Teaching tarot to children is one of the best ways to engage them with this ancient spiritual art. Years ago tarot was seen as something we should stay away from, however these days it has been demystified a lot and people have started to let go of their fear and negativity towards tarot.
More and more people are learning to read tarot cards to help themselves and those around them. These days, the tarot is not only a tool for fortune telling, but also for self-learning, self-development, and spiritual development.
However, the big question is: how soon should children be taught tarot? How old do you have to be before learning the basics of tarot card reading?
A popular view on this subject is that children need to be mature enough to understand some basic concepts and some basic symbolism. That is why the age of 7-9 years is a good age to learn it. Before this age, children tend not to understand yet some essential things that card combinations can show. That is why it is difficult to explain to them the meaning of card spreads at such a tender age.
On the other hand, young children only use the cards for very mundane and common tasks that require the most basic knowledge about the world around us. Especially with the many tarot decks made for children, this is easier than it used to be before.
There are some cool decks of cards depicting heroes from history, fairies, manga, and cartoon characters that will not only enchant children, but also make them interested in the story that unfolds along the cards laid out.
None of the images on these cards are threatening, obscene, or violent, so children are safe and secure from anything above their age.
I have a friend who learned tarot at the age of 9. She told me that her life has become so much fuller and so much richer because of it. She could more easily grasp mythology, storytelling and many things that helped her in school and she could easily make connections that weren’t as visible to many of her classmates.
One way to teach tarot to children is to use the cards to play rather than read. Put some cards together and let them tell a story based on how they are lined up next to each other. This will enhance their creativity and imagination and later help them learn to read the cards intuitively (instead of reading them based on a fixed traditional meaning).