Inside: Practicing affirmations is such a magical way to engage the power of positive thinking. Making them together with your kids and calling them dragon spells is a sure way to have fun and make them stick.

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When my daughter came up to me looking very serious, and asked me to help her with making a spell that works, I was stumped for a good response.

“Spells are just pretend,” sounded like something a very boring mother would say.

And, “Sure, let’s do it” sounded over-optimistic. The last time I tried doing spells was when I was 7, and I was trying to cast a spell on my parents to get me a dog. I didn’t get a dog until I was 13. We can say my spell worked, right?

But then, in a fit of inspiration, I thought, what if we use the power of words, like in affirmations, to do spells?

The power of affirmations has been proven time and again: not only do they help boost one’s self-esteem, but they can also be used to help manifest goals and dreams into reality.

Dragon spell affirmations

Friends, it turned out to be so much fun! We all laughed. The kids shrieked with delight. And most importantly, they now believe in the power of positive affirmations or the magic of directing energy to produce the desired effect. We call them “magic spells” for now.

What you need

A candle or two and something to start the fire

A cup or case (you can have one for each child or just one for the whole family)

A plate to put a cup on to contain the mess

Baking soda

Vinegar

(Optional) A stirring stick

Food coloring of your choice  (red looked very dramatic in candlelight)

(Optional) Yummy smelling oils (we used peppermint)

 

What to do

Do this activity when it’s dark outside to make it more mysterious and memorable.

Light a candle (or two) and set it in the middle of the table.

Everyone sits around the table in candlelight. Invited kids to ponder what they want to be good at or what they want to achieve.

If your kids have trouble getting started, invite them to pick something they especially admire about dragons (which is often a trait they wish they had).

Dragon Traits for Dragon Spells

• determination,
• courage,
• curiosity,
• resourcefulness,
• strength,
• sharp intuition,
• math wizardly,
• assertiveness,
• ability to learn anything, etc.

Stir your kids towards something useful for their affirmation spell. For example, when one of my kids picked the ability to breathe fire, I said, “Home Fire Prevention and Safety Committee wouldn’t let us keep a fire-breathing child around. Pick something dragonish you can really use in your life today.” So, my son brainstormed something along the lines of, “I want to have enough determination to destroy every obstacle in my way!” And his final affirmation/spell turned out to be, “My determination is like a fire burning within me, it propels me forward to my greatness.”

When another kid picked the ability to fly, I said, “Not practical. The Federal Aviation Administration strictly forbids an unsupervised child flying. And you can’t get a pilot license until you are 16. Let’s pick something you can use right now. How about the courage to soar instead?” The final affirmation/spell became, “I take smart risks and fly into the unknown.”

Bibbiti-Bobbiti-Boo!

Once you write down the desired dragon trait slash affirmation on a piece of paper, give it to each child. Instruct him/her to hold it tightly squeezed in his/her hands, ask the universe for that trait silently, breeze deeply five times, and when everyone is ready, say together Bibbiti-bobbiti-boo! As we wish it will come true!  (You might need a couple of tries because everyone might be laughing so hard, they might have a hard time getting the words out).

After the laughs die out, ask the kids to tear their pieces of paper into tiny pieces while you put baking soda and food coloring in a cup (or cups). Kids can either put the pieces into their little cauldrons or burn them in a safe manner. (We have two fire extinguishers 🙂

Warning: vinegar is very dangerous for the eyes, so if your kids are very little, use only one cup and set it in the middle of the table, away from little faces. Only use fire if you are confident little hands are not going to grab it. 

Once kids are ready, pour vinegar in their cups cauldrons. If they are old enough, they can pour it themselves.

This magic brew was created by mixing baking soda, vinegar, and yellow food coloring.

Notice all that fizzing and foaming? It’s a sure sign that the universe accepted your request. Wink. Wink. If kids are receptive, you can explain the chemical reaction between baking soda and vinegar and the product of their reaction called carbon dioxide gas.

When you notice your kids losing interest in the vinegar explosion, proclaim, “Consider it done,” blow the candle(s) out, and … now is a good time to cuddle on a coach with a good dragon book.

What dragon trait would you wish for yourself? I think the ability to always understand where my kids are coming from would be great 🙂

If you are looking for more ways to play with affirmations/spells, try this useful Book of Spells for wizards of all ages. The idea of using affirmation rock crafts for kids is another increasingly popular way to empower kids to build a strong sense of self-worth.

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