Full Moon Ritual For Kids By Beth Griffin

Moon Cycle Rituals and intention setting with your kids!? YES!

The moon is probably one of my favorite life/homeschool topics. I started practicing moon cycle rituals years ago and this has grown to be something the kids look forward to now too. The Full Moon brings lots of energy- it’s great having a practice to help to process and feel less overwhelmed.

EVERYTHING is cyclical, awareness of and connection to the moon cycle will welcome more ease into daily life.

Take some time and pay attention to the cycle of the moon for a few months, note your feelings/mood/behaviors, and do the same for your kids.

You’ll likely see a spike in high energy around the time of the Full Moon, ask any ER doctor, the old saying that “things are always more wild around a Full Moon”, has real, statistical legs.

So what to do with all of that super charged energy?

Full Moon Ritual For Kids:

Some items to gather that touch all 5 senses:

  • Paper and something to write, draw, or paint with- get as creative as you want! Pouring Full Moon energy into art is a great outlet!

  • If you set goals/intentions on the New Moon, bring those- we usually each set one together and then use this time to reflect and appreciate the journey.

  • A guided meditation- the Calm app or Headspace app are both AWESOME for this! We love the meditations for kids on the Calm app and use them all the time. I tried being the one to guide and apparently that makes the kids giggle and want to ask questions and chat- which is fine, but I also like seeing them just BE and breathe. Another option is calming music. If you have a favorite candle or cleansing fragrance like burning some cedar chips or a smoke cleansing bundle- go for it!

  • Crystals- if you have a crystal collection, this is a great time to enjoy it. Both of my kiddos love rocks, crystals and minerals and have solid collections going at this point, so we like to incorporate our found treasures in this ritual.

  • Epsom salt & herb bath- this has become something we try to do more often, but life is so busy with middle grade kiddos and all the activities- so it’s nice to incorporate a special bath in our Moon Ritual so each kiddo still has at least a couple baths each month.

  • FIRE- The Full Moon is time to let go of what no longer serves us, appreciate the lessons we’ve learned and celebrate what brought us joy and fulfillment. I know that may sound a little sketchy with young kids, but it’s actually a great way to teach fire safety and have some fun.

  • Music- the Full Moon is all about big, bright energy, so it’s a wonderful time to move and shake to your favorite tunes.

  • Food- sharing a meal with family and friends to celebrate the Full Moon is always fun and a great way to connect and share your favorite foods. Since there is usually one Full Moon per month you can totally theme it to the season or to which full moon it is. This can also help you create a habit of doing at least one community or family meal each month, even in the busiest of times.

How to practice:

Set aside 30 minutes the day of the Full Moon – or if that’s not possible any time with in about 48 hours prior or post- I have kids too, I get it.

GET OUTSIDE:

  • Weather permitting, Incorporate some time outside, if possible, in the moonlight. This can be a little more of a challenge in Summer months. If the moon comes up past bedtime, work the outdoor time in before that, any time outside is good! You can do the entire ritual outdoors, in the yard, at the beach or on a camping trip.

GET CENTERED:

  • Start with a grounding mindfulness/meditation practice- depending on what your kids are up for, this could be 3 deep breaths together, a 5-7 minute guided meditation or something more. Kids love chanting, humming, singing a song together- get creative to help them engage while they feel calm and present.

GET CREATIVE:

  • When you’re finished with mindfulness, take 5-20 minutes for “journaling practice”- this obviously varies a bit with various age/ability levels- my 5 year old likes to draw and write a tiny bit, my 8 year old will write the entire time. Alternatively (or as an additional part of the ritual) you can do some lunar art! I have a few ideas saved on Pinterest if you’d like to check em out!

  • Here are some questions you can use as prompts for writing, journaling, discussion or even art inspiration.

    • What is something you have worked on or accomplished in the past few weeks, how does the progress or achievement make you feel?

    • What is one thing you appreciate?

    • What is something that makes you feel FULL & BRIGHT like the moon?

GET FULL & BRIGHT:

  • The moon in this phase is FULL & BRIGHT so this is a good time to embrace that big energy and celebrate the things that make us feel full of light. We love incorporating fire in this part of the ritual- and usually do so with our back yard fire pit. You can use a candle or even make a pretend fire with tissue paper. Always be safe and mindful when using fire for part of your practice. The Full Moon is time to let go of what is no longer serving us, appreciate the lessons we’ve learned and celebrate what is going well. We like to write down what we are letting go of and burn it in the fire.

OTHER FUN IDEAS:

  • If you have a crystal collection it’s fun to set them up on a tray and take them out for a little charge-up at night in the light of the Full Moon.

  • You can also make “moon water” by filling a glass jar (or any container with a lid really) with water and letting it bathe all night in the moonlight.

  • Take a bath- this is a great way to wrangle some of that wild Full Moon energy after your ritual. We like adding 1/4 cup Epsom salt and some calming herbs/oils like lavender.

From homeschoolnaturally.com