Resources from both Godly Play and Catechesis of the Good Shepherd for introducing parables.

Ideas on how to get started with the Montessori-based Godly Play program at home plus ideas for Old Testament Godly Play lessons for a variety of settings

A fun and hands-on Christmas activity for preschoolers, the Three Wise Men play dough invitation to play.

Megan, a member of Christian Montessori Network Facebook group, share with us again some very helpful information on How to Learn Godly Play Stories.

Free YouTube video lessons to help teach Godly Play Old Testament stories; videos for many core and extension Godly Play presentations

On July 29-31, I attended the Godly Play Core Training at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Portland. Those of us participating all learned a great deal about helping children with their religious formation. At the same time, the training was a spiritual retreat and an opportunity for everyone involved to grow in faith and personal insight.

Free YouTube video lesson to help teach Godly Play "Listening for God" ideas with an emphasis on listening and gratitude for gifts of creation using the senses

Learn About God’s Word Through Play! Are you ready to start teaching your little one the Bible, but you’re not quite sure how to get started? Play Through the Bible takes the truth of scripture and helps you teach it in a way that every toddler will go crazy for – play! With over 95…

These Biblical wooden peg people were inspired by my love for all things Montessori as well as the beauty of Godly Play.

This Sunday one of the four year olds in my Godly Play group wanted to choose the “Sea of Galilee” for her work. We have been telling the stories from Sonja Stewart’s Following Je…

Megan continues this week giving us wonderful information on using Godly Play in the home with What is Godly Play Work Time?

Play Through The Bible (Abraham) - A Toddler's Introduction to God's Story - 25 weeks of bible study created just for toddlers

Today Megan helps us in creating DIY Godly Play materials. I feel empowered to use Godly Play with my own children after reading her posts and hope you do too!

Last fall I brought you our Adam and Eve story telling box, and I finally have another to show you. I made my boxes after hearing about the ...

I absoloutly know this is not the Godly play model (except of course white circles and a dove) but needed an example of the Trinity for the context of the Pentecost story. Simply placed the three circles on the floor, pointing to each circle saying this one we will think about God the Father, God The Son- Jesus, this one God The Holy Spirit. Then placed each object on top, God The Father: We often think of God The Father as the creator, he created everyone and the whole world with His hands (wooden hands). We also think of Him as the Father, a father who looks after us and holds us in his hands. God the Son- Jesus: We often think of Jesus as a baby, who was born in a stable in Bethlehem (painted baby stone). But we also think of Jesus dying on a cross for us and then coming alive again. God the Holy Spirit: We often think of the Holy Spirit, like when the dove came upon Jesus on His baptism. I then moved the circles together and said that together this is God! Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I am not suggesting this is better than the Godly play trinity example used in the Baptism session- no way. I just felt this was right for this occasion. Check out Wonderful in and Easter kind of way's post on The Trinity

Why celebrate the church year? Create celebrations that rival the world's and lift up Christian values. Celebrations are vital in shaping our family's faith

Part 2: Resources for getting Started {I've had quite a few questions about starting godly play in the home or at church in the past few m...

I've posted about how to make a tiny Mass kit before, but we made ours long ago and the pieces are long missing. So here's take 2, and this time, it's totally meant for all

I saw another blogger make a fabulous Armour of God felt book activity, but unfortunately don't know what blog so can't post credit (sorry). A4 design, the soldier without his armour. I've created a couple of versions, all of which can be printed onto card, laminated and made into a great scripture related activity. It can also be printed on to transfer paper (if using a mirror image version of image. The pieces can also be matched to the correct shape/ word. A version were the pieces are all on one page. I am going to put these up on alljoinin.net but yet to do so. When I create this in felt I think I will make the man out of felt sewn so that the armour can be then gripped onto the man most effectively, I will keep you posted.

We were given an activity book for The Story of the World: Volume One by Susan Wise Bauer and I began to look through it. It looked intere...

