Spiritual Development in Young Children

Nourishing spiritual development in young children has multiple benefits for the child and society. Young children who experience spiritual growth do better emotionally, academically and socially. Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso is in agreement that "children already have a deep spiritual life" even when religious or philosophical beliefs are not taught by adults.

  1. Spirituality vs. Psychology

    • Spirituality has different meanings for different people, but is often associated with developing a sense of connection to something greater than oneself. Spiritual development in children is often equated with levels of psychological or social development. Even the widely accepted Fowler&'s "Stages of Faith Theory" is based on “cognitive-structural” psychological theories of Piaget and Kohlberg from the mid-seventies, according to Stephen Parker in his paper Measuring Faith Development for the “Journal of Psychology and Theology” from Dec. 22, 2008. Fowler&'s theory “has influenced religious education, pastoral care, and developmental psychology.”

    Developmental Stages

    • Young children encompass the first three stages of Fowler&'s Stages of Faith Theory. The pre-stage is infancy before “language and conceptual thought” according to Fowler in a 2006 interview with Harold Straughn. Fowler explains, that sometime between two and seven a child enters intuitive/projective faith marked by the rise of imagination, but lacks logic for questioning perceptions or fantasies. Next, children progress into mythic/literal faith. “Here the child develops a way of dealing with the world and making meaning that now criticizes and evaluates the previous stage of imagination and fantasy.“ The Unitarian Universalist Church of Loudoun in Virginia, agrees that “by the age of 4 or 5, children are intensely interested in the metaphysical.” They wonder about good and evil, life and death--and God.

    Spiritual Development Benefits

    • Psychologist Dr. Loyd J. Thomas cites benefits for encouraging a spiritual life. Children develop compassion, patience, kindness, self-awareness, self-acceptance, understanding knowledge and wisdom. Thomas notes the most important benefit is the loss of fear. Since “almost all common psychological problems are fundamentally based on fear” a child&'s risk for developing depression, rebellious behaviors and drug abuse are reduced.

    Belief Systems

    • “Faith is deeply related to the human need to find and make meaning, and to do so in a trusting relation to the divine Being and Spirit from whom creation issues,” according to Fowler. Religion is man&'s way to find meaning and engage in his environment. When parents do not fully have an understanding of what they actually think they believe, they fail to provide solid spiritual instruction to their children.

    Spiritual Instruction

    • “Effective parents foster a child&'s spiritual development,” according to Tom Lickona of the State University of New York at Cortland, “a spiritual heritage that offers a vision of the purpose of human existence, ultimate reasons for leading a moral life." Fowler emphasizes that children need to know that “he or she is a gift of God, loved by God, and loved and honored by us as Children of God.”

    Truth vs. Myth

    • When giving instruction to children, guide the child to seek the truth as apposed to myths and legends. Children need to understand &'why&', and not just believe for the sake of believing. For example in Judeo-Christian instruction, advances in archeology and science now confirm Biblical information that was once considered myth. Even the scientific and astrological explanations presented in the film &'The Star of Bethlehem,&' considered advanced, are explainable for a child&'s understanding.

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