The 5 Best Tarot Decks For Kids
As a parent, the humble Tarot deck is an underappreciated tool in my toolbox. Every time I bring the topic up, other parents are shocked, nay horrified that I would allow my children to play with Tarot, not realising that it is about as harmful as a deck of playing cards or UNO.
It’s literally printed pieces of paper, so don’t get your panties in a twist.
In this post I’ll discuss the pro’s and con’s of 5 of my favourite tarot decks that I recommend for kids. Most are good to introduce from about the age of 4 and up from a developmental point of view. Whilst my children knew about my tarot cards before the age of 4, it wasn’t something I would have left them alone with because they would get lost or wrecked.
Supervised exploration was fine though.
But first, lets address the elephant in the room.
Is Tarot Safe For Kids?
YES emphatically yes, it is an amazing tool for children. Not only do kids easily connect to the images in the cards, but it helps them to communicate with us when finding the words is tough.
Mid meltdown I’ll often pull out the cards and say “which one feels like you?” and “which one do you need” which has helped me to understand my child deeper and parent better too.
Tarot is also great for kids as it is physical, like a fidget toy that they can explore, shuffle and play with.
My kids use Tarot cards to tell stories, lining them up like a creative writing prompt. They ask introspective questions such as “how can I make my day more fun” and use them as a prop to play witches and wizards.
The Tarot doesn’t need to be taken super seriously all the time, playfulness is a surprisingly good thing to combine with your tarot practice (and many adults could learn a thing or two from kids in this respect).
There is no spiritual risk in using tarot cards for fun or play therapy reasons whatsoever.
There is also no risk of spirit interaction or anything you might have been told by a religious person or horror movie.
Are All Tarot Decks Safe For Kids?
No.
Some decks are not kid friendly due to the art and style choices of the individual deck. Some have explicit content, nudity, sexual references, scary images etc.
This is why I’ve created this post with The 5 Best Tarot Decks For Kids for you to safely explore or gift to the kids in your life.
Kid Friendly Tarot Deck #1
The Witchling Academy Tarot Deck
The Witchling Academy Tarot by Pamela Chen follows the journey of Charlie the Witch apprentice at her magical academy. This is a deck inspired by magical girl anime series in the Rider Waite Style of Tarot deck. It is gentle, fun and easy to read with.
Age recommendation: 8+
Pros:
Super fun, magical and whimsical.
A great alternative to anything HP related but with similar vibes.
No nudity in the images although the King of Wands character isn’t dressed in clothes, she’s covered by fire and her hair.
Cons:
The packaging is a little annoying because it is fiddly and the cards get a little stuck in it. I’d recommend switching to a Tarot bag or box.
Card stock is a standard size but very flimsy and may get bent easily with unpracticed hands when shuffling.
10 of Swords is the only card that’s a bit intense with blood shown on the card.
The Devil has a sexual undertone but only when viewed from an adult perspective and nothing is explicit
Tricky Cards
This photo shows all the potentially scary or tricky cards.
If you think your kid can deal with this imagery, then this deck will be totally fine for them.
Watch the unboxing + full flip through video for this deck here!
Kid Friendly Tarot Deck #2
The Sweet Foragers Tarot Deck
The Sweet Foragers Tarot by Sam Rook is a journey through the enchanted forest. It features fairies, magicians and other whimsical, magical beings to help you on the path. It is gentle, fun and easy to read with.
Age recommendation: 4+
Pros:
Super fun, magical and whimsical.
Tiny deck size, perfect for little hands.
No explicit nudity in the images although the Queen of Cups is in the bath.
Lots of inclusivity and diversity in the imagery.
The guidebook is super cute with easy kid friendly write ups like this one from the Queen of Wands card (I’ve shortened it so you can get the general gist)…
“As I was walking, a puff of cloud fell in front of me. I reached down to scoop it up then heard a faraway voice say “oops!” I looked up to see a fairy seated on a cloud. “It’s a better view up here” she said. “You can get the whole big picture”.
Cons:
The card stock is a little tricky to spread as it’s a matte finish
10 of Swords is the only card that’s a bit intense but the blood on the card is a sparkly pink which softens it.
Tricky Cards
This photo shows all the potentially scary or tricky cards.
If you think your kid can deal with this imagery, then this deck will be totally fine for them.
Watch the unboxing + full flip through video for this deck here!
