Godly Play
Godly Play is our Sunday morning time for children ages 3-12. It coincides with Sanctuary worship at 9:30 & 11 am on Sundays during the School year. Classes for 3-5 year olds are held in room 204 and the 6-12 year olds meet in room 205 in the Education Wing.
So what is Godly Play?
Godly Play is a non-denominational, non-traditional approach to nurturing the faith of children through art, storytelling and imagination.
Godly Play not only teaches children stories of our faith, but also gives kids the language to talk about God. This method, developed by Episcopal priest Jerome Berryman, is based on the Montessori model of education in which children direct their own exploration at their own pace.
What Does This Look Like?
- Entering The Room: An adult volunteer (Doorperson) greets each child an invites them to enter the room. Children are invited into the room one by one by a Doorperson to communicate that the Godly Play room is sacred space, a place set apart for them to join in community with other kids and to listen for God.
- Joining The Circle: Each child is invited to join the circle and wait patiently for others to join the group. In the circle, each child finds a special place and the kids teach each other about how to live in community (how to wait patiently for the story, how to listen to each other, & how to share their own story).
- Sharing the Story: A second adult volunteer (Storyteller) shares one of the stories with the children. These stories can be biblical (most often), liturgical, based on church events like baptism or World Communion Sunday, or important figures of the faith. The story is told deliberately, incorporating the physical representations of the story’s elements, which caters to both auditory and visual learners. After the story, children are invited to explore the story through a series of "wondering" questions. Wondering questions such as I wonder what your favorite part of the story is? and I wonder what the most important part of the story is? help kids begin to interpret and grapple with these stories on their own. The "I wonder" phrase keeps the process of interpretation open throughout the discussion so that neither the storyteller nor a child defines what the story could mean.
- Creative Work: The Storyteller invites the children to respond to the story with an individual creative activity of their choosing like clay, books, paints, manipulating other story materials and writing. It is through this creative process that children can spend some alone time encountering God. The stories and art materials are stored on children’s shelves and are always kept in the same place so they are easily found.
- The Feast: The Storyteller asks kids to rejoin the circle and share prayer & bread/crackers and water. This time lays the foundation for an understanding of communion and serves as special community time for the children.
- Exiting the Room: When family member(s) arrive, children are asked if they are ready to go. They receive a blessing from the Storyteller and are reunited with their family member(s).
