Teaching Godly Play

This revised and expanded version of Godly Play founder Jerome Berryman's 1995 handbook is for current and future users of Godly Play. With this revision, the book's original formatting has been redesigned to complement the eight volumes in The Complete Guide to Godly Play series. Illustrations have also been updated, and the text now better reflects the playful spirit of Godly Play. Up-to-date research in childhood development and instruction has also been incorporated in this comprehensive update.

A method for families to share the biblical story at home and learn the practice of sharing one another’s stories as part of God’s Story. Using Godly Play® methods, Jerome Berryman offers families a way of nourishing faith in the home while supporting children’s spiritual growth through the practice of “storying,” our most ancient way of making meaning. This book offers “storying” rituals and techniques from Godly Play for exploring the meaning of Christmas, Easter, Creation, the Parable of the Good Shepherd, Pentecost, and the Trinity to give sustenance to the family’s flow, play, love, and spirituality. Stories of God at Home follows the rhythm of life’s cycles (birth, death, earth, life, God, and depth) in telling biblical stories and shows how parents and caretakers can grasp their role with children using classic children’s literature.

Meaningful, lasting learning comes from childlike curiosity and play. The approach of this book is to make relgious instruction fun, spontaneous and deeply spiritual. Godly Play is a practical yet innovative approach to religious education--becoming childlike in order to teach children.

In this unique approach to learning and classroom management, Jerome Berryman uses Montessori religious-education methods to develop a partnership between children and leaders. The program is non-denominational. The book contains reproducible handouts. Key Benefits: Offers an alternative to the same old way of teaching religion to children; Teaches children how to "learn and work" together; Provides techniques for teachers that help children develop spiritually regardless of denominational affiliation or curriculum used; Shows how children can seek and find their own answers to their faith questions; Illustrates how to involve parents and the rest of the congregation in the spiritual development of children.

An imaginative method for presenting scripture stories to children

The authors have devised an exciting way to introduce three- to - seven year olds to the wonder of worship. Activities are developed around the order of worship commonly used in Reformed churches: assemble in God's name; proclaim, give thanks to and go in God's name.

The key people whose stories are told in this volume enrich and extend the core narrative, which tells how the People of God sought the elusive presence of God. Welcome to The Complete Guide to Godly Play, Volume 6. In this volume Jerome Berryman has gathered together fifteen enrichment presentations to be integrated with Volume 2. Introduce these new presentations to the children when they are ready for more. When will that be? Our experience has shown that if children have Godly Play form at an early age, they will be ready for more at about age seven, but every child is different and therefore every circle of children is different. It is recommended that these lessons not be used until after the core lessons of Volumes 2, 3, and 4 have been told for a minimum of 2-3 years. A fluency in the core stories helps enhance the use of the Volume 6 lessons as they are used to deepen the meaning of the core stories. What's inside Volume 6: 15 Enrichment Presentations for Fall? All the information you need to present the Enrichment Lessons for Fall to the children in your Godly Play Room. Enrichment Lesson 1: Second Creation: The Falling Apart Enrichment Lesson 2: The Story of Abraham Enrichment Lesson 3: The Story of Sarah Enrichment Lesson 4: The Story of Jacob Enrichment Lesson 5: The Story of Joseph Enrichment Lesson 6: The Story of Moses Enrichment Lesson 7: The Story of Ruth Enrichment Lesson 8: The Story of Samuel Enrichment Lesson 9: The Story of King David Enrichment Lesson 10: The Story of the Prophet Elijah Enrichment Lesson 11: The Story of the Prophet Isaiah Enrichment Lesson 12: The Story of Prophet Jeremiah Enrichment Lesson 13: The Story of Prophet Ezekiel Enrichment Lesson 14: The Story of Daniel Enrichment Lesson 15: The Story of Job

An internationally recognized Christian formation program. This 4-volume series presents an imaginative approach for telling scripture stories that invites children to wonder about themselves, God and the world in a way that is playful and meaningful to them. Based on the Montessori teaching method, Godly Play outlines specific storytelling techniques and use of story figures that encourage children to respond through a variety of creative activities. This method is greatly respectful of the innate spirituality of children and encourages them to use their curiosity and imagination to experience the mystery and joy of God. Volume 1 contains all of the material you will need to become familiar with the Godly Play approach, with detailed information on creating a special space for children and techniques for presenting each lesson.