Hi Godly Play Teachers, Welcome to our lesson for August 25, The Story of Jacob, found in Genesis 25-33,35. (The script is found in the p...

At the beginning of this school year, I was given a new position with a larger church in Berlin that is planting a new congregation in the area where I live. The new congregation has a weekly children's service as well as the original congregation, and I was asked to help both congregations implement Godly Play into their services. I was very excited about this new opportunity, because, for one thing, I needed a new challenge at this point in life and sensed that God had something new for me. Also, as a Godly Play Trainer, I consult other churches about how to implement GP, but I had never actually had the hands-on experience of doing it myself! The interesting thing about this church situation is that both congregations meet in theatres on Sunday rather than owning their own buildings. As a result, we do "church-out-of-a-box" each Sunday, where we literally set up the service, including the children's services, by unpacking boxes and rearranging furniture. (Nothing new to me, as you regular readers know from the after-school clubs.) Aside from the effort it takes to set-up each Sunday, the big drawback is that it makes it impossible to have a permanent Godly Play room. I have a team of 20 volunteers. They are gifted people who are 100% committed to the children. In many ways they are a dream team for me! I am also lucky to have a few people within the team who have professional experience with children. But here is the challenge: some of my teachers are open to Godly Play and others are skeptical that it can really work. I walk a tightrope at times of encouraging them to at least try GP, but also trying to value the way things have been done in the past. I've had a relationship with this church for years, so I had been in their children's services many times. One problem that I noticed from the get-go was that with different teachers on each week, there were no overarching rituals from Sunday to Sunday. Each children's service was very different from the week before, and the children never knew what to expect. Consequently, there were a lot of behavioural issues among the children and some burned-out teachers. As a result, our first step in introducing GP has been to implement the structure and principles: getting ready, building the circle, the story, Wondering, response time, the feast and the blessing. So as not to manipulate or force people into something, we have given the teachers the freedom to either tell the story using whatever method or manner they choose. After 4 months, here is where we stand: it's been a rollercoaster ride of highs and lows. We have good days and bad days. Some are becoming more open to GP, and others are really frustrated. I keep reminding everyone that most of the time God works in processes. He can do things overnight, but most often He chooses not to. The process of Godly Play is important, because it changes us, the children, and the parents. The parables of the Mustard Seed and Leaven have become very important images for us: the Kingdom of God takes time to grow and become visible. It may be two years, before we see real change, and in our instant society where we want everything quickly, that can be frustrating. However, I think it will all be worth the wait. : )

We often say at Third that as followers of Jesus we are called to live differently than those around us. We are called to behave differently. But have you ever considered that as disciples of Jesus we are also called to tell time differently?

I saw another blogger make a fabulous Armour of God felt book activity, but unfortunately don't know what blog so can't post credit (sorry). A4 design, the soldier without his armour. I've created a couple of versions, all of which can be printed onto card, laminated and made into a great scripture related activity. It can also be printed on to transfer paper (if using a mirror image version of image. The pieces can also be matched to the correct shape/ word. A version were the pieces are all on one page. I am going to put these up on alljoinin.net but yet to do so. When I create this in felt I think I will make the man out of felt sewn so that the armour can be then gripped onto the man most effectively, I will keep you posted.

