CHILDREN
on the spiritual and with less emphasis on a deity. Children’s spiritual books can readily
be described as ‘reading about the sacred in everyday life - in nature, at home, in the classroom, at work, at leisure, in relationships’. Such books aren’t about a religious practice. They are basic stories that explore the deeper meaning and connection in all aspects of life They are now no longer considered
‘niche’ but mainstream. Helping children develop a much healthier balance of mind, body, and spirit and enabling them to respond better to life’s challenges is no longer considered a topic just for adults. Fostering children's spiritual awareness enriches their daily lives, nurtures their hopes and dreams, and increases capacity to create preferred futures.
OTHER WAYS TO STRENGTHEN YOUR CHILD’S SPIRITUALITY Reading is only one way of assisting your child’s spirituality. Here are others that you might like to consider:
1
Share nature with children. Enthusiastically engaging children with nature in their earlier years
can have a positive and deep effect on their spiritual development. From ‘Mother Nature’, children will learn that all life is connected. As they see the connection, children will begin to appreciate and respect themselves and the people around them. Many parents have introduced nature-
celebrating rituals into a child’s life. For instance, when the magpies start to warble they take time to honour the birds. Or, they have spring family parties celebrating the new growth underfoot. When lightning strikes, discussions around energy and light might be had. The possibilities are endless.
2
Encourage your child to share his or her dreams with you. By showing a genuine
interest in your child’s dreams, the child will learn to value them. Encouragement to share will build their self-confidence and in turn create an optimistic
42 MAY 2017
and cheerful approach to life. By encouraging a child to share aspirations we are ultimately supporting them in believing and achieving them.
3
Encourage your child’s imagination and sense of wonder. Imagination is the most
critical tool for inner development. It is important to acknowledge and give significance to your children’s fantasy and inventive play. Children especially like secret
places such as tents, tree houses, hidden gardens, and cardboard boxes (go back in your memory and I’m sure you’ll remember loving them too). And don’t forget imaginary friends! By using their imagination children are trying out different personas, which allows them to express their inner most feelings.
4
Listening to your child with full attention and concentration. Young
children may try to communicate, but quite often they are not heard and honoured. As is often the case, children will soon begin to guard their feelings and communication can become limited. Take time out of each day to hear
about a child’s joys, achievements, and frustrations. As adults we should remember that listening can be more important than speaking. If a child does not respond to the sit-and-talk time then try communicating through ‘art time’ – draw pictures while sitting together and talking together. This activity only requires you to take
a small amount of time each day to ponder with a child on the same three things: • Something from the day that you each are thankful for
• Something from the day that you each are sorry for
•
Something you each intend for tomorrow
5
Maintain regular rituals in your home even if you do not embrace a
formal religion. These events will be meaningful expressions of your own
spirituality and will encourage your child’s expressions as well. Rituals can be as simple as lighting candles on one day of the week and showing gratitude for all that is, blessing the food at dinner, or walking barefoot in the grass each morning and asking our angels to keep us grounded and protected. These family rituals and celebrations turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. Nurturing your child’s spirituality
by sharing spiritual stories, exposing them to nature, listening to them, helping them expand their imagination, encouraging their dreams and celebrating or creating rituals with them are gifts you can give them that will last their entire lives. In fact, this could be the most valuable legacy you leave your children. In The Soul of Education, Rachael
Kessler eloquently and succinctly put why nurturing our child’s spirituality is so important: “The body of a child will not grow
if it is not fed: the mind will not flourish unless it is stimulated and guided. And the spirit will suffer if it is not nurtured”. Children take us back and forth on
the continuum of discovery. When we nurture the spiritual world of children we may also understand our own greatest challenge, the unfolding of our spiritual selves. n
Connect with other readers & comment on this article at
www.livingnow.com.au
Julie-Ann Harper is the founder of the Pickawoowoo Publisher Group, one of Australia’s leading author service providers for self-
publishing. She is a strong voice for children’s spirituality and commenced the Pickawoowoo Children Books in 2005, having since grown the series to over twenty-nine mind/body/spirit titles. Now with over twenty-five years in publishing and forty-eight titles of her own across various genres, Julie-Ann has accumulated numerous publishing and business awards and is singled out for her coaching and speaking engagements surrounding self-publishing.
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