1st Edition
Children's Spirituality in Early Childhood Education Theory to Practice
This pioneering volume provides a thorough understanding of children’s spirituality from a holistic development perspective and explores the ways early childhood educators can nurture spirituality in the secular classroom. Making a critical distinction between spirituality and religion, this book draws on conceptual and empirical research, as well as authentic classroom vignettes to explore how theory translates into practice. Inviting readers to examine how their beliefs inform their practices, Children’s Spirituality in Early Childhood Education offers a purposeful window into supporting children’s learning and development with a focus on their souls, making it important reading for teachers, teacher candidates, researchers, and teacher educators in the field of early childhood education.
List of Figures Acknowledgments Forward by John Hochheimer Preface Introduction Section I – What is Children’s Spirituality? Chapter 1 - Defining Spirituality and Differentiating it from Religion Chapter 2 - Understanding Children’s Spirituality in the Literature and Research Section II – Spirituality in the Classroom - What do the Teachers say? Chapter 3 - Looking into Early Childhood Teachers’ Perceptions of Nurturing Spirituality Chapter 4 - How Ms. Escarfuller’s Spirituality Informs Her Pedagogy Chapter 5 - Spiritual Vignettes from Ms. Escarfuller’s Classroom Section III – Tying it All Together Chapter 6 - How can we nurture children’s spirituality in secular settings? Chapter 7 - Spirituality as the North Star for Early Childhood Education: Where do we go from here?
Biography
Jennifer Mata-McMahon is Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education and Director of the Sherman Center for Early Learning in Urban Communities at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, USA.
Patricia Escarfuller holds a certification as an AMI Montessori Elementary Teacher and as a K-12 Art Teacher. She currently teaches second-grade Social Studies and Science in Spanish and in English at Lakeland Elementary Middle School, USA.
