Godly Play for Children
A Montessori Sunday School

What is Godly Play?

Godly Play is a method of Christian Education and spiritual direction for children age 2 through 5th grade.  The goal of Godly Play is to teach children the art ofusing religious language – parable, sacred story, silence, and worshipful action – as a way of helping them become more fully aware of the mystery of God’s presence in their lives.

Godly Play was developed and classroom-tested for more than twenty years by Episcopal priest, author, and teacher, Jerome Berryman.  The Godly Play method is a Montessori approach which is being used in churches of many denominations throughout the world, including the United States, Canada, Europe, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.  It originated in Bergamo, Italy with Sofia Cavaletti in 1971.  She began to introduce this tradition of Montessori religious education that began with Maria Montessori herself.

All Saints is the second church in which Susan Wright, Minister to Children and Families has built successful Godly Play programs.  Susan has been an accredited Godly Play teacher for over five years, has served as a mentor for other churches beginning their own Godly Play programs, and has written custom stories for use at All Saints.

All Saints currently has two beautifully appointed Godly Play classrooms and will complete the conversion from the traditional Sunday School format in the fall of 2008 with the addition of three additional rooms.

How is Godly Play Distinctive?

In Godly Play, we tell Bible Stories to children to encourage them to enter in the stories and relate them to their personal experience.

Godly Play is concerned with the spiritual development of each child as an individual and with modeling the appropriate moral behaviors expected of people living within a religious community.  Every session speaks to the whole child:  cognitive, motor, and affective function, as well as spiritual development.  And, Godly Play reaches out to the three different learning styles:  auditory, visual, and kinesthetic by using the senses to communicate the message of grace through the ancient art of storytelling.

What Happens in Godly Play?

After a Bible story is told to the students, the storyteller and children use “wondering questions” to reflect on the story together.  Then each child chooses to respond to the story with art materials or play.  Every child has a personal way of expressing his or her response to thestory via art form.  This very important work stays in the room because often the children will choose to workon a project many weeks before they feel it is finished.  At the end of each semester, the children may take their work home.

Will I Know if My Child is Learning Anything?

The most important thing we teach in a Godly Play classroom is how religious people live and work together in community.  Many parents who have children in the Godly Play program find that their children will begin to tell Bible stories – often in the car on the way home from church.  Parents also report that their children “wonder” aloud at various times during the week about the meaning of the Bible stories they heard on Sunday.

It has been our experience at All Saints that attendance in our Godly Play classrooms is higher and more consistent from week-to-week than in our traditional Sunday School classes and parents often comment on how quiet the children are during class (it’s because they are so engaged in their work).  They don’t want to miss out on any of the stories because they are powerful and intimate.

An Excerpt from a Godly Play Story

There was once someone who said such amazing things and did such wonderful things that people followed him.  They couldn’t help it.  They wanted to know who he was, so they just had to ask him.  Once when they asked him who he was, he said, "I am the Good Shepherd. I know each of the sheep by name.  When I take them from the sheepfold they follow me.  I walk in front of the sheep to show them the way. I show them the way to the good grass…and I show them the way to the cool, still, fresh water.  When there are places of danger…I show them how to go through. If one of the sheep is missing I would go anywhere to look for the lost sheep…and when the lost sheep is found I would put it on my back, even if it is heavy, and carry it back to the sheepfold. When the ordinary shepherd takes the sheep from the sheepfold, he does not always show the way.  The sheep wander.  When the wolf comes, the ordinary shepherd runs away…but the Good Shepherd stays between the wolf and the sheep and would even give his life for the sheep.”

I Wonder…

I wonder if these sheep have names?
I wonder if you ever had to go through a place of danger?
I wonder if you have ever been lost?

Still Want to Know More?

For more information about Godly Play or any of our children’s programs, please contact Beth Andreassi, Director of Children's Programs, or call (301) 654-2488.