Godly Play [Paperback]

Jerome Berryman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1995

A practical yet innovative approach to religious education -- becoming childlike in order to teach children. Godly Play invites us to consider spiritual development as a process in which the creative spirit is alive in the education of both young and old. Berryman awakens us to new ways of seeing ourselves and helps us to discover "our deep identity as Godly creatures."

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jerome W. Berryman is co-author of Young Children and Worship and a contributor to Harper’s Encyclopedia of Religious Education. He is a consultant in the areas of religious education, child development, and the spiritual direction of children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Augsburg Books (February 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806627859
• ISBN-13: 978-0806627854
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #879,179 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The ultimate game: Godly Play, March 30, 2000

By 

Kim McPherson (Indianapolis, IN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Godly Play (Paperback)

The problem with most religious education approaches is that they attempt to direct the children TO GOD. They forget that children engage joyously in life, reaching Godly moments at regular intervals! Jerome Berryman posits that Godly Play is the ultimate game, "the playing of a game that can awaken us to new ways of seeing ourselves as human beings." Children play naturally,and they find God, naturally, in everything. Godly Play is a way to give them the religious language to more fully play that game. It is deeply respectful of the child and of God's presence. This book will stimulate your imagination, help you to approach the religious education task as a joy-filled, mystery-filled, dance that is an approach, not a rigid end-point. From nine years of experience with Godly Play, I can say that the results are children who both know the stories and relate them to their own lives in the most ordinary - and extraordinary- ways. It also results in teachers who are dedicated and find the "work" to be a gift. This book is the foundation that you will return to for inspiration again and again. It is also a guide for dealing with children (and problems in the classroom) that allows you to remain respectful and to open up possibilities for rare existential conversations with kids. You will find that Jerome Berryman's ideas expressed in this book will explode your imagination, humble you as a teacher, and rededicate you to your task. Take it slowly, though; there's a lot here, and it's not always an easy read. Chapter 2, especially, is a must for all teachers of Godly Play, as he takes you through the lesson from his point of view. Ultimately, it's well worth your effort.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wonder-ful, August 6, 2001

By 

alison c lufkin (twin lakes, colorado United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Godly Play (Paperback)

I ordered this book to guide me in teaching sunday school in a multi-age classroom. Since reading it, I have been thinking seriously of beginning Jerome Berryman's Godly play curriculum. Jerome spent many years studying and practicing the theories and methods used in Montessori school. He sought to carry this experience and way of thinking about children into the sunday school arena. WHat he has developed is explained thoroughly in the book, and it is a refreshingly different approach to religious education. Unlike most methods, Godly play seeks to preserve a high view of children, encouraging them to playfully enter the sacred stories and come away with their sense of wonder and imagination intact. Many of us adults think religious education means boxing children into our ways of thinking about ourselves and God. Godly play allows children to wonder about themselves, about God, and about the world around them in a way that is playful and deeply meaingful to them, and not on our terms. Great reading, only I must warn you, if you read this, you may want to read more of his material....

5.0 out of 5 stars Godly Play for Children and Adults!, August 7, 2011

By 

Dendera - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Godly Play (Paperback)

This book is based on the Montessori method of learning for children and I find this also can be applied to adults.

Creativity and individual interpretation is an important part of Godly play. With structured short intervals of activity and then a longer period for personal interpretation, allows for the maximum flow of information, creativity, and interpretation.