doll's house, but they base the doll charaters on the images the Court cards seem to represnt. With this game it really helps to have a deck where the Court Cards are very expressive, such as the Robin Wood, Legend Arthurian. I guess that's all I have tosay about it really. Kiama

ihcoyc	19 Sep 2002
I suppose I had my first Tarot when I was 10 years old, in the form of the deck of 22 Majors that came with the Transogram Ka-Bala. These were the most interesting thing about that toy; the talking board was too much like a roulette wheel to function as planned, but the tarots and the 22 fortunes each had written on the back seemed more "real," or at least more reliable, than the talking board in any case. No one really explained what the pictures on the cards meant. The Ka-Bala cards had simplified versions of the Rider-Waite images on them with some of the nudity concealed, in pale blue ink against the cardboard background. A fortune was printed on the back of each. I suspect there's a whole world of "cultural literacy" (for lack of a better word) in the Tarot. They tie in with history, with religion, with Renaissance art, even with math.

blackthorn	19 Sep 2002
Helo and welcome I have an eight yr old daughter named Justice she loves the cards she has been around them her entire life. When her father and i broke up she was very small she would site on my lap while i read for freinds. As she got older she started to take on her own means to some of them I bought her a deck when she turned 5 yrs. I received my first deck about the same time. I feel it has more to do with the child then with the adult. If your children are showing an intrest it tarot i think you should let them pick it of course go through and research a few deck and let them pick from there. I feel that justice and i have a stronger bond just bc we both share a love for the Tarot. As to not cause any upheval in the community as i have seen latley this is just my opion and how i did and do things with in my family. thanks you for letting me share. ps Justice is now turning 9 and you should see some of her art work from school it is amazing I think that it also helped her when they had to start making up there own stories go with your gut it will never let you down!

Alissa	19 Sep 2002
What about a Hanson Roberts deck for a child to play with? That jumps to mind as more accessible for them, with many children or child-like images. My son Zane is only 1.5, but is already trying to go after my cards when I take them out! I have to wait until he's asleep to read, since I'm not keen on him bending and destroying my deck. But once he's older, I'd let him have his own deck to play with if he wanted.

RedWood	19 Sep 2002
I gave my son his own tarot deck of playing cards..the real cheap kind..he had fun with them..until he peedon them accidentally..so they had to be thrown out..but now he draws tarot decks..He is 3..

Alissa	19 Sep 2002
:D That is toooo funny RedWood -- what a story~!!!

jmd	20 Sep 2002
I'll go against the tide and make some comments which many may possibly disagree with - which may lead to engaging discussions! With the pre-eight year-old, activities are quire often emulated. This 'copying' of the adult (and of whatever they are exposed to) has, in my opinion, deep repercussions. One of these is that certain images may best be kept out, as far as possible, of their consciousness (including, therefore, many television, musical and commercial products). I do not mean to in any way imply that certain fairy tales, with their resolved negative metaphors and allegories, need be excluded. The Tarot contains much that is of deep psychological and spiritual significance, requiring a particular maturity and depth of understanding. To emulate the 'story telling' aspect of us as readers, I would have no hesitation in providing a series of pictures such as the Inner Child cards. The stories which can be unfolded from their pictures are deep and sufficiently detailed. With the eight-to-thirteen year-old, again I would avoid any standard Tarot deck. Again, I would focus on those which depict Beauty as much as possible. Images from what may be called 'high' art, and various discussions as to their significance, would probably serve for a far deeper basis for later Tarot understanding. With adolescence, I may provide the individual with a deck. Even then, however, I would choose it for them and avoid the absolute traditional Marseilles depictions. In my view, the Thoth painted by Harris (also commonly called the Crowley deck) may perhaps include some of the Astral complexity which an adolescent would find quite engaging (as would, by the way, an adult!). It is only when reaching adulthood that a 'hard' deck such as early versions can begin to be appreciated - and the others I mentioned acquire an ever-deepening aspect of slow and continuous revelation. I would not personally, however, give the child of any age a 'choice' as to which deck they may have.

cjtarot	20 Sep 2002
Hi all, I gave my son his own tarot deck of playing cards..the real cheap kind..he had fun with them..until he peedon them accidentally..so they had to be thrown out.. So the key is not to let my 3yr old near my cards..lol So far, my daughters are only interested in looking at the cards and playing "Go Fish" with them...my oldest (7) learned her roman numerals from the rider deck.. blessings, cj

