Exploring the Creator through Nature

Every time I tell the Godly Play story about God creating the world, I am filled with a sense of awe.  In the GP story and if we look closely enough in the Bible, we find a passionate and ingenious artist painting with his life’s breath onto the canvas of the world.  Oddly enough as a child and as a teenager, the Creation Story was boring to me.  It probably had a lot to do with the fact that I spent most of my childhood indoors to avoid the heat of the southern United States and way too much time in front of the television.  I was not actually acquainted with nature.  Unfortunately,  many children in the Western world are having the same experience that I had with detrimental societal effects.

In German we have a wonderful term called “Naturpädagogik” (“nature pedagogy”) which I really don’t know the term for in English.  The best I can come up with is “nature conservation education”, but nature pedagogy is so much more than just conserving nature.  (If any of you Waldorfers or Montessori pros in the English-speaking world have any suggestions for a better term, please let me know!)  It is getting to know nature, being a part of it, seeing what it does, and letting the seasons affect our everyday lives.  If, as Paul writes in the letter to the Romans, “creation in its magnificence enlightens us to His nature . . . .”, shouldn’t we as children’s pastors and parents be facilitating spiritual experiences for our children in God’s amazing creation?

Experiencing nature up-close is vital to a child’s spiritual and physical development.  On a pure physical level, nature has many benefits and here are just a few:

-       Nature has a calming effect on children. Children with behavioural problems concentrate better after walks in green areas.

-       Enhances cognitive abilities.

-       Children are more physically active and less prone to weight issues.

-       Nurtures self-discipline.

-       Nurtures healthy curiosity and problem solving.

 Here are some articles and websites that have the information above and more on the subject: Children and Nature Network, Young Children's Relationship to Nature, Outside Learning Enriches

In her book, “A Home Start in Reading”, Ruth Beechick writes of a school district that did a test to see whether children who learned to read at an early age performed better than children who were allowed to play outside and explore nature.  The nature children did better in the long-run, because their vocabularies and thinking skills were more advanced through hands-on experiences in the outdoors.  (Remember young children are sensorimotor learners and learn with all their senses.)

In their spiritual development, children exposed to nature encounter the mystery of God and develop a healthy curiousity.  The second greatest commandment is “Love your neighbor as yourself”.  Children, who for example grow plants and vegetables, develop healthy self-esteem, which is the prerequisite for this commandment.  Also, taking care of plants and animals helps children to develop  a respect for living things which in turn helps develop the essential quality of compassion.

How do you start?  Start simple. Almost any nature experience can be turned into a spiritual experience with a little thought and preparation.  Make art with natural things and incorporate them into your worship service. Here are some websites that have lots of good ideas: Naturkinder, Marghanita, The Enchanted Tree, The Magic Onions

A nature table (“Jahreszeittisch” in German) that combines Christian themes with natural materials is another great way to start.  Here are some websites that have good ideas for this: Living Montessori Now, A Little Slice of Life, Still Parenting

This is our January nature table. Christmas may be technically over, but not
for my 5-year-old! She made this nativity in her kindergarten
and we added some curious forest animals.

In a church setting, arrange an outing and hold your worship service outdoors.  In the summer, we do our Family Brunch in one of the parks near our home and the kids love it. It may be a bit chaotic, but the long-term benefits are worth the chaos!

The ultimate adventure with God and his creation:
my children, then ages 5 and 3,  in Uganda
with two newly found friends. 

Creating Spiritual Space for Children

A new year is right around the corner and many of us are thinking about our lives last year and considering what we might do differently or seek to improve.  (I  am certainly thinking a lot about this!)  I’d like to share with you some thoughts about how to create spiritual space for our children.  In this article, I am specifically speaking to our role as the parents of 3-8 year olds, but in the future I would like to discuss this role as pastors or religion teachers as well. 

What do I mean by spiritual space?  Webster’s Dictionary defines “space” as the following:  1) a continuous expanse extending in all directions; 2) area or room sufficient for or allotted to something; 3) an interval or period of time.  And when talking about our children’s spirituality, all three of these definitions can apply.  We are talking about time and a family’s rhythm. We can be talking about a physical space.  And we are referring to something that will extend out in all directions in their lives and influence every aspect of their growth. 

Here are some things that I think can help us to make room for our children’s spiritual growth: 

1) Pray and believe that God will engage your children.  I know many people who are anxious about their child’s relationship (or lack of) with God.  Relax. God lovingly created your child and He will take every opportunity to build friendship with her.  I also know other people who feel that prayer is a passive activity and that they must always do something.  While there certainly are things that we can do to encourage our child’s relationship with the Father, praying and believing is a way of giving up our control.  It is acknowledging that we are not at the center of the universe and everything does not depend on us.  It is acknowleding that a gracious God is at work in our child’s lives regardless of our failures or triumphs.  Believe me, the God who became a man in Jesus wants your child to know Him much more than you do. 

2) Make spiritual downtime for your children – time to talk about who He is, read a Bible story, pray together.  Children need distraction-free, unencumbered time to reflect just as adults do. Find a time that works best for your family’s rhythm. For years, we tried to do morning devotions, but most of the time it was too rushed and became just going through the spiritual motions.  I discovered this past year that my children needed this time with God at night in order to process their day and were much more open in the evenings.  Some nights they just want to “be”, but often they are very much wanting to talk and share what is going on in their hearts and minds.

