If you’ve got kids at home, try celebrating Samhain with some of these family-friendly and kid-appropriate ideas.
In many cultures, ancestor veneration is an important part of the season. Depending on how old your children are, you may want to use this time of year as an opportunity to introduce your kids to the people whose blood runs through their veins.
Study Genealogy: All of us came from somewhere, so why not figure out what that place might have been? Get your kids involved in learning about their forbears, even if it's just something as simple as asking Grandma what it was like to live when she was a child. Take the information you learn, and fill out a family tree chart — if you're feeling really crafty, use that info to make an ancestor altar cloth!
Got photos and family heirlooms? Set up an ancestor altar in a place of honor in your home. Is your child — or are you — adopted? That's okay, you can still honor your kinfolk, you just have to go about it a slightly different way. Consider celebrating archetypes that represent your ethnic or cultural background.
2- Family Friendly Ritual
Let’s face it, sometimes ritual is hard to get through when you’re little. The trick to keeping young children involved is to keep them occupied – that means rethinking ritual ideas so that it can fun as well as spiritual. This ritual is designed to celebrate Samhain with younger kids.
Obviously, if your children are older, or you have younger kids who are very focused and mature, you may not need a “kids ritual.” However, for those of you that do, this is a rite you can complete, from start to finish, in about twenty minutes. Also, keep in mind that you are the best judge of what your child is ready for. If he wants to paint his face, bang a drum and chant, let him do so — but if he'd rather participate silently, that's okay too!
Use a basic altar setup for this ritual. If your kids are old enough to not burn the house (or themselves) down when near an open flame, you can use candles, but they’re not required for this ritual. A nice alternative is the small LED tealights, which can go on your altar safely.
In addition to your Samhain decorations, place photos of deceased family members on the altar. If you have other mementos, such as jewelry or small heirlooms, feel free to add those.
Finally, have a cup with a drink in it that the family can share — milk, cider (always a great option in the fall), or whatever you may prefer. Obviously, if someone is sporting a cold or runny nose, you might wish to use individual cups.
Gather your family around the altar, and ask each child to stand quietly for a moment to take a few minutes to think about the different family members that have passed away.. If your child is too young to know anyone who has passed away they can simply think about the family they have now, and all the living people who are important to them.
After everyone has taken a moment to think about their ancestors, and before anyone starts to fidget, begin the ritual.
Parent: Tonight we are celebrating Samhain, which is a time when we celebrate the lives of the people we have loved and lost. We are going to honor our ancestors so that they will live on in our hearts and memories.
Tonight, we honor [name], and [name].
Go through the list of specific people you wish to honor. If someone has died recently, start with them and work your way back. You don’t have to unleash the names of every single person in your family tree (because it could be Yule before you finish), but it’s important to mention the people who have had the most impact on your life. If you want, to help the kids understand who everyone was, you can go into more detail as you name the ancestors off:
“Tonight we honor Uncle Bob, who used to tell me funny stories when I was a kid. We honor Grandma, who lived in a cabin in Kentucky where she learned to make the best biscuits I’ve ever had. We honor cousin Adam, who served in the Army and then bravely fought cancer before he crossed over…”
Once you’ve named off all of the ancestors, pass the cup around the circle. As you pass it, you can say, “I drink in honor of my family, of the Holy Trinity, and of the bonds of kinship.” Take a sip, and pass it to the next person, saying, “I share this with you in the name of our ancestors.”
Once everyone has had their turn, replace the cup on the altar. Ask everyone to join hands and close their eyes for a moment.
Take a moment for quiet reflection, and then end the rite in whatever way works best for your family.
Wigington, Patti. "Celebrating Samhain With Kids." Learn Religions
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