Strega	20 Sep 2002
Quote: Originally posted by angela Are some decks more suited to children than others? I don't have children yet... but I recommend Tarot of the Children (also known as Children Tarot). Very nice... cute brightly colored images of imaginative kiddie adventures which can be used for storytelling. :)

Diana	20 Sep 2002
edited

WillieHewes	20 Sep 2002
Wow, jmd, you must keep a VERY strict eye on your children. I mean, do you have tv? While I agree that there are many things that would better not enter a (young) child's head, I really wonder how you're going to prevent this without having them home-educated without any interaction with other children (or indeed, other people!) I don't think it is possible to protect a child from all the things that might damage them, and I do not think it would be good, either. It is true that there are certain tarot decks that are very dark, and might, for instance, cause nightmares, but I would not count the tarot de marseilles among these, and there are many tarot decks who are very light and beautiful, and perfectly suitable for kids. As a young adult from a nest which was pretty much based on 'so long as it harms none, do what you will' (although my parents were catholic, oddly enough) I would like to remind you that there is only so much you, as a parent, can decide for your children. Let your limited input be a positive one, rather than a negative. (ie. put things into their heads, rather than fighting to keep things out of it!) Just my two cents. *k-plink*

Kiama	20 Sep 2002
I agree with much that JMD says, except for the bit about nt letting the child choose his/her own deck, and restricting them according to heir age. I remember when I was about 6, wondering around the house one rainy day, browsing my bookselves. I had read all of the books in it, so decided to start readig my Mum's complete works of Shakespeare. She didnt like it, cuz she thought I was too young to understand completely Shakey's deep meanings and themes hidden in his writing. She was completely correct, but a few years later, I grew up, and because I as alreayd familiar with hakey's orginal works (Not the silly cartoons they do for kids), I found it much easier to undrstand the real meanings and themes prevalent in his works. ANd even then, I understood all those things earlier than the rest of the kids in my class, all becuse I had an early gronding in it. When you're a kid, you take things in easily. You have a different outlook on life and everything. How do you know that when you give a 7 year old a Thoth deck, they are not understanding it on a different level, unattaianable by us adults cuz we're so closed-up? To me, this is a bit like assuming that our views on the Tarot are absolutely correct, and that nobody else's can be right. In essence the Tarot has always been a key to a doorway, which we all find our way through in a different way, depending on how we see things. Can't it be that a child can turn the key in the lock, but turn it in a different way than adults? I'm not bashing your opinion, cuz whatever you feel best with is the way you should go. I'm just ryingto make intellectual discussion and giving you my reasons as to why I migh give a pre-13 year old a 'hard' deck like Thoth... Kiama

Eyes of Night	20 Sep 2002
This subject is giving me mixt feelings. I understand that young children may not understand all the meaning that goes with the cards, but they do see atleast some of it. If they continue studying, then it'll be easier for them to interpret the meanings in other decks when their older, because I think they would still have a bit of a child's way of seeing things, IMO. As for letting them choose the deck, I wouldn't give them complete librety. I find the best way is to choose a few that you think the child would like, and let them choose which one they want to get. That way, they feel like they get to make a choice, but you also get a say in it. Also, different children has different levels of maturity. Some might be able to take the tarot seriously at a young age, some may not. Some have this amazing imagination, some are more realistic. I find it really depends on the child. If you find your child is ready, go for. Just don't let them get to serious. Sorry if I'm repeating what was already said, or if I'm not making much sense. It's just hard trying to explain what I feel. Though I'm still in my teens, I wish I had started learning earlier, so I would be able to let my imaginationg run and see the tarot in a whole different world.