Find ways to do this that appeal to your child.  Maybe there is a good children’s Bible or devotional book. You might use Godly Play. Or tell stories yourself from the Bible or about other Christians, saints or historical figures who have experienced God in their lives. Or ask your kids to tell you the stories.  One of our most meaningful evening times together this year was during Advent when I happened to have some nativity figures lying around and I asked my son and daughter (ages 7 and 5) to tell me the story of Jesus’ birth.  They alternated and amazed me with their insights and choice of words.  One might also use the church calendar as a catalyst by highlighting topics and biblical stories that coincide with the church calendar. Singing songs is another great way to spend time with God together. 

And perhaps this happens in a specific location in your house or apartment.  My kids love to gather on our sofa or on my daughter’s bed and snuggle as we are spending time with God.

3) Allow your kids to see spirituality in your own life. Pray authentic prayers with simple language. Admit when you don’t know the answers or when you have questions about something you don’t understand.  (We set our kids up for failure when we pretend to get it right all the time!)  Examine how you express your relationship to God and include your kids in it.  Maybe it is by caring for the needy. Maybe it is through art. Talk about how your faith influences your decisions. We are our children’s first teachers and if they sense that school, job and doctor’s appointments are a higher priority, then those things will also trump spiritual space in their lives. 

4) Cut down on organized activities.  Children need time to use their imaginations and play.  Where I live, there is a children’s class for everything.  I haven’t yet seen a class entitled “Underwater Basket-Weaving for Childen”, but I’m sure that Prenzlauerberg has one somewhere!  Your child doesn’t need to learn or be good at everything or have a playdate with every friend from school.  They need time to explore and express the world and their life.  When they don’t have this free time, they are easily stressed.

5) Don’t be frustrated if your child does not show interest or seem motivated.  Children go through phases.  The last thing that will help is making their spiritual experiences like school.  I have come to believe that a Montessori-type approach where a child is encouraged to explore his particular expression of relationship with God is ultimately the healthiest.  Let’s face it, as individual adults and even as whole churches, we highlight a only a few aspects of God’s character at best.  None of us alone live out the full Gospel in it many diverse forms and neither will our children.  That’s why we together are the Body of Christ and not all-encompassing, self-sufficient, autonomous spiritual beings. Interdependence is part of God's plan.

My sincere hope and prayer for those of you reading this is that God will help you create the spiritual space for your children that they need.  Just so you know, being a children’s pastor doesn’t make me an expert and I am learning all of this myself!  Please feel free to share your ideas as well.  And as we say in German, “May you slide well into the New Year!” 

Spirituality in Young Children: The Role of Language Development

Recently, three-year-old Natalie, the daughter of a friend, suddenly came bounding into the kitchen in the middle of the day where her mother was preparing something and jubilantly exclaimed, “Mommy, Jesus loves me!”  My friend was very pleased to hear her daughter saying this and lovingly confirmed her daughter’s insight.  At the same time, she was a bit puzzled as to what had prompted Natalie's statement.  It had seemingly come "out of the blue", but was it?

Children come into this world as spiritual beings, but also as non-verbal beings.  Understanding this is essential to cultivating spirituality in young children. In the Gospel of Luke, we find the curious story of the yet unborn John the Baptist responding physically to Mary's voice.  Research, of course,  shows that babies in the womb are aware of their environment and begin to learn by responding to external stimuli such as music and familiar voices. In the book Baby Minds, child development experts Acredolo and Goodwyn also share research proving that children are inborn with certain abilities such as rudimentary mathematical and problem-solving skills. However, while already possessing some amazing cognitive skills, babies lack an essential developmental skill that they must learn in order to make it in this world: language. 

This process of learning to apply words to our thoughts opens what Jerome Berryman in the German translation of his introduction to Godly Play (Godly Play: Einführung in der Theorie und Praxis)  as “the great gateway of language”.   The ability to name things, be it people, emotions, situations or problems, opens the gateway to becoming whole, mature adults. As parents, teachers, and pastors, we have to see children on the continuum of non-verbal to verbal and help them develop language skills to describe their spiritual experiences.   That means that we recognize and take seriously the non-verbal ways that children already express spiritual thoughts and help them put words to those experiences.

What is the non-verbal communication that children use? They communicate through their bodies, emotions, pictures and play, among other things. They are sensorimotor beings. Dr. Sonja M. Stewart, in her book Young Children and Worship, says, “Children do love and worship God, but they need to be introduced to  . . .  worship in a sensorimotor way. They need to know how to find the quiet place within, which enable them to get ready to worship ‘all by themselves’ . . . “.  When we pay close attention to what children are communicating non-verbally, we can better assist as they explore God on their spiritual journey. We can help them find the language to express what they are experiencing with Him and how to express that to Him in worship. 

Back to little Natalie.  I am sure that the simple sentence she excitedly proclaimed to her mother did not come out of nowhere, but was rather the result of several experiences in the past few days and pictures in her thoughts.  As a three-year-old she expressed in a perfectly age-appropriate way what she had been thinking about.  While it may sound simple to adult ears, it shows that Natalie is learning to enter into the mystery of friendship with the Creator of the Universe “all by herself” without prompting from anyone else.  And as her pastor, I couldn’t ask for anything better.