Tea with Kids
Everything you need to know about our simple daily ritual.
We introduced each of our children to tea around the age of two. Eric and I drink tea daily, so they naturally started showing curiosity and we encouraged it, beginning with caffeine-free fruity, herbal blends and a large spoonful of honey, cooled for little hands using an ice cube or two.
Give Them the Tools
We’ve always served tea to the kids in porcelain teacups – it’s part of the attraction - they feel grown-up using them. We found that allowing our children to use the same cups as the adults gave them greater respect for the process and the ritual of afternoon tea.
In our house, precious things are meant to be used and loved, and I can think of no one who finds a teacup more special than a child using it for the first time. Do accidents happen? Of course they do. But children gain appreciation for precious things when we give them our trust. Now that mine are older, they each have their own unique mugs. The use of said mugs keeps them interested and offers ownership of teatime – an expression of self within the tradition.
Make Them Part of the Process
We don’t serve our children tea, we prepare it alongside them, allowing them to measure and add tea leaves to the infusers, fill the kettle with water, turn it on and, as they’ve gotten older, pour the water. They add their own honey and milk. Does it get messy? Sometimes. But they’re learning and we’re giving them the space to do so.
Caffeine Intake
Do we let them drink caffeinated tea? Occasionally. In small amounts. In the morning or early afternoon. Many cozy flavored teas (like our Pantry Hill blend!) have black tea in them, and they enjoy those types of tea too. We’re just careful not to over-indulge.
Types of Tea
Loose (Dry)
You can buy this from a tea shop or grocery store (or dry your own herbs). Use an infuser to steep the recommended amount of tea leaves per cup. Don’t be afraid to play with measurements and steep times until you find your preference. Here’s a great loose leaf herbal tea for children: Greek Mountain Tea
Bagged
Tea bags have gotten a bad rap lately (no pun intended) for the microplastics in many bags. Look for biodegradable unbleached tea sachets. These are two of our favorite bagged herbal teas from our friends at Saratoga Tea & Honey Co:
Fresh
This is my favorite way to engage our children in teatime. We pick our own herbs from the garden, and they make their own blends. There really is no wrong way to go about it, if you’re sure the leaves they picked are edible and haven’t been exposed to chemicals. Our boys play around with quantity, steep time and flavors. They’ve also learned which herbs are beneficial for different medicinal purposes – cold or fever? Catmint. Stress? Lemon balm.
Simply pick a tablespoon or two of the leaves and flowers, add to an infuser or directly into the cup, and steep in hot water for the desired length of time (get creative with it!). I find an 8-10 minute steep time is how we most like our fresh tea. Remove infuser or spoon out the loose leaves. Add some honey, enjoy!
See our Herbal Tea Garden Guide for notes on how to start your own.
Building Confidence with Every Cup
Not only is afternoon tea a great time to connect with our children after a busy day, but when we allow them to fully participate in, learn from and own the process, there’s a great sense of pride and confidence that comes with that kind of knowledge and self-sufficiency. All that in a cup of tea!
Learn more in this Tea with Kids bonus episode of our new show, Afternoon Tea at Pantry Hill.
