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Godly Play: Suffer the Little Children to Come Unto Me.

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Title: Godly Play: Suffer the Little Children to Come Unto Me.
Authors: Goodman, Geoff (AUTHOR)
Source: Pastoral Psychology. Aug2025, Vol. 74 Issue 4, p595-606. 12p.
Subjects: Montessori method of education, Bible stories, School children, Bible, Critical thinking, Theology, Storytelling, Montessori, Maria, 1870-1952, Jesus Christ, Attachment theory (Psychology), Religious education
Abstract: In 1960, Jerome Berryman, a student at Princeton Theological Seminary, noticed that children played no role in theological studies. Reminded that Jesus urged his followers to allow children unhindered access to life's spiritual dimension, Berryman developed a Montessori-based storytelling technique for giving children ages 3 to 12 the language to experience God's presence through Bible stories. He created four linguistic genres—sacred stories, parables, liturgical action lessons, and contemplative silence—told at appropriate times in the Christian calendar. The Godly Play storyteller uses props specific to each story to recite the story verbatim, followed by asking a series of "I wonder" questions to elicit reflective thinking about what the children have observed. Godly Play also focuses on creating optimal environmental conditions for children to absorb the story's meaning. Vocal delivery, body language, prop placement, and seating arrangement combine to maximize the story's emotional impact. After reflecting on the "I wonder" questions, children engage in the response time, when they can access toys and arts and crafts to express their feelings related to the story. The strengths and limitations of Godly Play in the context of attachment theory are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Pastoral Psychology is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: In 1960, Jerome Berryman, a student at Princeton Theological Seminary, noticed that children played no role in theological studies. Reminded that Jesus urged his followers to allow children unhindered access to life's spiritual dimension, Berryman developed a Montessori-based storytelling technique for giving children ages 3 to 12 the language to experience God's presence through Bible stories. He created four linguistic genres—sacred stories, parables, liturgical action lessons, and contemplative silence—told at appropriate times in the Christian calendar. The Godly Play storyteller uses props specific to each story to recite the story verbatim, followed by asking a series of "I wonder" questions to elicit reflective thinking about what the children have observed. Godly Play also focuses on creating optimal environmental conditions for children to absorb the story's meaning. Vocal delivery, body language, prop placement, and seating arrangement combine to maximize the story's emotional impact. After reflecting on the "I wonder" questions, children engage in the response time, when they can access toys and arts and crafts to express their feelings related to the story. The strengths and limitations of Godly Play in the context of attachment theory are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Pastoral Psychology is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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              Text: Aug2025
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