The Spirit of the Child

by Hay, David; Nye, Rebecca

• ISBN13: 9781843103714
• ISBN10: 1843103710
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-02-15
• Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Pub

Summary

Spirituality is increasingly acknowledged as an essential part of child development, but at the same time spiritual awareness is not embedded within current education systems. David Hay argues that children are capable of profound, meaningful beliefs from an early age, despite cultural pressures and the decline in institutional religion, and makes the case for spirituality in education as a means of fostering morality and social inclusion. A three-year research study into children's spirituality and its survival informs Hay's view that spirituality in education needs to move beyond traditional approaches to a theory of spirituality that includes religion but is not confined to it. This thought-provoking book encourages educators, parents and others involved in teaching children to consider new approaches to nurture children's development. Book jacket.

Author Biography

David Hay is a zoologist and Honorary Senior Research Fellow of the Department of Divinity and Religious Studies at the University of Aberdeen Rebecca Nye is a child psychologist and a member of staff in the faculty of Divinity at Cambridge University

Table of Contents

Preface to the First Edition	9	(4)
Preface to the Revised Edition	13	(4)
Part I: Orientation
1: What Is Spirituality and Why Is It Important?	17	(16)
2: The Social Destruction of Spirituality	33	(16)
3: Children's Spirituality — What We Know Already	49	(14)
4: A Geography of the Spirit	63	(18)
Part II: Investigation
5: How Do You Talk with Children about Spirituality?	81	(11)
6: Listening to Children Talking	92	(16)
Rebecca Nye
7: Identifying the Core of Children's Spirituality	108	(23)
Rebecca Nye
Part III: Reflection
8: The Naturalness of Relational Consciousness	131	(15)
9: Nurturing the Spirit of the Child	146	(14)
10: Developments Since 1998	160	(13)
Notes	173	(26)
Bibliography	199	(14)
Index	213