Tarot for babies and toddlers

How does seeing Tarot as a game cheapen the spiritual experience?

Especially since we're talking about young children here, I can't agree.

When I was young I went to Sunday School and Vacation Bible School. Spiritual matters were distilled into games to teach us and have fun at the same time. When I was older, I went to church camp, and we played games that had a spiritual purpose behind them. In high school I participated in national-level Bible Bowl -- I don't know the figures, but I'm sure there are hundreds of thousands of teens involved in Bible Bowl and similar quiz games. The whole basis of the game is to strengthen faith and study scripture.

I never heard anyone say that these games cheapened the spiritual message. Frankly I'm puzzled by your belief.

I was referring to tarock or tarocchi. The game for which the cards were invented to play.

I was not implying that your spiritual system is a game.

Tansey Ella said:

I see nothing wrong with exposing my children to a spiritual system. If you do not , someone else will. At least let them see how you feel. This is different from scaring small children with the concept of hell or Armageddon.

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Everyone is free to bring their children up as they see fit. This thread isn't about bringing children up in a spiritual system. It's about buying Tarot cards for babies and toddlers.

What's wrong with teaching a child some sort of spirituality, it's how they learn. And by spiritual system you may mean wafers and wine and hell and heaven, but those are just symbols for teaching right and wrong. I feel the need to stress this every time, but I have no children, but if I did I wouldn't feel the need to tell them to be good or else they'll suffer eternal damnation (we don't have that anyway, but I was using it as an example), but I would encourage them to open their minds to things that are "beyond" and I think Tarot is a really good gateway for that. It's non-denominational, non-threatening and spiritually neutral. It can take the child wherever they wish, or nowhere of they do not.

tarotmama said:

I was referring to tarock or tarocchi. The game for which the cards were invented to play.

I was not implying that your spiritual system is a game.

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If people were buying Tarot Cards to teach their babies or toddlers tarocchi (which is probably too complicated for a baby or toddler to grasp) I of course understand. They are teaching their baby a card game.

I was not given to understand that was the case however. I understood that some people believe it is appropriate to buy Tarot decks for babies and toddlers. I think a baby or toddler is too young to grasp the implications of Tarot but it seems I am in the minority which is interesting

My three year old plays with the cards, and she sometimes tells stories based on what she sees in the cards and describes them. I don't get into divination or anything with her; if she asks what a card "means" I tell her a few keywords or encourage her to decide what it means, but to her they're just pictures.

Like tarotmama, I view the cards as a game. But even if I didn't and I viewed them as spiritual tools, I would have no problem in sharing them. Laura_borealis' analogy - Sunday school and similar - is pretty apt.

But cari, as you do view them as spiritual, if you would be so emphatic that your child find his or her own path, wouldn't it be fair to expose him or her to your own path, and other paths, so they don't have to start from scratch?

Offering up my two cents worth.

I'm not sure if it will seem a bargain of if you'll feel overcharged, but here it is for what it's worth.

I don't have children but at one point I had step children. And a long time ago, for a degree I was earning, I had to take Child Development classes (insert eye rolling here).

I think tarot could be used as a valuable educational tool when working with developing minds. The images, if all the cards are illustrated, show what people are doing (assuming people are the artist's focus). What are they doing? Where are they going? Who are they talking to? Where are they at? And that's just for the language skills.

Then there are what I might call 'moral lessons' in the cards. If A does this, then it will lead to B. Showing consequences. It doesn't have to be about imposing a spiritual system on anyone. Toddlers aren't likely to understand that anyway. Their lives tend to be about their immediate environment.

The cards lead to story telling. How wonderful! They spark imagination and creativity.

They can be fun if one knows the game of tarocchi (sorry if I spelled that wrong).

Letting them have their own deck with age appropriate illustrations is really no different than teaching them to read The Cat in the Hat except that the cards are possibly more interactive and stimulating.

closrapexa said:

What's wrong with teaching a child some sort of spirituality

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This is the last time I'm going to say this because it's becoming tedious. This thread isn't about teaching children spirituality. It's about buying tarot decks for babies and toddlers. Do you think it's appropriate to buy a baby or toddler a tarot deck?

You're absolutely right and I was writing that post while the others were going on, so, sorry


But anyway,

caridwen said:

I think a baby or toddler is too young to grasp the implications of Tarot but it seems I am in the minority which is interesting

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What are the implications of using Tarot? Of course I wouldn't want to receive a reading from a nine year old, but as a tool of spiritual development, I think they can benefit from it greatly, each to his own level and age, of course. Merely sitting at the cards and exchanging ideas on what they could mean could be a terrific way to spend time with a child, and improve their concentration.I began reading when I was 13, and I wish someone had introduced me to them at an earlier age, and given me guidance in those topsy-turvy adolescent years on how to use them to the best advantage.

laura_borealis said:

How does seeing Tarot as a game cheapen the spiritual experience?

Especially since we're talking about young children here, I can't agree.

When I was young I went to Sunday School and Vacation Bible School. Spiritual matters were distilled into games to teach us and have fun at the same time. When I was older, I went to church camp, and we played games that had a spiritual purpose behind them. In high school I participated in national-level Bible Bowl -- I don't know the figures, but I'm sure there are hundreds of thousands of teens involved in Bible Bowl and similar quiz games. The whole basis of the game is to strengthen faith and study scripture.

I never heard anyone say that these games cheapened the spiritual message. Frankly I'm puzzled by your belief.

Click to expand...

I forgot about that - but yes, in Sunday school we played all sorts of bible games. I think they reminded us of the stories, but I didn't feel in any way pressured to believe in those stories. Even so - they helped them to stick in y mind for later.

tarotmama said:

I was referring to tarock or tarocchi. The game for which the cards were invented to play.

I was not implying that your spiritual system is a game.

Click to expand...

This too - and kids then get interested in the pictures on the trumps....

Tansey Ella said:

I see nothing wrong with exposing my children to a spiritual system. If you do not , someone else will. At least let them see how you feel. This is different from scaring small children with the concept of hell or Armageddon.

Click to expand...

Yes indeed - we allow our children to come to church if they ask to - where, I might add, they get to play bible games - see above. That isn't "unspiritual". It is allowing them to look at religion from their level. Just as letting them "play" with tarot cards lets them approach reading from their level. Hearing a 2 y/o on the subject of "all those people falling out of the tower and they are screaming ohh ohh ohh" - what more can one say ? They have the idea and the beginning of that card's message. They may have started on their own spiritual journey.