Most children love being outside and playing with all of Mother Nature’s gifts and creatures. Crystals are part of this phenomena, so it’s no wonder that children are drawn to them – their energy, colours, and forms. Children are also much more confident than adults in trusting their intuition, so they find it easier to connect and select crystals to play with. As a mum, I find playing with crystals with my children a beautiful way for us to connect together and to teach them some mindful practices. But there are a few things to consider to ensure children are playing with crystals safely and effectively.
Physical considerations
- Crystals that are raw shouldn’t always be held by younger children – they can be dangerous if used incorrectly as they can be rough or pointy or heavy
- Crystals are minerals so naturally, some caution needs to be taken. Some can be toxic and as such should never be ingested or placed in the mouth. Always be cautious and never encourage children to place crystals in their mouth.
- Some crystals can be damaged by natural elements including water, sunlight, wind and dirt. Make sure you are teaching your children to be gentle and careful with their crystals. Unless you are confident the crystal will not be damaged, don’t encourage children to use them outside.
Metaphysical considerations
- Crystals are gifts left for us by Mother Nature so we need to take care of them and they will take care of us. Encourage children to take care of their gifts by cleansing them and keeping them safe.
- Encourage your children to connect with their crystals – it’s not about quantity, but quality! An easy way to explain connection is by practicing mindfullness with them. Holding crystals to your heart to help them calm down, breathe and relax, and also to ask for the wishes to be granted.
- You can teach them to cleanse their crystals when they feel like they’ve taken away unwanted feelings.
- Encourage your children to trust their intuition – it is their own personal wisdom and gift that will help them navigate their way through life. Crystals help to promote intuition by believing and trusting their choice of crystal is the right choice. Rather than teaching them what a crystal’s properties are, why not ask them to tell you instead.
- Teach them the basics of manifesting by asking for what they want. Tell them to close their eyes and think about their wish or what their crystal can help them with, take a breath and then open their eyes and pick a crystal, carry it around with them and think about their wish and what it would feel like to have it granted whenever they touch or see their crystal.
- Encourage them to listen to their crystals. When crystals break, ask the crystal if they’re still okay. Sometimes they may want to be returned to Mother Nature.
- Have fun with crystals, creating and playing. Some ideas include:
- creating magic moon water sprays, rollers or in a jar. (Children can drink magic moon water too but don’t put the crystals in the water just next to the glass if you want to do this).
- making special magic bags to keep your crystals in and attach them to your favourite toys or school bag etc.
- using crystals to make shapes and mandalas.
Childhood development and crystals
Crystals can have some profound effects and some crystals should be avoided by younger children to ensure they’re not prematurely developing gifts or tapping into areas that don’t need to be tapped into yet. As a general rule, stick to ‘safe’ crystals that will keep children grounded. Some of my favourite crystals to use with children are Rose Quartz, Smoky Quartz, and Jaspers.
If you’d like to learn more about crystals, check out my crystal online courses which will ensure you’re prepared in nurturing your children’s love of crystals too.
In love and light,
Loretta xo