The Joy of Crystals for Children
by Donna Thomson
Children are intrigued by crystals. I've found that my eleven-year-old-son is just as fascinated by crystals as my daughters. There is something about crystals and semi-precious stones that is appealing to a child and everyone wants to check the latest crystal addition when it arrives. It's a beautiful thing to watch how a child interacts with crystals. So if you are a parent who is interested in crystals, I highly encourage you to share your love of crystals with your children. Even if you don't have children of your own, crystals make special and unique gifts for any child.
Each of my children owns at least one 'special' crystal - either rose quartz or amethyst, which are both quartz varieties. Rose quartz is such a gentle crystal and is all about love and healing. I believe its appeal to children lies in its soft, feminine, almost 'motherly' energy. Rose quartz is therefore a great general or beginner's crystal.
My two eldest children have small amethyst clusters near their bed too. Amethyst is a calming crystal with protective qualities, especially for children who are sensitive to energy. For instance, children are often much more aware of the presence of spirits than adults and this can often disturb their sleep. If you find your child sleeps restlessly or suffers nightmares, give them an amethyst crystal or cluster to place beside their bed or under their pillow.
As well as special 'comforting' crystals, my older children have a collection of assorted crystal tumbled stones that they keep in a glass bowl to 'play' with. Sometimes they will choose one of these crystals to keep out of the bowl and I know that crystal has some benefit for them at the time. Providing an assortment of crystals allows your child to use their natural intuition to be guided to crystals for different purposes - a skill that they should be encouraged to maintain into adulthood so they don't have to re-learn how to trust their instincts.
The smaller crystals are obviously a hazard to children under about three years of age because they're inclined to put them in their mouth. But I do allow my two-year old to play with my bag of tumbled stones under my strict supervision. I also have some larger crystals such as natural chunks of blue or green calcite that are ideal for younger children to hold in their hands and don't have any sharp edges. I often gave my daughter the blue calcite to hold when she was upset or needed calming and it worked a treat.
Not only do children enjoy touching and interacting with crystals, but it's a great opportunity for developing concepts relating to number, colour, size, and so on. Crystals have appeal on so many levels, for both adults and children. Starting a collection of crystals as a child can lead to a life-long interest in Mother Earth's treasures - and 'treasures' are just what crystals appear to be to children. So don't be surprised to see them used in pirate adventure games!
Tumbled stones are readily available and affordable, so it's quite feasible for your child to have his or her own collection of crystals. I encourage you to take your children along with you when purchasing crystals and allow them to choose the crystals they are drawn to. But if this is not possible, or you would like to get a crystal or two as a gift, any of the crystals I've mentioned in this article a great for starters - rose quartz, amethyst and any of the calcite colours. Crystals can be even more appealing to children when you consider the various shapes and formations available, such as spheres, eggs, geometric shapes, carved animals and angels, wands, hanging mobiles, crystal caves/geodes, pendants, and more!