About My First Tarot
A magical tool for reflection and imagination ✨
Built on a foundation of rigorous research in child development, therapeutic practice, and emotional intelligence
🔬 Built on Science, Not Fortune-Telling
My First Tarot is a research-backed emotional literacy tool for children ages 4-7. While we use the tarot card structure (78 cards organized into meaningful themes), we've replaced mysticism with developmental psychology and evidence-based therapeutic approaches.
Think of it as: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy meets Growth Mindset research, organized into a framework children love—wrapped in beautiful, engaging imagery designed specifically for young minds.
This isn't adapted from adult tarot. It's built from the ground up using peer-reviewed research in child development.
📚 The Research Foundation
Every card reflects synthesis of hundreds of hours of research across multiple disciplines:
Developmental Psychology (Piaget, Vygotsky)
- • Piaget's Preoperational Stage (ages 2-7): Cards match concrete thinking capabilities—observable, concrete language exclusively
- • Attention Span Research: Activities designed for 8-12 min (age 4), 12-18 min (age 5), 15-21 min (age 6-7)
- • Language Development: Sentence length calibrated—4-5 words (ages 4-5), up to 10 words (ages 6-7)
- • Theory of Mind Development: Empathy cards emerge at ages 5-6 when this capability develops
Evidence-Based Therapeutic Approaches
- • Play Therapy (Axline, Landreth): 60-70% effectiveness rate; techniques include tracking, reflecting, externalizing
- • CBT for Young Children (Friedberg & McClure): Concrete coping strategies, feelings-thoughts-behaviors connections
- • Mindfulness-Based Interventions (Kabat-Zinn): Breathing exercises, body awareness, grounding techniques
- • Narrative Therapy (White & Epston): Externalizing techniques, character-based learning
- • Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (de Shazer): Scaling questions, exception-finding, strength identification
Growth Mindset Research (Carol Dweck, Stanford)
- • Praise language at ages 1-3 predicts mindset five years later (Gunderson et al.)
- • Process praise ("you worked hard") builds resilience; person praise ("you're so smart") creates vulnerability
- • Zero person praise in our content; 100% process-focused language
- • "Yet" language throughout: "I can't do this... yet"
Emotional Intelligence Frameworks
- • RULER Approach (Marc Brackett, Yale): Recognize, Understand, Label, Express, Regulate
- • Zones of Regulation (Leah Kuypers): Color-coded emotional states for concrete awareness
- • Emotional Vocabulary Research: Progression from 41 words (ages 4-5) to 88+ words (ages 6-7)
Parent-Child Communication Research
- • Gottman's Emotion Coaching: 5-step framework embedded in parent guides
- • Attachment Theory (Bowlby, Ainsworth): Secure base and safe haven principles
- • Co-Regulation Research: Adult self-regulates first, then supports child
- • Faber & Mazlish: Validation techniques, active listening strategies
🎨 The Deck: 78 Cards Organized by Research
Our deck includes all 78 traditional tarot cards, completely reimagined:
⭐ Major Arcana (22 cards) - Big Life Themes
Important lessons and milestones adapted from traditional archetypes:
💛 Minor Arcana (56 cards) - Four Suits of Daily Life
From basic (happy, sad, mad, scared) to complex (disappointed, frustrated, jealous, grateful)
Imagination, trying new things, creative expression, big ideas
Making decisions, using words, problem-solving, standing up for yourself
Practicing skills, patience, persistence, taking care of yourself
💻 Why Digital? (The Screen Time Question)
We know you're trying to reduce screen time. Here's why this is different:
This Is Constructive Screen Time
- ✓ Not passive consumption: Requires your active presence and engagement
- ✓ Connection catalyst: Screen prompts real eye-contact conversation between you and child
- ✓ Built-in endpoints: No autoplay, no infinite scroll—activities naturally conclude
- ✓ Puts the screen down: Many activities prompt physical action away from device
Digital Advantages for Ages 4-7
- • Always accessible: Available exactly when you need it (7pm meltdown, first-day anxiety)
- • Can't be lost or destroyed: Physical cards get bent, sticky, lost—digital is pristine every time
- • Grows and evolves: We can incorporate feedback, update content based on latest research
- • Interactive elements: Animated breathing guides, touchable emotion faces—impossible with physical cards
- • More accessible: Lower price point than premium physical decks ($40+)
Designed Against Screen Addiction
Think of it like: Reading a digital storybook together, watching an educational video together, FaceTiming grandparents.