Some people visiting this blog seem to come searching for information about GP materials. I'm going to try to collect some information together about my materials here, in hopes that others will find it helpful. This is still very much in progress (page updated March 2012). The first thing to say about Godly Play materials is that they do not have to be expensive; they do not have to be purchased from an "official" supplier (although some of those suppliers do some really gorgeous work). I've written about this here. I have used a lot of materials purchased from flea markets and put together myself. I have assembled a large collection of baskets by scouring flea markets, usually refusing to pay more than €1 per basket. I do not think of myself as a crafter and I do not own a sewing machine or a workbench. If you are part of a large congregation, by all means ask for help from anyone with woodworking tools, crafting skills, or a sewing machine. But even if not... if I can do it by myself then I'm sure you can too! :) Here's a "table of contents" for the info below (which includes further links to blog posts I've written) my Advent materials my art materials my Baptism materials my books for the classroom my Church Year materials Circle of the Holy Eucharist my cleaning materials my desert bag my Faces of Easter materials my Focal Shelf materials my Good Shepherd (parable) materials my Great Flood materials my Jesus the King materials (Palm Sunday) my prayer and peace materials my World Communion materials other helpful links my Advent materials NEW summary here I participated in a materials workshop at the Godly Play European Conference in 2010, organized and sourced by Johanna Kaarto-Wallin. She sold me the wooden plaques (unfinished), and the wooden cut-outs to go on them. I stained and painted the cut-outs at that workshop. I copied some German materials in not staining my plaques, but covering them with felt. I would have preferred a deep purple, but the only felt I could find when I needed it was a very rosy purple. Read a little more here. See my (poor) photograph of some English materials here. An easy and beautiful alternative to wooden cards is to make them from felt (as done by Emily). My underlay is just a wide strip of felt, with a square of white felt glued over one end of it with fabric glue, and a very narrow gold cord glued down to separate the "squares". For the cord, I used an ordinary white glue. I found it best to make a long "puddle" of glue on a piece of scrap, and hold a length of cord taut with both hands and "dip" it into the glue, then place it on the fabric. I purchased this cord at a craft shop. my Holy Family figures... forthcoming We also made use of Haba figures borrowed from one of the children. my art materials forthcoming I also recommend this post, by Sheila at Explore and Express my Baptism materials Click on the links to read more about Trinity symbols or my doll. (A later blog post, written when I bought a second doll, considers some of the down-sides of using quite such a large doll.) I also have a basket of tea lights. I first bought a huge pile of tea light candle holders at a flea market for 50 cents apiece, but they didn't hold the tea lights well (who knew that tea lights aren't all exactly the same size?), and so didn't seem safe for use with children. Instead I am now using Ikea candle holders (€2 / dozen). my books for the classroom forthcoming Share the Feast: Reflections on Holy Communion (reviewed in this post) There are also two books with the prayer basket: Praying in Color (for kids) by Sybil Macbeth, and a short guide to the Lutheran prayer bracelet. my Church Year materials This is the only product so far that I have purchased ready-made from an official supplier. See this blog post. Emily shows a cardboard alternative Circle of the Holy Eucharist see this blog post my cleaning materials forthcoming my desert bag I was in a rush (and I don't have a sewing machine), so I picked out some fabric and took it to a private seamstress. The result is that I have a gorgeous bag, but it cost even more than a ready-made one from Godly Play Finland. Advice on Making a Desert Bag by Godly Play UK (scroll down for the desert bag file or Instructions for making your own desert bag from Godly Play Finland my Faces of Easter materials I bought particle-board plaques at a craft store, sized 4x6 inches, sanded the edges a bit, and then glued onto them images that I'd printed out myself. (This was a temporary measure to test out the images before purchasing full-size ones.) I brushed decoupage solution over them, and a sealant over that. A less expensive (but less sturdy) option would be to glue pictures to cardboard. Most of my images were from the German series by Juliana Heidenreich, but I used an icon for the last image (read about that decision here). I also made a control card to help children put the pictures away again in the right order. My underlay is just a strip of felt, cut down to size. For the first few weeks, I confess it was literally just a strip of felt, with no white at the end and no dividers. But then I found time to glue down a square of white felt at the end (I ran out of fabric glue, so used a mixture of that and regular white glue), and narrow lavender "leather-like cord" (purchased at a craft store) as dividers. For the cord, I used an ordinary white glue. I found it best to make a long "puddle" of glue on a piece of scrap, and hold a length of cord taut with both hands and "dip" it into the glue, then place it on the fabric. my Focal Shelf materials baptism doll (see above) Holy Family (discussed in Advent post) World Communion (see below) my Good Shepherd (parable) materials forthcoming my Great Flood materials forthcoming my Jesus the King materials (Palm Sunday) written as a guest post for Explore and Express my prayer and peace materials forthcoming There are also two books: Praying in Color (for kids) by Sybil Macbeth, and a short guide to the Lutheran prayer bracelet. I also recommend Leslie's description of prayer gardens my World Communion materials These are described in this post. other helpful links "Resources" by Emily at Watkins Every Flavor Beans "Art Materials: Where do I start?" by Sheila at Explore and Express "Setting up a Godly Play room" advice for those just starting out (by the Spiritual Child Network) "Practical Life Exercises in Lent" by Leslie at Thoughts from the Sheepfold How to Choose Materials, Advice on Making a Desert Bag, Planning your Room, and a List of Suppliers by Godly Play UK (scroll down for the desert bag file) Instructions for making your own desert bag from Godly Play Finland

