Godly Play (Paperback)

~ Jermone Berryman (Author) "Godly play has something in common with all play..." (more)
Key Phrases: parable box, theological cognition, desert box, Holy Family, Parable of the Mustard Seed, Good Shepherd (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“An original, significant contribution…A pleasure and an inspiration to read…important for all adults, especially those who care about children.” -- John H. Westerhoff, author of Bringing Up Children in the Christian Faith, Living the Faith Community, and Will Our Children Have Faith?

Product Description

Meaningful, lasting learning comes from childlike curiosity and play. The approach of this book is to make relgious instruction fun, spontaneous and deeply spiritual. Godly Play is a practical yet innovative approach to religious education--becoming childlike in order to teach children.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Augsburg Books (February 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806627859
• ISBN-13: 978-0806627854
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #228,155 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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

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.

22 of 22 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

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....