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09/24/2021

Spirituality and Children – New Definition, New Understandings

My mission is not merely to survive, but to thrive, and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.
Maya Angelou

Lois Ingellis begins an article called “Seeking a New Definition of Spirituality” this way:

“I have always had an interest in the spirituality of children, and so when ExchangeEveryDay echoed this call from Amelia Richardson Dress—‘We need a new definition of spirit and spirituality that is separate from religion and religious education’—I contacted a few of my colleagues and asked them to join me in this inquiry.”

Her conversation with Carol Garboden Murray, Vonetta Rhodes and Frances Rofrano resulted in an article that became the foundation of a new Exchange ReflectionsThe thoughtful colleagues pondered what spirituality really means, and how early care and education practitioners can support it. The Reflections invites individuals or groups of people to ponder such questions as whether spirituality is “rooted in relationship;” if providing nurturing care for children might help nurture their spiritual development; and if time in nature and time in silence might allow children the chance to connect with a “deeper awareness,”…“the goodness and empathy we have always observed in our babies and young children.”
 


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