Ideas on how to get started with the Montessori-based Godly Play program at home plus ideas for Old Testament Godly Play lessons for a variety of settings

So for snack on Pentecost, looking for inspiration I did my usual response after praying for inspiration... yep googled! Found a host of cakes with strawberries on top... nope so came up with the idea of making icing people with candles behind. So we can use candles for "birthday" and also for flames of Pentecost. In the end I used Jelly babies (just being lazy) but actually it's not easy threading jelly babies onto candles and even hard to get off. Sorry the photos aren't better quality. Cake went down very well, I used it to reinforce the story saying that what looked like tongues of fire were above the peoples heads, and then we sang happy birthday to the church. Then I said and can you remember what else the people heard on Pentecost... wind lets make some wind and blow the candles out (big mistake, I didn't much want the cake after a bunch of preschoolers had blown and spat on it, but would do again most probably). I could have taught the children happy birthday in another language to reinforce that concept too, but only so much time... Play exploration option also included a party, as it was a celebration of the church's birthday and that's how we celebrate birthdays. I had anticipated this being the favoured activity, sometimes we are so wrong... This was in fact the favourite, a simple replica of the church (well a bit of it, at least) made for the size of playmobile (I favour wooden less realistic toys generally but feel on occasion these can be used very effectively e.g. to highlight the diversity of the church and the playmobil people also includes wheel chairs etc.)Pews were mad out of jenga bricks. I placed the church alongside a doll's house and presented on the floor on a large green mat. I felt it was important that the church was not viewed in isolation but placed in a "community" I am SO pleased I did this as it gave opportunities to discuss community issues, at first all the dolls were in the church and they were not playing with the house. I was able to use that to comment "Are the people going to stay in the church all the time?" and guide conversation and consequently play to if they did that the people would not be doing as Jesus had asked. We they had people going to dinner at the house, homeless people being taken to the hospital and fights being stopped by offers of lunch (if only it were that simple, maybe it is?). Some of this was spontaineous some prompted, I would always recommend starting form where the child/ren are playing and following their lead, resist temptation to over take play as it is likely to become a teaching session rather than exploration and individual conclusions. The use of "wondering questions" can even have its place in play... "I wonder what would happen if the people never left church?" "I wonder what this man who has no home could do?" "I wonder who lives in this house?" Where possible observe and only intervene or guide if you feel you can do so sensitively without taking over or stifling exploration. I recorded a short piece of worship music onto a talking point to play in the church and this was utilised a lot particularly by the boys... I think I had the refrain of "Jesus you are all I need" in head for about 24 hours because of hearing off this so much.I will attempt to use the church more often in sessions to highlight the application more fully.

Jesus Makes Lazarus Alive Again is a wooden Godly resources & materials Bible story for Sunday school lessons, children's Bible study, & religious education.

Sometimes it's nice to have a few portable figures to tell a Bible story with and then to help the children to retell the story. Here's an easy way to make some figures that stand up by themselves, can be a easily stored and can even be coloured by the children. Click here to print out the colour in character sheet. Next bend some paperclips as shown below. These will be your 'stands' Get the children to colour in the characters and then cut them out. Laminate them if you want repeated use without too much damage! Sellotape a paperclip 'stand' to the back of each character as shown in the picture. Now stand your characters up and tell a story!

