I am often asked by preschool teachers and parents if it is possible to do Godly Play with toddlers. The answer to that question is a resounding "yes"! That having been said, certain adjustments have to made in order to respect the child's developmental stage.
Godly Play, in the form that I write about on this blog, is for children "ages 3-99" to quote Jerome and Thea Berryman, who developed Godly Play. Toddlers, however, are at a completely different stage of developmental that is driven by a physical curiosity to discover the world through the five senses. Because of this, the emphasis on "getting ready" is completely different with the toddler. The toddler is, in her developmentally specific way, already "ready" - ready to see, hear, feel, smell and taste anything in his path. And asking a toddler to get ready in any other way is impossible for the child.
Because of this, toddlers hear the story and "wonder" about it at the same time. (For a more detailed explanation of Wondering in Godly Play, see this article.) They wonder in the physical sense by touching the materials, and it is important to let them do this. Whereas with children ages 3 and up, we ask them to refrain from touching the materials until the story is over, the Storyteller actually allows and encourages a group of toddlers to touch everything during the story. As a result, I personally think that a group of only toddlers and younger babies works best. Having a mixed group of toddlers and older children could be a potential disaster, because the older children would be distracted and might find it unfair that the little ones can touch everything.
For the Response Time, it is wise to choose one activity for the toddlers. Too many choices can overwhelm children at that age. I would also try to have a Co-teacher if the group is larger than 2-3 toddlers.
My Godly Play mentor, Ulrike Labuhn, has written a book in German about "theologizing" with toddlers, having tested her theories with preschool teachers and toddlers at a preschool in Potsdam. Her book is called, Der Neugier der Kleinsten Raum Geben: Kinder fragen nach Gott und der Welt (Making Room for the Curiosity of Toddlers: Children ask about God and the World) , and you can read more about her ideas here. What I have learned about Godly Play with toddlers comes from her.
If any of you are working with toddlers, please leave a comment or link below. We'd love to learn from your experience!
Godly Play, in the form that I write about on this blog, is for children "ages 3-99" to quote Jerome and Thea Berryman, who developed Godly Play. Toddlers, however, are at a completely different stage of developmental that is driven by a physical curiosity to discover the world through the five senses. Because of this, the emphasis on "getting ready" is completely different with the toddler. The toddler is, in her developmentally specific way, already "ready" - ready to see, hear, feel, smell and taste anything in his path. And asking a toddler to get ready in any other way is impossible for the child.
Because of this, toddlers hear the story and "wonder" about it at the same time. (For a more detailed explanation of Wondering in Godly Play, see this article.) They wonder in the physical sense by touching the materials, and it is important to let them do this. Whereas with children ages 3 and up, we ask them to refrain from touching the materials until the story is over, the Storyteller actually allows and encourages a group of toddlers to touch everything during the story. As a result, I personally think that a group of only toddlers and younger babies works best. Having a mixed group of toddlers and older children could be a potential disaster, because the older children would be distracted and might find it unfair that the little ones can touch everything.
For the Response Time, it is wise to choose one activity for the toddlers. Too many choices can overwhelm children at that age. I would also try to have a Co-teacher if the group is larger than 2-3 toddlers.
My Godly Play mentor, Ulrike Labuhn, has written a book in German about "theologizing" with toddlers, having tested her theories with preschool teachers and toddlers at a preschool in Potsdam. Her book is called, Der Neugier der Kleinsten Raum Geben: Kinder fragen nach Gott und der Welt (Making Room for the Curiosity of Toddlers: Children ask about God and the World) , and you can read more about her ideas here. What I have learned about Godly Play with toddlers comes from her.
If any of you are working with toddlers, please leave a comment or link below. We'd love to learn from your experience!
I'm so glad to read this experience.
ReplyDeleteI shared the Holy Family at nursery in December and it seemed obvious to let the younger children play with the pieces as I told the story.
What else have you found?
I found some of the wondering questions tricky for them but wondered (haha) if this reflected their difficulty in expressing themselves rather than wondering
Hi Victoria, It sounds like you are doing what what you sense intuitively, and I think that is what you have to do with toddlers, seniors, or any other specialized group that may have their own needs. And I think you are right with the wondering questions . . . the children are wondering and reflecting, but not verbally. As Ulrike writes in her book, their Wondering is a physical one, expressed with their whole bodies, rather than a verbal one. I have learned that you just have to carefully observe and then go with the needs of the children.
DeleteI'm so glad to read this experience.
ReplyDeleteI shared the Holy Family at nursery in December and it seemed obvious to let the younger children play with the pieces as I told the story.
What else have you found?
I found some of the wondering questions tricky for them but wondered (haha) if this reflected their difficulty in expressing themselves rather than wondering