Jun 8, 2020 | Security
Help children build a spiritual vocabulary, using the same methods as when you taught them basic vocabulary words. When they learned animal names, you had picture books of animals, “Where’s the bird? What does the bird say?” And when you went outdoors, “See the bird? Hear the bird?“
Spiritual vocabulary in kid lit
Use children’s literature in the same way. It’s packed with stories about the human spirit developing and prevailing. When you read to children, emphasize and repeat age-appropriate spiritual vocabulary words such as right, wrong, conscience, character, wise, forgive, as these concepts come up in the book.
Spiritual vocabulary in your conversation
Use these vocabulary words in normal everyday conversations. As children get older, you can move on to words like mindful, ethics, purpose, presence, worship, spirit, soul, self and reason.
When they know words like these, they’ll be equipped with a vocabulary to express themselves as they begin to work out the complexities of life. With greater self-assurance, they might talk freely and listen non-judgmentally to others, thus understanding how normal and widespread is the spiritual dimension of life.
Feb 18, 2020 | Security
Trouble is here to stay, and with it, people’s right to think their own kind or cruel thoughts, feel their own hate or love, do good or bad. In our troubles, we have God who shares them with us.
Conversation starter:
Main idea: God stays with you in ugly situations. You can’t see God with your eyes, but God is there with you in times of trouble, and you’re not alone.
Meditation: “Do not be afraid and do not panic. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:6
Let’s talk: Describe a time when you were in a situation where only God could help you. What do you think God did in that moment?
Dec 9, 2019 | Nurture
Today we celebrate the 6th anniversary of the Child-Centered Spirituality website.
Thank you….
With gratitude to you who read us on Facebook, in your email box, and on the blogsite. Some of you find us on Pinterest and share with others the beautiful posters made by Alisha Ule.
Two highlights of my own year
A move back to Southern California heads my list of highlights and a close second is all that I gained in two years living in Northern California. While there, I found enjoyment through working in the hospitality business for the first time, and in living close to family.
Workshop offered — Book published
We now offer a workshop to your group, faith community or organization: “Spiritual Styles: How does a child most naturally connect with God?” Especially valuable for Sunday School teachers and family members. Contact me at janet@childcenteredspirituality.com.
In addition to the bimonthly blog, we’ve seen publication of the book: Child-Centered Spirituality: Helping Children Develop Their Own Spirituality.
Coming — for schools and churches
Several years ago, the Barna Group published an incredible statistic. It found that less than 10% of families have spiritual conversations in the home. This includes families who are a regular part of a faith community!
Recently I’ve been working on a series called Kids & God @Home. When I gather 52 short (<150 words) entries, I will make them available to parochial schools and churches. The purpose is to use them in the school newsletter or church program/bulletin so that families can more easily make spirituality part of their home life.
Best wishes for your holiday season!
Aug 19, 2019 | Direction
Assume that children have some sort of connection with God. A friend overheard an exchange between his young son and a neighbor boy. They were talking about praying. The boy said, “I pray in my bed but I don’t tell my parents about it because they don’t pray.”
There can be benefits to including spiritual conversations in everyday life. Maybe not literally every day. Just often enough to impress that spirituality is worth talking about.
Conversation Starter
Main idea: When you understand that God actually listens when you talk to him, you’ll find that God is a loyal friend.
Meditation: God said, “In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.” Jeremiah 29:12-13
Let’s talk: When did you talk to God lately? How did that feel?
Aug 13, 2018 | Nurture
“Awe is the feeling of being in the presence of something vast or beyond human scale, that transcends our current understanding of things,” according to Dacher Keltner. He leads UC Berkeley’s Social Interaction Lab and he helped Facebook create the recent additions of emoji’s to the Like feature.
When is the last time you felt awe?
For me, it was experiencing a whole sequence of events line up so that I was in the right place at the right time to be of assistance to someone. The sheer number of converging variables demanded an explanation beyond coincidence.
For Immanuel Kant: “Two things awe me most, the starry sky above me and the moral law within me.”
Michael Lerner says: “Nothing is more contagious than genuine love and genuine care. Nothing is more exhilarating than authentic awe and wonder.” He says that the universe produces a feeling of awe for him.
Goodness. Beauty. Truth.
Adults and children alike experience awe. We hold that in common. Feeling amazed by goodness, beauty or truth seems to be a universal human response. I ask myself, “Is awe one of the pathways God provides for humanity to experience God? Could it be that feelings of awe are yet another attempt made by a loving God to connect with each of us? How can I provide awe-inspiring experiences for the children in my life?”
Ideas for kids
The second half of this article gives specific ideas of how families can experience awe.
Paula Scott, from her article here on awe, adds another idea, “High school teacher Julie Mann takes her students on ‘Awe Walks’ to connect with nature or art. When they write about these experiences and share them in the classroom, she says, kids who never talk in class or pay attention come to life. ‘It helps them feel less marginalized, with a sense that life is still good.’ She suggests journaling, collage, photography, drawing as ways for students to reflect about awe for time, space, amazing events and people.”
Click to Tweet: We call it goosebumps, spine-tingling, tears in our eyes amazement. Good ideas here to add more wonder to everyday life. Click to Tweet
Help children build a spiritual vocabulary, using the same methods as when you taught them basic vocabulary words. When they learned animal names, you had picture books of animals, “Where’s the bird? What does the bird say?” And when you went outdoors, “See the bird? Hear the bird?“