Not like: Scrolling TikTok, watching toy unboxing videos, gaming alone.
👨👩👧 How It Actually Works
For Your Child:
- 1. Chooses a spread (single card, past-present-future, etc.)
- 2. Draws their card with animation and anticipation
- 3. Sees beautiful illustration showing a diverse child experiencing their emotion
- 4. Hears validating language: 15-30 carefully chosen words that name their experience
- 5. Feels SEEN: Not fixed, not lectured, not dismissed—truly seen
For You (Simultaneously):
- 1. Learn emotion coaching while using it, not from a book read six months ago
- 2. Get conversation starters you'd never think of in the moment
- 3. Understand context: "Is this normal for their age?"
- 4. Know red flags: When to seek professional help, clearly stated
- 5. Build vocabulary: The language becomes natural; you internalize these skills
By the time you've used the deck regularly, you've trained yourself as an emotion coach.
💎 What Makes This Different
1. Dual-Content Design
Child side: Beautiful, engaging, validating
Parent side: Coaching, guidance, conversation starters, red flags
Both happen simultaneously—child engaged while you're learning
2. Growth Mindset Core
Every card reinforces: Effort over ability • Mistakes as learning opportunities • "Yet" language • Process praise (never person praise) • Challenge as growth, not threat
3. Emotional Vocabulary Building
Systematic progression following research on vocabulary acquisition: Ages 4-5 (6-8 basic emotions) → Ages 6-7 (15-20 nuanced emotions) with body-sensation connections
4. Ethically Bounded
Every relevant card includes "When to Seek Help" guidance. Crisis resources (988, 911) easily accessible.
🤝 Who This Supports
Perfect For:
- ✓ Parents wanting to build emotional intelligence but lacking tools/language
- ✓ Families navigating typical challenges: anxiety, frustration, friendship conflicts
- ✓ Parents who didn't learn emotional language growing up
- ✓ Supplement to therapy (ask your provider)
- ✓ Building deeper parent-child connection
Not Designed For:
- ✗ Acute crisis (call 988 or 911)
- ✗ Diagnosed conditions requiring treatment (use alongside, not instead)
- ✗ Passive screen time replacement
- ✗ Parents seeking hands-off solution (your presence required)
✨ What This Won't Do (Honest Limitations)
Won't:
- ✗ Replace professional therapy for clinical conditions
- ✗ Work without your engaged presence
- ✗ Fix problems overnight (skills build over time)
- ✗ Eliminate all tantrums and challenges
- ✗ Give you all the answers
Will:
- ✓ Give you language for real moments
- ✓ Create 5-10 minutes of genuine connection
- ✓ Teach you both to name and navigate emotions
- ✓ Build skills that compound over years
- ✓ Make connection with your child feel more natural
Your presence and engagement are required. That's not a limitation—that's the design.
🌱 Why We Built This
Emotional intelligence isn't optional. It's foundational.
Research shows children with strong emotional skills experience:
- • Better lifelong relationships
- • Higher academic achievement (emotion regulation predicts performance better than IQ)
- • Lower rates of anxiety and depression
- • Greater resilience through challenges
- • Healthier adult outcomes
But here's what really matters:
Your child deserves to feel truly seen. To have words for what's happening inside them. To know feelings aren't wrong or bad. To be understood.
And you deserve tools that actually help with the hardest work in the world—not generic advice that makes you feel inadequate, not expensive therapy you can't access, not one more thing adding to your overwhelm.
Real, research-backed, daily-use tools that make both of you feel more capable.
That's what we built.
The tarot structure was the unexpected framework that could hold comprehensive emotional content. The digital format made it accessible and interactive. The research made it credible and effective.
But the heart of it?
Helping parents and children understand each other better. One card at a time.
📖 Research Bibliography & Further Reading
For professionals, educators, and parents who want to dive deeper, we've compiled our complete research foundation.
Key Researchers Referenced:
And 50+ additional researchers across developmental psychology, clinical practice, and education
🚀 Ready to Begin?
❓ Questions?
Disclaimer: My First Tarot is an educational tool for emotional wellness, not a substitute for professional mental health care, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have concerns about your child's wellbeing, consult your pediatrician or a licensed mental health professional.
© 2025 My First Tarot - Created with love for curious little minds and their grown-ups ✨