Godly Play

I must begin by telling you that I am not an expert in Godly Play; in fact, I have not attended any training or even led it before. Any mistakes or misconceptions contained within this blog are my own. If you have attended a training or taught Godly Play before, you certainly have more experience and expertise on this subject matter than I do. Prior to attending PSYCM, I did not have much depth of knowledge about Godly Play, and this blog will be a brief, introductory-level explanation of what I learned during my workshop experience. Our original presenter was out sick, and so Michelle Moore graciously stepped in to teach us what she knows. She also explained to us that she was by no means an expert on the subject matter herself, either, but she teaches Godly Play regularly in a school setting.  So, if you are like me and are curious about what Godly Play is, and want to learn some ways that you can start to incorporate it into your ministry programs, keep reading. If you have already taught Godly Play or attended one of the trainings….you may find this boring, and potentially find some mistakes in my understanding.

We have all, at one time or another, found ourselves struggling to teach our kids a story from the Bible. What words should we use? What curriculum should we use? How can we get these kids to pay attention!? Godly Play, a Montessori-based curriculum, uses intentional words and actions to tell a Bible story and helps children begin to explore some of the language we use in our churches. The use of creativity to pursue and wonder is a huge part of using Godly Play. It encourages children to experience a story in their own way, without having to worry about if they are answering a question wrong, creating a craft in the wrong order, or expressing the wrong thoughts. Children are invited to experience God in their own way instead of being told how they should experience God through the stories and their lives. Godly Play Foundation describes their curriculum as follows (from their website godlyplayfoundation.org):

Godly Play is a creative, imaginative approach to Christian formation and spiritual guidance.
Godly Play has a Montessori foundation with 40+ years of research and practice.
Godly Play values process, openness, discovery, community and relationships.
Godly Play models the worship life, stories, symbols and rituals of Christian congregations.
Godly Play allows practitioners to make relevant and personal theological meaning.
Godly Play nurtures participants to larger dimensions of belief and faith through wondering and play.

Getting yourself and your space ready to teach Godly Play is an intentional journey all its own. In order to teach Godly Play, it is strongly recommended to attend a core training. These trainings are offered in person as a weekend retreat, or online through Zoom (must commit to about 18 hours). There is a lot that goes into learning about how to teach and facilitate Godly Play. Michelle told us that going into the training, she thought that it would be a complete waste of her time…after all, she knew how to teach children a Bible story. But, at the end of the training, she understood why the training exists, and it really is a worthwhile part of the process.

The next step in the process is to begin to think about how to set up your space. In the best situation, your space would be a room devoted fully to Godly Play. When thinking about the design of your space, it is best to keep things simple and calm. No busy artwork or clutter around the room. This helps children focus on why they are there. All of the stories are stored in baskets or boxes and shelved on low, child-friendly, and accessible shelves. Each story has a specific space where it remains all the time. There are diagrams on the Godly Play Foundation website that can walk you through where each story goes. When you go to get a story to read for the day, you can explain to the children where the story is located in the room, and what that means in relation to the Bible, or what type of story it is they are about to hear. In addition to the story shelves, you will need carpet squares or pillows, shelving stocked with good-quality art supplies (you don’t want any children getting frustrated when they can’t open the glue, or the markers are all dried out), and a spot set aside to keep children’s “work in progress” creations.  Tables aren’t necessary, but you may need clipboards or lap trays depending on what supplies you are providing. Not all churches are able to provide a set space just for Godly Play, and that is okay, too. Michelle told us that when she first started teaching Godly Play, she had a cart that she moved her things around on into different classrooms. Your space can be adaptable to your situation. If all of this so far seems intimidating, that’s okay. It is normal to take anywhere from 4 months to a year to get everything ready from first deciding to teach Godly Play until implementation.

Michelle laid out a Godly Play session to us in 7 steps. The first step begins at the threshold of the room. The children line up outside the door. The person presenting the story is already seated in the circle. Your second adult (the door person) begins by greeting each child individually at the door. It is important that each child hears their name 3 times during the session, so the greeting goes “George, are you ready to join the circle?” If they are not ready to join the circle, they remain outside the classroom until they feel they are ready.

The second step is building the circle. If they are ready, they will join the storyteller on the floor in the circle who greets them by name. The storyteller will chat with the children calmly, and begin settling them down until all of the children have joined the circle. If a child is not calm or ready, they may be sent back out to the hall and to the end of the line to try again. Once the circle is built the storyteller will present the lesson (step 3). While telling the story the storyteller will not make eye contact with anyone to keep their focus on the story that is unfolding in front of them. The story is told by using models, miniatures and figures, and is told by memory, not looking at a script. After the story is presented the storyteller will ask some “wondering” questions (step 4). These questions all start with “I wonder,” and have no wrong answers. Not all questions will be asked every time. Some examples of “I wonder” questions are:

• I wonder how you felt God’s presence this week?
• I wonder what is your favorite part of the story?
• I wonder how you discovered yourself in this story?
• I wonder how you experienced God in this story?
• I wonder if there’s any part of the story we can leave out and still have all the story we need?
• I wonder what you wonder about?

Step 5 is the response to the story. When you dismiss kids one at a time, say their name and ask them I wonder how you are going to respond. In the response portion of your time together the kids are free to respond to the story however they feel lead (within reason of course). It is a time where they are not told how specifically they need to respond, but remind them that whatever they choose to do, they should be thinking about the story while they do it. This is where the shelf of art supplies come in. Some common options you may want to have available are play doh, coloring supplies, paper, glue, scissors, water paint….whatever you as the teacher choose.

If your schedule allows, the next step (6) is The Feast. After creating and responding kids are invited back to the circle, an invitation to the table. This is a type of snack time. What is served is not important, and it doesn’t have to be a big or elaborate snack. A few goldfish crackers for each child will work. The kids are given jobs to serve one another. One passes out napkins, one the snack, one the water, etc. The important part of this step is that the kids are gathered together at the table, and that they are learning to serve one another. When the feast is done, the last step is to simply say goodbye. How you do this is up to you, and how your situation deems appropriate.

Some last minute things that we discussed during our time was:

• Make sure you are using the revised and expanded versions of all of the stories you tell. These versions have been slightly altered to have more inclusive language and images.
• You can find the stories to watch, learn, and practice with on the official YouTube channel
• DIY is highly encouraged since the supplies can be expensive. You can also look on Etsy, enlist someone from your church who is crafty/handy, or search Facebook groups for used materials.
• Check out Facebook groups and blogs for new ideas!

Laura Homminga

Georgetown UMC

Jenison, MI