1. Children’s Spirituality Mary Hawes January 2011

2. Children’s Spirituality Painting by numbers?

3. Children’s Spirituality Baby/toddler 3 – 5 years 5 – 7 years 8 – 11 years Looking at the landscape…..

4. Children’s Spirituality  Children…have spiritual abilities that defy conventional chronological categories of faith development. Religious faith does not develop in quite the same way as other parts of our bodies and minds from small to large or from immature to mature. Growing up, in fact, does not guarantee spiritual development. Bonnie J. Miller-McLemore

5. Children’s Spirituality  Full of potential

6. Children’s Spirituality  Children should be helped to develop the spiritual qualities of wonder and inner peace – and the sense of something greater than themselves……No child is complete without some passionate spiritual engagement of this kind.  A Good Childhood: Layard & Dunn

7. Children’s Spirituality Children’s Spirituality EverydayIntegrated Depth Surprise Challenge Erratic Verbal and Non-verbal Endangered

8. Children’s Spirituality  Nourishing the roots  Being shaped  Shooting and fruiting

9. Children’s Spirituality  S pace  P rocess  I magination  R elationship  I ntimacy  T rust

10. Children’s Spirituality SPACE  Physical  Focus  Threshold to the sacred  Emotional  Stillness and silence

11. Children’s Spirituality PROCESS  Journey not end result  Genuine open questions  Opportunity to explore

12. Children’s Spirituality IMAGINATION  Looking at things differently  Spontaneity  Opening windows not closing doors

13. Children’s Spirituality RELATIONSHIP  More than words  Depth of engagement  Integrity  With each other  With God

14. Children’s Spirituality INTIMACY  Coming close  Feeling safe  Becoming vulnerable

15. Children’s Spirituality TRUST  Trusting the child  Trusting God  Trusting the material

16. Children’s Spirituality Church/Collective Worship child-friendly? child-spirituality friendly? What are the foundations we are laying to support the child’s spiritual growth?

17. Children’s Spirituality

18. Going for Growth  Growth… In spirituality In understanding In quality of care and nurture In children and young people themselves

19. Going for Growth: theology Made in God’s image Called to be active citizens Created to be in relationship

20. Going for Growth: principles Precious and valued Reflecting the values of the Kingdom Importance and quality of relationship

21. Going for Growth: action Enabling encounters Providing support and development Embracing transformation and change

22. Children’s Spirituality http://www.going4growth.org.uk

23. Children’s Spirituality  Children’s Spirituality Dr Rebecca Nye

24. Children’s Spirituality Through the Eyes of a Child ed. Richards and Privett

25. Children’s Spirituality