Handbook of Preschool Religious Education is an exhaustive and comprehensive treatment of the entire field of early childhood religious education. This encyclopedic volume is an indispensable guide and resource for all those involved in the religious education of young children.

Handbook of Children's Religious Education is a thorough and comprehensive treatment of the religious education of children ages six to twelve. It covers virtually all the basic information that childhood educators need to know in order to be effective teachers and communicators.

Description: This pacesetting text considers a wide variety of topics related to the spiritual development of children. The chapters grew out of presentations at the first major conference to consider these important topics from a distinctly Christian perspective. The first section considers the important task of defining spirituality and summarizes some views of the spirituality of children, as reflected in history, theology and the Bible. Social influences on children's spirituality are considered, as well as how brain activity relates to spiritual experiences. The second major section highlights children's spirituality in the home. Here the development of the concept of God is considered, as well as how parents and children work together to construct understandings of spirituality. A third section reflects upon the spirituality of children in the church, including alternative perspectives of how spiritual growth and experience are best encouraged in that setting. The distinctive aspects of African American children and Latino children's spirituality are given careful attention. Schools and other settings are examined in the fourth section of the book, with an emphasis upon moral learning, encouraging faith development with preschoolers, how spirituality helps children cope with serious medical conditions and the stresses related to being children of missionaries, and best practices in reaching inner city children. The book concludes with a chapter that examines how Christians' views of children's spirituality are changing, and anticipates a follow up conference in the near future. Endorsements: ""Here are essays on young people that tell of their various ways of seeking God's presence in their ongoing lives--an aspect of faith observed and discussed with intelligence and sensitivity. Here is a book many of us will greatly value--its wisdom an important presence in our effort to understand children."" --Dr. Robert Coles, Professor of Psychiatry and Medical Humanities at Harvard Medical School, and author of The Spiritual Life of Children ""This extraordinary book is a must read for all who teach and practice religious education. It gathers, with breadth and depth, the best current research from an exploding renewal in the study of the spirituality and religious development of children. Teachers, students, and scholars dedicated to understanding and nurturing our children's growth in faith will find this rich volume indispensable."" --James W. Fowler, author of Stages of Faith and C.H. Candler Professor of Theology and Human Development Director, The Center for Ethics, Emory University ""Written in the best of the Evangelical tradition, Children's Spirituality is a must read for all those interested in children, the spiritual life, and Christian formation. Descriptive phrases include: well conceived and edited, clearly written and well documented, thorough and all-encompassing, academically sound and popular, combining research and practical application."" --The Rev. Dr. John Westerhoff, formerly Professor of Theology and Christian Nurture at Duke University, he is Theologian-in-Residence at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Atlanta, Georgia About the Contributor(s): Donald Ratcliff is Professor of Psychology at Vanguard University. He received his Ph.D. in educational psychology from the University of Georgia. He has studied children's spiritual development for more than 25 years and has edited several books related to this topic, including the 'Handbook of Children's Religious Education' and the 'Handbook of Preschool Religious Education.' He is also the editor or coauthor of six other books and more than two dozen journal articles and book chapters.

This ground-breaking volume examines the presentation and role of children in the ancient world, and specifically in ancient Jewish and Christian texts. With carefully commissioned chapters that follow chronological and canonical progression, a sequential reading of this book enables deeper appreciation of how understandings of children change over time. Divided into four sections, this handbook first offers an overview of key methodological approaches employed in the study of children in the biblical world, and the texts at hand. Three further sections examine crucial texts in which children or discussions of childhood are featured; presented along chronological lines, with sections on the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, the Intertestamental Literature, and the New Testament and Early Christian Apocrypha. Relevant not only to biblical studies but also cross-disciplinary scholars interested in children in antiquity.

The Society of Children's Spirituality: Christian Perspectives launched in 2003 with its first conference held at Concordia University Chicago, in River Forest, Illinois. An earlier edition of this book, composed of chapters based on presentations from that conference, was published in 2004. In 2018 a decision was made to revise this book from the inaugural conference, updating some chapters and providing a new perspective on the ongoing work of the organization, now called the Children's Spirituality Summit. For example, given the advances in what we are learning from brain research, a chapter on this topic has been extensively updated. What this revised volume provides is a collection of chapters offering theological perspectives, social science research, and insights on ministry practice about the spiritual lives of children: how they relate to God, how this relationship grows, and what helps in promoting the spiritual formation and vitality of children in the home, church, and school This book offers twenty-three chapters by professors, graduate students, social science researchers, and ministry leaders from different denominational traditions addressing a wide range of issues in theory, research, and ministry practice with children. This second edition offers much to learn from, stimulate your thinking, and improve your practice.

With advice on parenting coming from several angles, what do you listen to and what do you ignore? Develop your own biblical philosophy of parenting and use it to filter the many ideas that come your way. In this book you’ll learn how to: Identify character qualities to address problems Build internal motivation Transfer responsibility for change to the child Teach kids to be solvers instead of whiners Use creativity to teach your kids spiritual truths Avoid the “boxing ring” Envision a positive future And much more! With these strategies you’ll be able to move from behavior modification to a heart-based approach to parenting. Instead of relying on rewards, incentives, threats, and punishment, you’ll learn how to identify heart lessons to teach your child and implement them in practical ways. The Christian Parenting Handbook by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, founders of the National Center for Biblical Parenting, compiles fifty parenting principles that use heart-based strategies to teach you how to face daily challenges. When parents focus on the heart, kids learn to ask different questions about life. Instead of asking, “What’s in it for me?” they learn to ask, “What’s the right thing to do?” You’ll soon see how a heart-based approach to parenting looks deeper and brings about greater, lasting change. The daily interaction you have with your children can impact them for the rest of their lives. With these fifty heart-based strategies, you’ll develop your own biblical philosophy of parenting and gain perspective, greater motivation, and confidence that you’re moving in the right direction. As you envision a positive future for your children, they’ll experience hope and direction and you will too. Start applying these principles today!

Enduring Connections gives churches and ministers significant guidelines for establishing a quality childhood ministry with preschoolers and grade-schoolers. Enduring Connections is especially helpful to ministers and directors of childhood ministry that are called from the laity to staff positions. By focusing on building a childhood ministry that intentionally connects children to God and the community of faith through paths that are driven by relationship rather than programs, Janice Haywood has produced a resource that will help churches of any size design their own unique ministry for children. A TCP Leadership Series title.