Kid Friendly Tarot Deck #3
The Disney Villains Tarot Deck
The Disney Villains Tarot Deck is based on Disney’s most dastardly villains such as Maleficent, Ursula, Captain Hook and more. It is cartoonish and draws on the archetypes and ‘myths’ within the films that kids are familiar with.
Age recommendation: 6+
Pros:
Super fun and very light hearted even if it is about villains.
No nudity or blood whatsoever. Very tame.
Kids can draw on their knowledge of the movies, and stories which is a powerful way to lean into the Tarot symbolism and storytelling.
Cons:
The deck size is cumbersome for my hands, let alone kids hands. Shuffling traditionally will be tricky.
Cardstock is on the cheaper side, which means a tad flimsy and crude but most kids won’t even notice this.
Many of the cards are more like a traditional ‘pip’ card from a playing deck without a lot of imagery to draw on. Eg: 6 of cups shown below. This may force kids to rely on the guidebook therefore the age recommendation is 6+ so they can read.
If they’re sensitive munchkins, this deck does have a darker undertone despite it’s playful nature so it’s not for ALL kids.
Some of the villains are a bit more ‘niche’ or from older films which could be a pro if you want to introduce your kid to more nostalgic movies!
Tricky Cards
This photo shows all the potentially scary or tricky cards.
If you think your kid can deal with this imagery, then this deck will be totally fine for them.
Watch the unboxing + full flip through video for this deck here!
Kid Friendly Tarot Deck #4
The Magic Tarot Deck
The Magic Tarot deck by Amaia Arrazola is a super colourful, bright and joyful style of deck. It is a simple deck, with a little white book style of guidebook written in Español, English, Français, Deutsch & Português.
Age recommendation: 4+
Pros:
Super bright and happy colour palette.
No blood depictions, and the cartoon drawings are very playful.
Small deck size, perfect for little hands in a very easy to manage playing card type of card stock.
Cons:
There is nudity depicted, but in a cartoonish manner (see photos below). Personally this is totally fine in our household but I understand some folks may not like it.
Guidebook is overly simple with a few key words. It’s flimsy and made from paper so may not hold up to the wear and tear of an enthusiastic kiddo.
Packaging is a very standard flip top box, which are prone to wear and tear over time too.
Tricky Cards
This photo shows all the potentially scary or tricky cards.
If you think your kid can deal with this imagery, then this deck will be totally fine for them.
Watch the unboxing + full flip through video for this deck here!
Kid Friendly Tarot Deck #5
The Tarot of Tales Deck
The Tarot of Tales Tarot deck by Melinda Lee Holm is one of my personal favourite decks because it’s so kooky, unusual and fun. Tarot of Tales places YOU in the main character role of your own story. The guidebook is exceptionally written and none of the cards feature humans at all, it’s all animals.
Age recommendation: 4+
Pros:
Muted, soft tones with beautiful illustrations to get lost in
No blood depictions, no nudity, just kooky animal fun
Sturdy packaging and deck stock with an excellent guidebook that will help kids attune to their intuition.
Cons:
Tricky cards are very mild but could scare some younger or more sensitive children.
Card size is quite large which will make it hard for little hands to shuffle and work with.
Tricky Cards
This photo shows all the potentially scary or tricky cards.
If you think your kid can deal with this imagery, then this deck will be totally fine for them.
Watch the unboxing + full flip through video for this deck here!
HONORABLE MENTIONS
I’m not going to personally recommend a deck I haven’t worked with before but here are some that look to be great contenders for gentle kid friendliness.
The Crystal Unicorn Tarot by Pamela Chen which also has an associated crystal unicorn tarot colouring book! How fun! A colouring book also makes for a great way for kids to really get deep into the cards and their symbolism.
Crystal Unicorn Tarot
Imagine + Sparkle + Manifest *POOF* yourself into the magical forest of the Crystal Unicorns where anything is possible!
The Kids Tarot by Jason Gruhl which i smarketed specifically for kids (if the name didn’t make that obvious enough).
The Kids Tarot
This deck helps kids explore and reveal who they are while helping them understand the world and those around them. By bringing attention to their thoughts (swords), emotions (cups), intentions (wands), and actions (coins), kids expand their self-awareness, confidence, and connection to others.
Which of these do you think is the best tarot deck for kids? Do you work with one that you think would be a good addition to this list, let me know in the comments!
Want to learn the Tarot for yourself first?
Check out my class on ‘How To Read The Tarot!’
Meet Hana
Hana O’Neill, the Suburban Witch is a professional Tarot & Astrology reader, Intuitive Coach and the host of the Witch Talks podcast.
