Sharing the magic of Beltane with kids is a great way to introduce them to the magic of the season. Beltane is a celebration of spring and nature’s fertility. It’s an ancient festival that originated in Celtic and Gaelic Europe. Beltane marks the halfway point between the spring equinox and the summer solstice, and it celebrates spring’s peak and summer’s coming. It’s a time when nature is alive with vitality and warmth.
This is the last of three fertility festivals. It celebrates physical desires and lust. Many animals have mating seasons around this time.
Of course, the aspect of lust and physical prowess isn’t something you’ll want to involve your kids in. But there are plenty of Beltane activities that are much more family-friendly.
These are 9 activities that can be done to celebrate spring and May. Many of the activities are outdoor because this is a great time of year to celebrate the outdoors, but some are arts and crafts ideas that allow your kids to be creative.
Have a scavenger hunt
The symbols of spring will be everywhere this time of year.
Plants that are associated with Beltane include daisies, daffodils, tulips, lilacs, Hawthorne, and honeysuckle, to name a few. Animals include bees, butterflies, ladybugs, and frogs. Birds active during this time include swallows, robins, blackbirds, and wrens.
A scavenger hunt can be educational as well. You can cultivate an interest in nature and science and teach kids how to identify different bird species and plant species.
You could even include some facts about each bird species.
Go on a nature walk and leave offerings for fairies
In Celtic mythology, Beltane is a time when the separation between our world and the fae world was at its thinnest. Some fairies are good luck, while others are mischievous.
Fairies are the guardians of nature, and leaving offerings near their favorite places can bring good luck.
Fairies are attracted to nature, including streams, fountains, herb gardens with stones, and plants near ponds. These are places where signs of natural energy are present and where the elements meet, like flowers that grow near streams.
Leave them anything natural. Bread, honey, a bowl of water from a stream, mushrooms, plums, flowers, etc. Just make sure whatever you leave for them isn’t harmful to the environment because fairies are guardians of nature.
Make Fairy houses
You can have your children make fairy houses to put on display, similar to making gingerbread houses during Christmas time. You can make it a contest with prizes.
Use things around your house, especially natural materials. Avoid plastic. Encourage creativity and individuality.
Make flower crowns
Make crowns of flowers and spring symbols. Go out to your garden and collect flowers like roses, daffodils, and peonies. Add filler flowers like baby breath.
Go to the craft store and pick out the items you’ll need. Wires, scissors, glue guns, and maybe a few floral decorations you can’t find outside.
Later, you can use the flower crowns to put on a May festival.
Make a maypole and have a maypole dance
The Maypole is a symbol of fertility during Beltane. You can find a tree, use it as a maypole, and have your kids create ribbons to use in the maypole dance.
Come up with a few Beltane songs for kids to sing as they dance around the maypole. You could even turn this into a chance to teach kids about dances and songs around the world that involve spring.
Since Beltane has its roots in Celtic culture, try this Irish dance:
Picnic
Have picnics in a flower garden with lots of seasonal treats. Foods that represent the season include honey, Beltane cakes, seasonal fruit like strawberries, and floral edibles like roses.
You and your kids can bake Beltane cakes and then share them with kids in the neighborhood. There are plenty of recipes for honey cakes and sweet treats. Honey is a symbol of Beltane; you could even teach your kids about bees and beekeeping. This is a fun way to get your kids involved with the season and cultivate a love for nature. Beltane is a time for connection.
Make baskets
Your kids could make floral baskets with some baked treats and toys and take them to some kids who are less fortunate than them.
They could learn a little about basketry and weaving, and you can take them to the toy store and have them pick something out that they want to give to another child who is less fortunate than them.
Learn about spring
You can be educational and help kids understand why we have spring. Why does the way the Earth orbits the sun contribute to spring? Learn how it’s different in other parts of the world.
You could also learn about the ancient Celts, their history, and culture, as well as how other cultures worldwide see spring. The Japanese cherry festival is an example of a spring festival that’s usually celebrated around this time of year.
Bonfire and crowning of the May queen
Have a ceremony for the crowning of the May king and queen. Have a bonfire at the event.
After you’ve danced around the maypole, enjoyed a picnic, and left an offering for the face, it’s time to crown the May king and queen. This could be a whole neighborhood event. Have a coronation with your flower crowns, and choose your fae court. You can try to include every kid there. Besides a king and queen, your court may need a princess, a knight, and other nobles.
Then, after the crowning and coronation, have a bonfire. Go to the beach or the park and have a fire where you can roast s’mores and share stories. Look up some fun folklore about spring to share with kids.
You can also teach your kids about competition and being a good winner and loser this way. Pick two kids to be king and queen, and they will have that honor and title for an entire year. Then, when Beltane rolls around again, they have to give up their title, and another pair of kids can be chosen.
What about teens?
Don’t forget about your older kids! Beltane is the festival of unity; you could have a May dance for teens. Have couples take part in faux handfasting ceremonies and crown the may queen of the dance.
A celebration of masculine energy
I like to see this as a celebration of masculinity. Imbolc, Ostara, and Beltane are the three fertility festivals in the Wheel of the Year. I see Imbolc as a festival of femininity, Ostara as a festival of new life, and Beltane as a festival of masculinity.
You could have that component at your celebration. It is a celebration of masculinity and men and a way to honor the men in your life. Have a big party to celebrate men. Take your husband, father, brother, etc., out to eat. Give him some time off and celebrate him. And expect the same during Imbolc!
Conclusion
These are nine activities you can do with kids to celebrate Beltane and spring. You can turn them all into year-round events that kids will look forward to, and that will become a tradition they can pass down to later generations.
And if you are looking for some decorations for Beltane, check out Rogues Hallow for your crystal and witchy decor needs!
