How to do a Tea ceremony with children

Life is full of situations that divide childhood with adults, moments, circumstances and even food, which are limited to a certain age and separate us from children. Although many of these things cannot be adapted to all levels, the vast majority can transform so that it is not a way to keep children away of the adult world.

One of these issues is related to the consumption of tea, more specifically with the traditional Japanese Tea ceremony. Although children cannot take this type of infusions Because they contain caffeine, we can look for options free of this substance to be able to share a different and special moment with them. This ancestral ceremony from the Japanese culture can be an experience to share with the smallest of the house.

What is the Japanese tea ceremony

The Japanese tea ceremony comes from the Zen philosophy, one of the best known Buddhist schools in the world. This ceremony is everything a ritual, full of spirituality and feeling that give the moment of tea a special character. Beyond a careful and refined way of drinking tea, it is a way of purifying the soul, making it connect with nature.

This ceremony is based on four fundamental pillars, harmony, purity, respect and tranquility. The atmosphere, the utensils used to celebrate the ceremony, the calm movements, everything becomes a ritual full of magic and mysticism. What for Westerners is nothing more than a routine, a drink that is taken at different times of the day, for Japanese culture it is a spiritual ritual.

How to do a tea ceremony with children

The tea ceremony should be performed slowly, calmly and achieving an atmosphere of peace. So that it is perfect for teaching children to calm down and connect with others family members through a ritual. To be as close to reality as possible, you must prepare the environment carefully and with care. Lower the light in the room, place rugs and cushions on the floor, you can also put some soft incense.

Prepare at the table all the utensils for the tea ceremony, for the children you can serve chamomile, infusion of flowers, of ginger or a rooibos tea, which does not contain theine and has a very rich taste for children. During the ceremony, shoes must be left outside the room and you must sit on your knees near the table. The host must previously clean each utensil before proceeding to serve the tea.

While this entire process is going on, all guests must be silent, observing how the tea is prepared and trying to connect spiritually with the host. For the children to understand and adapt it, explain to them that they should be silent, and pay close attention to everything you are doing while you prepare and serve the tea.

Any experience is good to enjoy with the family

Now more than ever we have to spend time at home, to protect our health and that of everyone else. Therefore, it is necessary find different activities to share with the children at home. If it is also about different and enriching activities such as the tea ceremony, we will be cultivating our children. Take the opportunity to talk with the children about the different cultures that exist in the world.

Oriental culture is so different from ours, so rich and full of mysticism, that it surely becomes something attractive for the little ones. Talk to them about the customs of the inhabitants of these places, their way of life, their music or their way of dressing. Everything there is so different that children will be surprised, so much so that they themselves will ask you to know more about the different ways of life in the rest of the world.