An easy preschool craft for children to list attributes of what God is. A creative and thought provoking lesson about God's Love.

A set of Jesus and his 12 apostles ideal for display, play, and teaching. Each set is made to order, hand painted with a coat of water based sealant. Each peg doll measures 2 3/8 inch

Teach your kids about God's power through play! A simple plan for a Kid-centric Church at Home. Invite your children into worship with fun.

As Holy Week approaches, I wanted to teach my kids more about Jerusalem and Jesus' last week. Ya'll know I'm a sucker for hands-on learning with my kids, so we decided to build a model

Here is a complete set of lessons for… David and Goliath Summary of all workshops in this Rotation: Art : make two stick puppets- one to represent Goliath (a giant in their lives) and the other to represent what our shield is. ( Note: written for 1st - 3rd grades, easily adaptable for older kids. ) Cooking : Make a giant cookie and discuss giants in their lives. Games : Answer game questions to throw a "sock-rocket" at a giant. Focus is on learning story details. Puppets : Use object theater...

DIY Play Mass Kit: your five year old will love this! We found all of the wood pieces in one place! Leave a comment to receive the Play Mass Kit tutorial!

This is the second lesson in the two part Creation series for preschoolers, God Made People. I like to separate the two lessons because God created people different than animals, land, etc. Humans are created in His image. I like […]

I first saw this idea on Oriental Trading Company where they sell it as a craft for children to make. I've prepared this as a Godly Play prop for telling the story of Jesus' ascension. This is so quick and basic to make: Print and cut out one of the many free colouring pictures of Jesus ascending to heaven. (I reduced the size of mine to fit the opening of the paper cup, and glued it onto a piece of card to make it a little sturdier) Glue some cotton wool to a blue paper cup (you can also cut out white clouds from craft foam). Make a little hole just above Jesus' head and thread a piece of embroidery floss through it, then through a small slit in the bottom of the paper cup, and sandwich it between two white cardboard clouds. Write an appropriate Scripture on the cloud - I used Matthew 28:20: I will set this up as follows: Make a 'mountain' by turning a mixing bowl / shoe box / laundry basket upside down and covering it with a green cloth / sheet /towel. Place peg doll disciples in a semi-circle on the mountain. Position Jesus among them and as you tell the story of how Jesus was taken up in the cloud, pull the cloud so Jesus disappears into the paper cup 'sky'. (This is not a great photo, but it was a little tricky holding onto the cup and trying to take a photo!!) We will end this with singing two songs my children know about Jesus returning for us one day (For my local readers: Hy kom weer op die wolke - Oom Karolus en Lente; As Jesus kom op die wolke - Jan de Wet en die Loflaaities.) I also have the full-size colouring page ready which I used for our Jesus figure. You can get it here.

In this King David object lesson, children learn that God sees their hearts and they decide what they want Him to see.

Does God truly see your heart? Does He really know you inside out, your every thought and feeling? Let's find out with these Bible verses.

I saw another blogger make a fabulous Armour of God felt book activity, but unfortunately don't know what blog so can't post credit (sorry). A4 design, the soldier without his armour. I've created a couple of versions, all of which can be printed onto card, laminated and made into a great scripture related activity. It can also be printed on to transfer paper (if using a mirror image version of image. The pieces can also be matched to the correct shape/ word. A version were the pieces are all on one page. I am going to put these up on alljoinin.net but yet to do so. When I create this in felt I think I will make the man out of felt sewn so that the armour can be then gripped onto the man most effectively, I will keep you posted.

As you think about how God shapes you, use some Play-Doh to shape a creation of your own. Put it on a tray so you won’t make a mess. Make a crow or a puppy or a statue of Teddy, your favorite bear. When you’ve finished, take a close look: your creation is covered with your fingerprints- just as God’s fingerprints are all over you!”