Card decks are a special way to engage young girls. You may have a personal connection to pulling cards and what that ritual means to you or you might just like to try something different as an ice-breaker. We’ve found that introducing our favourite cards to our students gives them an opportunity to open their hearts to each other.

How to Use Them

Affirmations Cards and Question Cards are terrific ice breakers for workshops! The girls may have never seen cards before. Be sure to explain a bit about the deck, how you found them, and why you think they’d love them too. Cards can be fanned in a circle at the centre of a girl’s gathering. Cards can be displayed on a table as guests arrive, so they’re entertained.

Show them how to pull a card. Invite them to ponder something or someone in their life that they’d clarity on. If they draw a blank, that’s OK. They can wave their hand over the cards to select one they’re drawn to.

You’ll notice that the right cards will pop up naturally. Allow each girl time to read the card she chose. Invite them to share if they’d like. If they’re feeling shy, that’s OK. Move along to the next smiling face. It’s a good time to ask why that card may have appeared for her.

– P a u s e –

Take a deep breath in as the girls do what girls do. Gibber. Gabber. It’s beautiful to witness tweens and teens lifting each other up. In your warm presence, they’ll eventually open up as the class goes on. Once each girl has had a turn, put the cards back in the pile. Or, if you’d like, allow the girls to keep their cards. However you work with the cards is perfect.

Have a look at Shine From Within’s favorite card decks. We love so many!  Maybe your spirit will be moved by the colours, symbols, and sayings.  

Note: it’s important to always ensure that the cards are age appropriate for your group of girls.

Sarah Wilders’ Animal Oracle Cards

This 60 card deck contains unique and whimsy water coloured animal portraits, each linked to a classical element and word or mantra association. It also comes with a guidebook. (This deck is by far the favourites with all of our students!!)

Michelle Marie McGraths’ Self-Love Cards

The purpose of this 44-card deck is to promote self-love and acceptance. You are unique and irreplaceable. These self-love cards are gentle reminders.

St. Luke Innovative Resources ‘Girltopia’ Cards

These exquisitely designed cards have been created to encourage a spirit of inquiry, non-judgement, acceptance, curiosity, reflection and celebration among girls and women. Arranged in five suits, Girltopia can be used to help foster the many important conversations necessary to support girls as they mature to adulthood. Such conversations can be part of strategies for working with issues like body image, self-esteem, depression, eating disorders, sexualisation and bullying.

Top Five Question Cards

The simplest tool to increase your happiness. (And it fits inside your pocket.)With these 50 thought-provoking questions, you’ll be able to hone in on high points of your day, figure out what makes you happy, and build a confident mindset so that you can live the way you want to live, and feel the way you want to feel.

Over to you. Have you got any experience of working with card decks and youth? What’s your favourite card deck to use with girls? Use your voice in the comments below.

Keep shining,

Amanda + the Shine From Within team

xx

P.S. Interested in learning more about running your own workshops for teens? Read all about our Youth Mentor Training and sign up to receive info on our next intake here.  Or sign up below to our general mailing list.