Children’s spirituality, as described by early childhood educators, is multilayered and includes building connections, practicing virtues, and making meaningExploration, questioning, meaning making, and identity have long been linked to the spiritual domain of human development. These same pursuits or activities are also integral to quality early childhood education. Yet, early childhood educators may not be making the connection between spirituality and best practices in their work with young children. In fact, “little is known about how educators understand children’s spirituality.” This study examined how 33 educators working in secular settings understand the spirituality of young children.
Of the 33 participants, 22 worked in private schools, 12 in public schools. The schools were located in 16 different states in the US. While most of the teachers worked with preschool-age children (age 3-5), some worked with children outside of this age range, including toddlers, kindergarteners, and primary-age students. Participating educators completed an on-line survey which included an open-ended question asking them to describe what they understood by children’s spirituality. Responses to this question were used for this study.
An analysis of the responses revealed eight salient concepts: connections (including connections with nature), practicing virtues, making meaning, God and religion, self-awareness, mindfulness and presence, humanness, and inner feelings (including wonder, awe and reverence for the natural world). Of these concepts, “connections” was the most prominent. Educators described children’s spirituality as “establishing a relationship with nature” and as “connecting to the universe and the world.” The second most salient concept related to “practicing virtues,” particularly virtues that contribute to positive relationships (love, compassion, respect, empathy, care, etc.). Fifteen of the 33 respondents described children’s spirituality as a medium in helping children make meaning of life. A review of the frequencies represented in the identified concepts indicates that about half reflect interpersonal traits (i.e., connections, practicing relational virtues); the other half, intrapersonal traits (i.e., curiosity, belief in God, self-awareness, mindfulness/presence, and inner feelings). These findings are consistent with other research-based views of spirituality as embracing both the inner and outer life of an individual and as being more or a “heart” strength than a “mind” strength.
These findings have important implications for researchers and practitioners interested in examining or promoting young children’s spirituality. Specific suggestions are outlined by the authors.
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