"The Fun Thing about Studying Different Beliefs Is That... They Are Different": Kindergartners Explore Spirituality

Young children are actively working to make sense of the world, including what it means when people disagree about deeply held beliefs. Early childhood is a time when understandings of differences are formed. Guided explorations about differences in beliefs are important because they help children d...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:YC young children 2010-07, Vol.65 (4), p.12-17
Main Authors: Mardell, Ben, Abo-Zena, Mona M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Beliefs
Child development
Childhood
Children
Cultural Pluralism
Curricula
Early Childhood Education
Early Childhood Education in 2010: Diverse Approaches for a Diverse Nation
Family School Relationship
Inclusive Schools
Kindergarten
Kindergarten education
Laboratory Schools
Massachusetts
Parents
Religion
Religious Factors
Spiritual belief systems
Theater
Young Children
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Summary:Young children are actively working to make sense of the world, including what it means when people disagree about deeply held beliefs. Early childhood is a time when understandings of differences are formed. Guided explorations about differences in beliefs are important because they help children develop healthy attitudes about spiritual plurality, and they cultivate meaningful home-school relations with diverse families. This article is for early childhood teachers, administrators, and families interested in helping young children develop positive views about diverse spiritual beliefs and the people who embrace them. The article is based on a project in which Max, Emily, Robert, and their 15 classmates studied their own and others' understanding of creation, heaven, and the divine at the Eliot-Pearson Children's School, a lab school at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. The Children's School is an inclusion model early childhood center serving 3-year-olds through second-graders. The article is organized around five questions readers may have about the project: (1) Why was this project undertaken?; (2) What did the project involve?; (3) What did the parents say?; (4) What did the teachers learn?; and (5) What did the children learn?
ISSN:1538-6619