Stjohnsdecatur - Godly Play

Godly Play

Godly Play: No Single Way to Learn (4 year olds through 4th graders)

Styles of learning vary as much as creative gifts. Some people learn most effectively when they see information written down, others when they hear it. Some people are kinetic; they need to move their bodies to learn. Some learn most effectively by working in small groups; others by concentrating on their own. There is no one proper way to learn; there are only individual styles of learning. Godly Play respects those differences.

In Godly Play, our Sunday school program for children ages 4 through 4th grade, we tell Bible stories and teach liturgical lessons with multisensory materials to appeal to a broad range of learning styles: auditory, because the story is spoken out loud; visual, because the handmade wooden figures represent what is happening in the story; kinesthetic, because the storyteller moves the material around. Later, any child who wishes to learn to tell the story can respond in the same style.

Each Sunday, we set aside 45 minutes, beginning at 9:30 am, to be still in the presence of God and learn the stories of our faith. The 45-minute schedule for the classes includes Getting Ready; The Story; The Response Time; The Feast and sharing time; and Dismissal. Every child ages 4 through 4th grade is invited to be part of Godly Play.

Because every Godly Play class has the same routine, the stories and lessons are the focus. Part of the routine is starting the class promptly at 9:30 am After 9:30 am, the classroom door will be closed so that the room remains quiet. If you are late (and we all are late from time to time!), please knock quietly on the door, and a teacher will come and get your child and incorporate him or her quietly into the classroom.

The teachers ask each child to “Get Ready” before entering the classroom quietly. The intent of this exercise is to focus the children on the special nature of the time they are about to spend hearing God’s word – much like the time we spend quietly before worship. In the “response time,” those children who work best together can pair off or form groups to work on creative projects. Those who work best alone have the time and space to concentrate on projects by themselves.

We gather the children in a circle for the storytelling, and at the end for a feast, because they thereby learn about being in community and working together. Everything we do in Godly Play contributes to learning.

We have several accredited Godly Play teachers who are always around before and after class, and we would love to answer questions and hear your thoughts about Godly Play. In addition, you can always contact Erika Huber at ehuber4404@charter.netfor more information.


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Godly Play Godly Play: No Single Way to Learn (4 year olds through 4th graders) Styles of learning vary as much as creative gifts. Some people learn most effectively when they see information written down, others when they hear it. Some people are kinetic; they need to move their bodies to learn. Some learn most effectively by working in small groups; others by concentrating on their own. There is no one proper way to learn; there are only individual styles of learning. Godly Play respects those differences. In Godly Play, our Sunday school program for children ages 4 through 4th grade, we tell Bible stories and teach liturgical lessons with multisensory materials to appeal to a broad range of learning styles: auditory, because the story is spoken out loud; visual, because the handmade wooden figures represent what is happening in the story; kinesthetic, because the storyteller moves the material around. Later, any child who wishes to learn to tell the story can respond in the same style. Each Sunday, we set aside 45 minutes, beginning at 9:30 am, to be still in the presence of God and learn the stories of our faith. The 45-minute schedule for the classes includes Getting Ready; The Story; The Response Time; The Feast and sharing time; and Dismissal. Every child ages 4 through 4th grade is invited to be part of Godly Play. Because every Godly Play class has the same routine, the stories and lessons are the focus. Part of the routine is starting the class promptly at 9:30 am After 9:30 am, the classroom door will be closed so that the room remains quiet. If you are late (and we all are late from time to time!), please knock quietly on the door, and a teacher will come and get your child and incorporate him or her quietly into the classroom. The teachers ask each child to “Get Ready” before entering the classroom quietly. The intent of this exercise is to focus the children on the special nature of the time they are about to spend hearing God’s word – much like the time we spend quietly before worship. In the “response time,” those children who work best together can pair off or form groups to work on creative projects. Those who work best alone have the time and space to concentrate on projects by themselves. We gather the children in a circle for the storytelling, and at the end for a feast, because they thereby learn about being in community and working together. Everything we do in Godly Play contributes to learning. We have several accredited Godly Play teachers who are always around before and after class, and we would love to answer questions and hear your thoughts about Godly Play. In addition, you can always contact Erika Huber at ehuber4404@charter.netfor more information.