Godly Play

A Montessori based approach to spiritual formation and religious education

Grades Pre K (ages 3,4) through Grade 5

“In ancient times, the Bible was not a book. It was stories, often told around a campfire…
The children snuggled in with their extended families.
The cold and dark were pushed away by the light and warmth of the fire and the community…
Today children are more used to flipping stations on a television set.
The ability to listen deeply with wonder is becoming lost.
We need to teach this again…”
Dr. Jerome Berryman, Teaching Godly Play Sunday Morning Handbook  

In four Godly Play worship centers containing beautifully crafted story materials, young children and their teachers play with the sacred stories, the parables, and stories of the liturgy and traditions of the church.  Their goal: learn to use the language of the Christian tradition to encounter God and find direction for their lives. Through Godly Play, the children gain an ability to use the parables, sacred stories, liturgical events to discover and speak of God. Playing with the Bible stories gives them the tools they need to create existential meaning.

Why do we call this important work, “play”?

“Play is:

• Pleasurable
• Spontaneous and voluntary
• Play involves deep and active engagement on the part of the players
• Play is related to things that are not play- like creativity, problem solving, language learning, development of social roles.”

In Godly Play, we are invited to play with “the language of God and God’s people: our sacred stories, parables, liturgical actions and silences. Through this powerful language, through our wondering, through the community of players gathered together, we hear the deepest invitation of all: an invitation to come play with God.” Jerome Berryman. Guide to Godly Play, Vol.1

What does the Montessori method have to do with Godly Play?

As in secular Montessori schools, our Godly Play classes:

• Make use of sensory materials, things you can see and feel like wooden figures and soft felt underlays, sand and candles and laminated pictures, to draw the children into their work. The story materials help the children focus and become part of the stories- to play!
• Give the children the freedom to choose their own work, to explore, to use their God given creativity to discover their own answers to their own deep questions.- questions about life and death, loneliness and freedom and meaning. Teachers are there as guides, as models, rather than as people dictating answers.
• Create an environment which serves as an “unspoken” part of the lesson. The arrangement of the room, the structure of time, the relationship of the children to each other, to their teachers, to the story materials, all are important for Godly Play.

How Do We Do Godly Play?

When we do Godly Play, three areas require our attention:

• Time- Children enter kairos time in our classrooms, time that is both orderly and leisurely. We say, “In this place we have all the time we need.” When teachers assure the children of the sufficiency of time, they find it to be true for themselves as well.
• Space- As we enter the classrooms, we find ourselves surrounded by the language of the Christian people , represented by beautiful, touchable materials.  The worship centers have been created in a very intentional manner.

  The altar or focal point immediately catches our eye with the symbols of the Incarnation and the Resurrection- the Holy Family and the Risen Christ. There are the two sacraments- Baptism and Holy Communion - and the two “I Am” statements- The Light and the Good Shepherd.

  The Sacred Stories, placed on story shelves surrounding the room, are arranged in a time line from Creation to the saints of the church.

  The Parable stories in their gold boxes are placed on their own shelves.

  The art materials are varied and attractive, arranged in an accessible display which calls to the children to come and play.

• Relationships- Respect and affirmation is encouraged in all of the children’s relationships, with each other, with teachers, with the classroom space and materials.

  There are two teaching roles in Godly Play: the Storytellers and the Greeters or “doorpersons”.

  The storyteller ‘anchors’ the circle of children, whether they are getting ready, entering into the story, wondering together, choosing work, sharing the feast or saying goodbye.

  The door person or greeter helps the children move through transitions: supporting the children as they enter the room, engage in the story, leave the circle to get out work, enter into expressive art or work with a chosen lesson, put work away, prepare for and serve the feast, put feast things away, clean up spills, care for the room, say goodbye, and leave the room.

What does a typical Godly Play session look like?

Godly Play classes are conducted in the format of worship, following a pattern of getting ready, listening and responding to God’s word, celebrating the community of faith, and going out into the world.

• Getting ready for the Story   The circle of children is built with greetings, songs, and introductions to special events of the day.
• Hearing the Story   The storyteller unfolds the materials to tell one of the core Bible stories, helping the children build a firm foundation with stories about Abraham and Sarah, Moses and the prophets, stories about the birth of Jesus, his ministry and his parables. Other stories introduce the children to the traditions of the church with its seasons and sacraments. All stories are told in a sensorimotor style, engaging visual, oral and kinesthetic experiences. Silence and wondering is integrated into the telling of the stories, making room for the Holy Spirit to act in the children’s imaginations, allowing the children to make their own discoveries about God, to discover their own questions.
• Responding to the Story   Following the story, each child is invited to choose an activity to deepen his/her reflections: working with the story materials, using a variety of art supplies to create his or her own response, exploring supplementary materials and projects.
• Gathering again   There is always time to "share the feast", to pray, and to just be together!
• Going with God's Blessing   The class concludes with a special moment between the children and the leaders as they say goodbye. In the younger grades, a greeter meets the parents at the door. The children are dismissed individually so that each can receive a special blessing and affirmation from the worship leader. 

What is the history of Godly Play at United Church?

The Godly Play approach to Christian Education was developed by Dr. Jerome Berryman, an Episcopal church educator. His work was based on study, in the 1970s, at the Center for Montessori Studies in Italy and subsequent collaboration with Sophia Cavaletti on the application of Montessori methods to spiritual formation in children. For many years and in many settings, Dr. Berryman has worked with children and teachers, telling and retelling the stories of God and the people of God. Today, there is a vast network of people, in many church denominations, throughout the United States and around the world- Canada and England, Finland and Germany, Malaysia and South Korea, Spain and Tanzania- many people in many places, engaged in this distinctive approach to Christian ministry to children. Refer to www.godlyplay.org for more information.

The children of United Church in Walpole have been doing Godly Play since 1993.   Many of the materials in the children’s worship centers were crafted by members of the church.  Whether through teaching, choir leading, sharing interests or expertise, people of all ages are involved in the church school program.  Godly Play, by its nature, invites the participation of all generations in its work.

What story/lesson will my child be working with this week?

See this week’s Lessons and Bible verses, all grade levels. For the monthly lesson schedule, you may also refer to the Torch

How do I register my child in the church school?

Fill out the Church School Registration Form or call the church office at 508-668-0551 for more information.