Godly play

Godly play is fast growing approach to teaching children that has a lot going for it, even though it has some controversial elements. In a nut shell, "Godly play is a Montessori method of telling Bible stories, developed by Jerome Berryman that uses parables, sacred stories and liturgical lessons about religious traditions using simple material." (from the Godly play website http://godlyplay.org.au)

At the very heart of godly play is the idea of engaging children to encounter God in play. Children are naturally playful and they interact with their world through play and imagination. A playful environment is a wonderful, relaxed setting in which to engage children. Therefore I warm to the typical Godly play session described in the following scenario;

... a teacher shares a Bible story using three dimensional objects and multiple senses. Afterwards children are invited to express things they wonder about the story. Then they're allowed to play with and manipulate the objects. It's a calm setting meant to be more like worship than school. For John 10:1 - 18, about Jesus being the good shepherd, Godly play might include cotton balls and craft sticks. Children can build a fence and gate. The teacher can read the passage while acting it out with the cotton balls. The children can express their thoughts and questions about Jesus being the good shepherd. finally children can quietly play with the props as they talk to God about what they've learned."

In this setting the application of the lesson is not presumed, rather it is arrived at through engaging the child in the story (often through imagination) and reflective questions such as, "I wonder how the shepherd felt when he lost his sheep?" The child can reflect on the story and how it relates to them.
There are some good reasons why applying the story in this way is good thing. It focuses on application that is relevant for the child, and not merely that which the teacher finds relevant. Also it broadens the application away from the typical 'moral' to the story. Finally in the relaxed setting it opens a natural conversation for exploring what the story means.

Controversial is the presumption among the advocates of Godly play that, "... children have an innate sense of God's presence... Godly play lets children discover and experience God for themselves... meeting God long with children rather than teaching them what we as adults think they ought to know." In Godly play, "...the teacher in the role of spiritual supporter or guide who fully accepts that each child has his or her own relationship with God already."
We believe that, by nature, children do not have an innate sense of God's presence; rather, we are born without it. Also we may prefer an approach to children that is more directional and takes into account the very real presence of sin and ignorance in a child .
Nevertheless, for children, the context of reflective play is a fitting environment in which to explore ideas, questions and practices of faith where true direction and information can also be given. It is also the best environment for those who already do have a real sense of God given by the Holy Spirit. In a playful, reflective setting, the teacher expands on the lesson through play, he or she looks for faith and responds to a child's sincere relationship to God when they find it.