Simple, everyday ideas for busy mums

Witchcraft is an important part of my life, so it has naturally become something the boys have grown up around too. I don’t expect them to follow my beliefs or take part in everything I do, but I enjoy giving them opportunities to join in when something captures their interest.

With three boys and all the usual demands of family life, this rarely looks like carefully planned rituals or elaborate seasonal activities. More often, it means making a spell jar together, pulling a card, talking about the moon or coming home with pockets full of interesting rocks and shells.

For me, practising witchcraft with kids isn’t about teaching them what they should believe. It is about encouraging them to be curious, ask questions and explore their own ideas. These small moments allow me to share something meaningful with the boys without turning it into another thing that needs to be planned, prepared or done perfectly.

Making Their Own Magic

At Yule last year, the boys made intention spell jars for the year ahead. We talked about what they hoped 2026 might bring, then looked through my herbs and books together to choose ingredients that connected with their intentions.

They wrote their intentions on small pieces of paper, with help from me where needed, and placed them inside the jars. Before I sealed them with candle wax, we held the jars close to our lips and whispered our intentions into them.

What made this special was that each jar was completely personal. The boys chose what they wanted to focus on and helped create something that represented their own hopes for the year ahead.

Connecting with Nature and Its Cycles

A lot of the witchcraft I share with the boys starts with simply noticing what is happening around us.

We chat about the changing seasons, what we can see happening in nature and what each season means within witchcraft and paganism. The boys also help me decorate my altar, choosing and arranging things that represent that point in the Wheel of the Year.

They are always noticing the moon too. They ask what phase it is or whether it is a particular type of moon they have heard about, such as a blood moon. Their questions often lead to us talking about what is happening in the sky and why the moon is important within many witchcraft practices.

The boys also love looking through my collection of crystals and rocks. My middle child is especially interested, but all three of them enjoy picking up rocks and shells whenever we are out. Usually, they are simply drawn to an interesting colour, shape or pattern.

These finds don’t need to be rare, valuable or have a particular spiritual meaning. I love that collecting them encourages the boys to slow down, look more closely and pay attention to the natural world around them.

Exploring History, Mythology and Different Beliefs

The boys are interested in the history behind familiar traditions, especially my eldest.

During celebrations such as Easter, Harvest Festival and Christmas, we talk about the older pagan festivals and seasonal traditions that came before them. We explore how many of those traditions have continued, changed or been adapted within the celebrations people are more familiar with today.

These conversations also come from things the boys learn elsewhere. My eldest studied ancient Greece at school this year, including some of the Greek gods and goddesses. This sparked conversations at home about how some pagans include deities in their practice, what different gods and goddesses are known for and how someone might set up an altar for them.

I enjoy being able to build on something they are already interested in and explore it from a different point of view. It doesn’t need to become a big lesson. Often, it is simply a conversation that comes up while we are doing something else.

Exploring Feelings, Intuition and Who They Are

Tarot cards, crystals and astrology have all given the boys simple ways to explore their feelings, trust what they are drawn to and learn more about themselves.

When we look through my tarot and oracle decks, I ask what they notice in the pictures and what they think a card might mean before we check the guidebook. There isn’t a right answer. It is about giving them space to use their imaginations, share their thoughts and form their own interpretations.

Crystals have become especially comforting for my middle child, who is autistic and can find his emotions overwhelming. One day, when he was upset, I asked whether he would like to choose a crystal to hold. Without knowing anything about its meaning, he chose an Amethyst Lace stone, which is associated with calm and feeling grounded. It felt incredibly fitting for what he needed in that moment, and he now often chooses to hold a crystal when he feels sad or overwhelmed.

Astrology has opened up another kind of conversation with my eldest, who became curious about what a birth chart is. He helped me map out his own chart, and I explained some of the symbols and what they represented in a way that was simple enough for him to understand.

These things don’t tell the boys how they should feel or who they are. They simply give us different ways to talk about their thoughts, explore what they are drawn to and find things that feel meaningful or comforting.

Giving Them Space to Make Up Their Own Minds

The boys are eight, six and five, so I keep the ways I involve them simple and appropriate for their ages. Sometimes they want to join in, look more closely or ask lots of questions. At other times, they aren’t interested, and that is completely fine too.

I explain what different things mean to me, but I don’t expect the boys to share my beliefs. As they get older, they can make up their own minds about what they believe and whether witchcraft becomes part of their lives.

Simple Ways to Begin

If you would like to share parts of your own witchcraft practice with your kids, you don’t need to introduce everything at once or plan a full activity. Start with something they already find interesting.

You could:

✦ Invite them to choose something for your seasonal altar.

✦ Talk about what is changing in nature.

✦ Find out what phase the moon is together.

✦ Let them choose a tarot or oracle card and ask what they notice in the picture.

✦ Look up the meaning of a crystal together.

✦ Make space for the rocks, shells and other natural treasures they bring home.

✦ Talk about the older beliefs and traditions behind a celebration they already know.

✦ Help them create a simple spell jar based on something they hope for.

You don’t need to try everything on this list. Follow their curiosity and see where it leads. It doesn’t need to become a lesson or a carefully planned ritual to mean something.

Activities should always be adapted to your child’s age and supervised where needed. I handle things such as candle wax myself and it is important to check that any herbs or crystals you use are suitable for the activity. Small objects should also be kept safely away from younger children who may put them in their mouths.

For our family, it is usually the smallest experiences that work best. Whether or not witchcraft becomes part of the boys’ own lives as they grow older, they will have memories of noticing the seasons, exploring their ideas and sharing something meaningful together. For me, that is what matters.

Continue Exploring

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like:

• Practical Magic: A Beginner’s Guide
• Lunar Magic: A Beginner’s Guide
• A Beginner’s Guide to Crystal Magic
• Tarot for Beginners: When You Don’t Know What to Ask