Godly Play® is an imaginative approach to working with children, based on Montessori principles.
The Godly Play® approach helps children explore their faith through story, to gain religious language, and to enhance their spiritual experience through wonder and play. Based on Montessori principles and developed using a spiral curriculum, the Godly Play® method services children through early, middle, and late childhood and beyond. Revised and expanded, The Complete Guide to Godly Play, Volume 3 offers new concepts, new terminology, new illustrations, and a new structure that stem from more than ten years of using Godly Play® with children across the world. 30 to 40 percent of the text is new or revised, including two new lessons, two radically changed lessons, a revised Introduction, and a new full Appendix.
Jerome W. Berryman is the founder of Godly Play and has a wide experience working with children ages 2–18. Priest, writer, lecturer, and workshop leader, Berryman is Senior Fellow of the Center for the Theology of Childhood. He is the author of The Complete Guide to Godly Play, Teaching Godly Play, Children and the Theologians, The Spiritual Guidance of Children, and Stories of God at Home. He lives in Greenwood Village, Colorado.
“In The Complete Guide to Godly Play, Volume 3, Revised and Expanded Jerome Berryman provides needed updates to the instructions, scripts, and illustrations for presenting Parables and Liturgical stories. This volume provides Godly Play practitioners with new resources on practicing silence and telling parables side by side. The two appendices on the Spiral Curriculum and Foundational Literature help to enhance and deepen understanding and practice. This is a must read for Godly Play storytellers, trainers, and advocates who want to strengthen their capacity to play with the metaphors of parables and intensify the practice of meaningful silence.” ––Amy Crawford, Team Leader Faith Formation and Mission, General Council of The United Church of Canada
“This revised Complete Guide to Godly Play is a must have for all Christian educators’ shelves. Everything you love about the original books has been carefully clarified and expanded, with answers and suggestions that respond to the questions we’ve all needed in our Godly Play classrooms over the years. The introductory material and the lesson presentations alike are well written and will delight all Godly Play teachers.” ––Tina Clark, Family Minister at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, Denver, Colorado
“Over and over, I have seen the power of Godly Play to bring children (and adults) to a place of deep encounter with God. The stories are filled with awe and wonder, and the use of ‘wondering questions’ allows for children to make meaning for themselves, to disagree with one another, and to share their thoughts and experiences. Godly Play takes God, children, and the Bible seriously.” ––Margaret Pritchard Houston, Children’s Mission Enabler for the Diocese of St. Albans, Church of England
“Godly Play offers children the time and space to connect with God through play. It is a treasure we offer our children to engage with stories and liturgical action in a way that honors the child where they are. The Godly Play program remains one of the best experiences my children have had with God. The quiet and thoughtful way stories are presented coupled with the independent work time, creates a sacred, reflective time that allows children to deepen their relationship with God.” ––Elise Jones, Associate for Children and Family Ministries, Trinity Church Menlo Park, California