jmd	20 Sep 2002
I must have appeared far more restrictive than I in fact am... in most areas. I suppose that in some areas, I am extremely restrictive, so let me add a little in a succinct a form as possible. With regards to television, I suppose that whether one can prevent television watching will depend on the community one is a part of. Many of my friends and acquaintances share my view on this, and so do many in the community. Preventing the viewing of television to the young child is, as far as I am concerned, not restricting them, but rather freeing them to find their own amusements in the world - whether this be by climbing trees, inventing their own games, making a real mess of the back-yard, going through books of all kinds on a bookshelf (ones for adults only would of course not be placed in the lounge room!), painting their bedroom wall - or a section of it - as they wish, making a (virtually unedible) dinner or lunch, and very importantly, playing with peers (which includes having disagreements and resolving them). With adolescence, and their newly developing sexuality (the youngest was nearly 15), I placed a copy of The Joy of Sex in an obscure place on the bookshelf - adolescents usually do not replace books as carefully as I do. Again, on the other hand, 'organised' activities such as horse-riding, playing football, basketball, martial arts, yoga and other 'team-building' and 'self-discovering' activities can be encouraged - with quite limited television viewing. I suppose that with regards to Tarot, I have no problems them going through my numerous decks. Many years ago, I also acted in loco parentis to my much younger sister (who is now in her mid-twenties). Partly as a result of my involvement in Tarot, she asked for a deck - and asked for a Hanson-Roberts (she was around 14 at the time) which I gave her. Had she, on the other hand, asked for one which was quite 'dark', I may have abstained from the gift, and wondered what may have been going on in her life at the time. After all, the very choice one makes, especially and quite significantly as an adolescent, indicates far more clearly than with adults certain states they are working through - and will often come through quite rapidly. Though numerous Tarot books are on the shelf, neither of my two (young adult) step children appear to have developed an interest my wife and I share - though occasional questions and discussions do occur! As a few members know from what I wrote in my biography for the Aeclectic Tarot Project, I have been exposed to Tarot since my birth. My grandfather also had a deck, and one of his friends (Dr Carton) also wrote at least one book which includes a significant section on it. From the age a five or six, I also played the game of Tarot with my family, as well as again variously looking at various cards. For me, there is a clear difference between this and having provided me with my own Marseilles deck at the time. It also, I suspect, meant that I maintained a sense of deep respect for the cards, probably more than I would had I been given a set (which I would probably have cut up and collaged at some stage, given some of what I did to quite expensive books I was given :)). Diana, if you have your story completed, I wonder if it would be possible to submit it to Solandia as an article for the site. I certainly think it would be fantastic to read the rest - but maybe I'm a child after all! But to complete on an overall note: I sense that, by giving so much choice to our children in so many areas, we are actually reducing their very own future abilities to properly develop discernment. To give them the ability to choose, we maybe first need to model what selecting is - sure we can make mistakes - which they will be able to more properly see if we have given them this opportunity! If one has numerous decks, it is easy enough to place a few selected ones out and see which is liked by the child. This is, in many ways, certainly giving them a choice. The alternative is to do the wonderful and, for many, difficult, story creation Diana indicated. The spirit's incarnational journey and development is then allegorised through a wonderful visual metaphor: the Tarot.

fairyhedgehog	21 Sep 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Diana (I'm not telling the rest of the story here, as it will take up too much time, and anyway you people are not kids.) Please, pretty please, can we have the rest of the story? Maybe start a new thread for it if that is more appropriate.

cjtarot	21 Sep 2002
Diana, You have made all of us "Children" cry..lol I would love to see your whole story, would you ever consider publishing it. As far as younger children go (under the age of...errr 30), wouldnt it be a wonderful way to teach them how Tarot Major's lead us on a journey of discovering who we are and what whe want to be when we grow up..say when we are around 50.... PLEASE MAY WE HAVE THE WHOLE STORY.. Blessings, Cj

Diana	21 Sep 2002
edited

starr	21 Sep 2002
Yes please I'll be good,I want a story. ON another note, anything that opens a childs mind and encourages craeative thought is a good thing. If Tarot gets them away from the television or video games it is a good thing. Starr.

Alex	21 Sep 2002
to read the cards more than us, grown-ups. My son does OK by looking at the cards and associating meanings given very simple spreads- no more than 3 cards- and he often comes up with interpretations that surprise me. I sometimes play with his stuffed animals coming to him for advice_ like a problem or quesition_ and he reads for them. We can play for hours like that. He is 8. What in a way limits children's readings is that they have very limited experience of life- therefore, they have a much reduced plethora of meanings to associate with each card. They also tend to dislike "bad" cards so when these show up in readings they tend either to ignore them or refuse to "play". Who can blame them. Regards Alex.

Diana	22 Sep 2002
edited

The Tarot and Children thread was originally posted on 19 Sep 2002 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.