Children S Spirituality In Early Childhood Education

This pioneering volume provides a thorough understanding of children’s spirituality from a holistic development perspective and explores the ways early childhood educators can nurture spirituality in the secular classroom. Making a critical distinction between spirituality and religion, this book draws on conceptual and empirical research, as well as authentic classroom vignettes to explore how theory translates into practice. Inviting readers to examine how their beliefs inform their practices, Children’s Spirituality in Early Childhood Education offers a purposeful window into supporting children’s learning and development with a focus on their souls, making it important reading for teachers, teacher candidates, researchers, and teacher educators in the field of early childhood education.

An introduction to the increasingly popular topic of children's spirituality, showing how choices made in churches and homes can stimulate or stifle a child's spiritual development. Suitable for anyone who works with children.

Explores the spiritual dimension of education, and discusses ways to nourish the spiritual development of adolescents in public schools without violating anyone's legal rights.

Spirituality is frequently avoided in the public school classroom in an attempt to prevent controversy. However, by ignoring, preventing, or discounting spirituality, educators can also inhibit children’s spiritual development. Based on qualitative research and interactions with both children and adults, Jennifer Mata argues that educators should be responsible for addressing children’s spirituality in the classroom and for re-introducing these topics into early childhood education. By surveying the existing literature on spirituality, Mata offers a working definition of spirituality as an essential characteristic of humanness, which helps connect individuals to themselves, others, and to the transcendent. The book portrays stories and descriptions of four kindergarten children in their classroom setting, exploring their different modes of expressing and experiencing spirituality. Finally, Spiritual Experiences in Early Childhood Education offers a review of pedagogical strategies to nurture spirituality, for both teachers to implement in the classroom and teacher educators to facilitate in teacher preparation programs.

This ground-breaking collected volume features multiple voices from the field that, together, offer an extensive and balanced examination of the contemporary, historical, and philosophical influences that shape early childhood education and care in Canada today. Showcasing uniquely Canadian narratives, perspectives, and histories, the text provides a superb foundation in the key topics and approaches of the field, including Indigenous ways of knowing, holistic education, play, the nature of childhood, developmental approaches, and the impact of educational philosophers and theorists such as Rousseau and Dewey. The authors discuss current and reimagined themes such as children’s rights, diversity and inclusion, multimodality, ecology, and Indigenous education in the context of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Featuring chapters by academics from across Canada that explore the field’s history and future, as well as guiding questions to support reader engagement, Early Years Education and Care in Canada is a fundamental resource for students, academics, practitioners, and policymakers in early childhood education and care.

Bridging Theory and Practice in Children's Spirituality explores the different contexts, methods, and situations that influence and foster a child's spirituality and faith development. Through a blend of theoretical understanding held in tension with practical application, it equips those who are in, or being prepared for, the varied contexts where children are spiritually formed. It represents a broad range of Christian expression writing from a Christ-centered perspective that furthers the conversation about the next steps in children's spirituality and faith development. Moving beyond the basics of faith nurture and what makes for effective ministry, this resource deepens our understanding of the practices in children's lives by bringing together the best of theory and practice and includes contributions from: Dr. Scottie May (Wheaton College) Dr. Kevin Lawson (Biola University) Dr. Erik Carter (Vanderbilt University) John Roberto (Vibrant Faith) Dr. Dana Kennamer Pemberton (Abilene Christian University) Dr. Shirley Morganthaler (Concordia University - Chicago) Dr. Holly Catterton Allen (Lipscomb University) Dr. Robert Keeley (Calvin College and Calvin Seminary) Dr. Mimi Larson (Wheaton College) Lacy Finn Borgo ( Renovaré Institute) and others. Pastors, professors, seminary students and children's ministry leaders and practitioners all believe that nurturing a child's spiritual development is important. Yet often they are unsure about which current trends should be embraced. This book will help equip these people with the grounding needed to evaluate trends and with specific suggestions for moving forward. With short, accessibly written chapters it helps pastors and leaders stay up to date with current trends and is an excellent resource for teaching in college and seminary classrooms.

Analyzes the spiritual formation of young children and calls for renewed attention to scripture and the involvement of families in the process.

Inspiring Wonder, Awe, and Empathy offers a series of thoughtful practices for child care providers to nurture a child’s spiritual development—an extension of social-emotional learning. The book helps educators introduce young children to a system that begins with love and leads to a strong sense of self, ignites wonder and learning, and allows for the emergence of empathy that leads to personal wholeness. You can provide support and strengthen children’s self-awareness through deep connections, increased social awareness, and pro-social behaviors, such as kindness, caring, empathy, and reverence. Spiritual development moments help children to grow, explore, play, and ask big questions. Dr. Deborah Schein has been an early childhood educator since 1972. She has a BS in psychology from the University of Southern California at Santa Barbara, a master's degree in education with a focus on curriculum and instruction from Cleveland State University, and a PhD in early childhood education from Walden University. Deborah currently works as an educational consultant and teaches online early childhood graduate courses Champlain College. She offers workshops across the country for national movements and participates in webinars about the connection between spiritual development and nature education for young children. She now lives in St. Louis Park, Minnesota.