The Importance of Developmentally Appropriate Practices in the Faith Formation of Young Children

Dr. Shauna AdamsExecutive DirectorCenter for Early LearningAssociate Professor

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ObjectivesParticipants will be able to1. Explain the importance of religion readiness and

supporting the development of a foundation for faith2. Identify the connection between brain research and

faith formation in young children3. Provide examples of how to support learning and

development in ways that are appropriate for the age

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How old were you in your

earliest memories?

•

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Teachers tend to rely on their memories to inform how they teach

• Few have detailed memories of being younger than 7 or 8

• Preschoolers learn differently than 7 or 8 year olds

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Did you know…

•The brain is the only organ not fully developed at birth

•90% of brain development occurs by 6

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Did you know…

•Brain biology drives how young children think and learn.

•The emotional center is the brain’s architect

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Young children’s faith is based on impressions

• Impressions that come from:• Parents and other family members• Catechists• Church community

• These impressions become grounded in the emotional center of the brain and form the foundations of faith

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Children are not abstract thinkers and faith is very abstract

Adults-• Forget what it was like to

think like a preschooler• Often think that young

children think the way they do.

• Consider this example….

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Young children construct their own knowledge

Dog?

Dog

Use stories to fill in gaps in real life experience.

• Capture children’s attention• Relate on a personal level • Receptive to story telling

• The stories of our faith have meaning beyond the moral of the story.

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Using Bible Stories

• Faith is rooted in the traditions of the Church and in the scriptures.

• The scriptures teach in stories

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Not all stories are appropriatefor young children

Too gruesome?

Magic, miracle, or everyday occurrence?

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Young children see magic everyday

Tie Bible stories to children’s lives and then expand to new situations

Understand “self” first• Young child to Bible Story

firstThen understand “other”• Look for lessons in others

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Ways to maximize the story telling experience

3T PProvide opportunities for children to:•Talk: Encourage them to talk meaningfully

•Think: Engage in “minds-on” learning

•Touch: Work with authentic materials

•Play: Provide ample opportunities for them to play

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Play is Practice

• Joel threw mulch at Cassie.• Cassie came to the

teacher for help confronting Joel.

• The teacher took Cassie to where Joel was playing.

Play is Practice• With the teachers help Cassie

told Joel to stop throwing mulch at her.

• The other children said, “Joel, don't you remember God wants us all to be nice and be friends to each other."

• Joel put his head down and said, "I'm sorry."

Establish rituals that become predictable parts of the weekly routine

• Assign jobs related to preparing the prayer area

• One child can cover the table• Another can place the Bible on the table

• Another carries a meaningful object or statue

• These rituals are precursors to rituals in the mass

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Establish rituals that become predictable parts of the weekly routine

• Help children engage in spontaneous prayer

• Prayers of thanksgiving

• Prayers for blessing versus request

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A quality faith formation program

• Is not a series of activities to be pushed through at the teacher’s pace.

• Provides children opportunities to think, feel and experience their faith.

• Move from “fill the day” to “fill the child” planning

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Follow the child’s lead

• Young children love to repeat favorite activities, games and songs.

• Teachers should keep a list of past hits to do again if needed.

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How to cover content in ECE

• Older children depend on prior knowledge to learn new information

• Young children have big holes in their knowledge of the world around them.

• Foundational knowledge requires repetition

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The importance of repetition…

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How can catechists encourage parent involvement?

• Parent involvement is an age old concern.

• Increase parent comfort levels by establishing rapport

• Involve the child as a link between home and the classroom.

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To increase parent comfort levels and establish rapport

• Include a welcome activity that families and children can count on when they enter the room.

• Transitions for young children can be difficult so the welcome activities are engaging

• Allow for brief parent engagement thus building a connection between home and school

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More on the home–school connection • Take opportunities to connect

the children’s work with information intended to support families.

• Teachers and catechists should send home the information for parents at predictable times so parents know when to expect it

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In closing it is important to remember

• That young children learn new concepts by hooking on to something that they already know.

• That young children are very literal and usually can’t understand abstract concepts.

These truths impact how we can successfully teach young children about God.

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In our work with young children we must…

• Embrace the idea of being the architect for a strong foundation of love for God and his creations.

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Haim Ginott

•Children are like wet cement. Everything that falls on them makes an impression.

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Ultimately the impression that we must leave is one that

• Allows them to feel God’s love in a respectful classroom environment

• Allows them learn about God’s love by making connections between their own lives and the stories in the series

• Creates a sense of awe and wonder about the gifts that God has given us.

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To access the PowerPoint enter-

www.go.udayton.edu/earlylearning

Theory and Research Base• Copple, C. & Bredekamp, S. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early

childhood.programs serving children from birth through age 8. (3rd ed.)Washington DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.

• Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. (2005). Excessivestress disrupts the architecture of the developing brain. Retrieved December 8,2007 from http://www.developingchild.harvard.edu.

• Education Commission of the States. (2006), Quick Facts: What Research Shows About the Brain. Washington DC: author. Retrieved fromhttp://ecs.org/html/IssueSection.asp?issueid=17&s=Quick+Facts

• Ginott, H.G. (1995). Teacher and child: A book for parents and teachers. New York, NY: Collier.

• National Association for the Education of Young Children. (2002). Position statement on Curriculum and Assessment. Washington, DC: author.

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Research Base• Pungello, E.P., Kainz, K., Burchinal, M., Wasik, B.H., Sparling, J.J. Ramey, C.T., &

Campbell, F.A. (2010). Early educational intervention, early cumulative risk, and the early home environment as predictors of young adult outcomes within a high-risk sample. Child Development, 81, 410-426.PMID 20331676

• Ramey, C.T. & Ramey, S.L. (2006). Early learning and school readiness: Can early intervention make a difference? In N.F. Watt, C.C. Ayoub, R.H. Bradley, J.E. Puma, & W.A. Lebeouf (Eds.). The crisis in youth mental health: Critical issues and effective programs: Vol. 4 Early intervention programs and policies (pp.291-317). Westport: Praeger Press.

• Shonkoff, J.P., & Phillips, D.A. (Eds). (2000). From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development National Academies’ Press. Retrieved from http://www.nap.edu/catalog/9824.html

• Thompson, R. A. (2008), Connecting Neurons, Concepts, and People: Brain Development and Its Implications: Preschool Policy Brief Issue 17 New Brunswick, NJ: National Institute for Early Education Research, Rutgers Graduate School of Education. Retrieved from http://nieer.org/resources/policybriefs/17.pdf

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