Nurturing Spiritual Development in Children by Understanding Our Own Spirituality

The purpose of this workbook Nurturing Spiritual Development in Children by Understanding Our Own Spirituality, is to encourage caregivers to be aware of the importance of spirituality and to realize that spiritual development can be nurtured in children at a very young age. In order to successfully do this, it is important for caregivers to explore and understand their own spirituality.

This book introduces the concept of spiritual development vital for all caregivers, for it references aspects of spiritual development that are common to all people. Each chapter offers insight into how spiritual development unfolds. Readers will find information about various aspects of spiritual development. Space is given for reflection and journal writing. This will provide opportunities to evoke and strengthen the caregivers spiritual development that will enhance the spiritual development of the children the adults are nurturing.

Each chapter concludes with a list of ideas, activities and spiritual moments that caregivers can share with the children in their lives.

The twelve sections included in the book explore the following areas of spiritual development in adults and children:

• Spiritual Moments
• Caregiver Love
• Self-Awareness
• Mindfulness and Mindsight
• Disposition
• Wonderment
• Kindness
• Imagination
• Openness and Acceptance
• Gratitude
• Breath and Presence
• The Big Picture Spiritual Development

Ester R.A. Leutenberg has worked in the mental health field for many years as a publisher, author, and advocate for those suffering from loss. She personally experienced a devastating loss when her son Mitchell, after struggling with a mental illness for eight years, died by suicide in 1986.

Soon after Mitchell's death, as a way of both healing and helping others, Ester co-founded Wellness Reproductions & Publishing with her daughter Kathy Khalsa and they developed these therapeutic products: The SEALS series for teen-agers, the Life Management Skills series for adults, and a variety of other therapeutic card, board, and bingo games, balloons, and posters.

With her publisher, Whole Person Associates, Ester has co-written the following series of reproducible activity workbooks and card decks created for facilitators: GriefWork, Mental Health & Life Skills, Teen Mental Health & Life Skills, Mind-Body Wellness, Coping, Transitional Life Skills for Teens, Erasing the Stigma of Mental Health through Awareness, and Working with Families. Some of the individual books she has co-written include Creating a Healthy Balanced Life, Motivation, The Complete Caregiver Support Guide, Veterans Surviving and Thriving after Trauma, Breaking Up is Hard to Do, and Life Skills to Help Teens Balance WAY TOO MUCH!

Deborah L. Schein, PhD has been an early childhood educator since 1972. She received a bachelor's degree in psychology, a master's degree in education with a focus on curriculum and instruction. She spent many years teaching in early childhood classrooms in urban and suburban settings, and at numerous colleges. More recently, she completed a PhD in early childhood education, researching a definition of spiritual development for young children. This quest began when a young child came to her excitedly holding a worm in his hand. At this moment Deb realized that a language of spiritual development did not exist in this inner city school and possibly from most early childhood programs.

Deborah currently works as an educational consultant and teaches early childhood graduate courses online. She also offers workshops across the country for national movements and participates in webinars about the connection between spiritual development and nature education for young children.

Deborah has co-authored two books, What's Jewish about Butterflies, and The Great Outdoors, She is currently writing a book that introduces a definition of spiritual development to early childhood educators. It is Deb s goal to help others nurture the spiritual life of children.

Amy Leutenberg Brodsky, LISW-S works assisting children and adults in psychiatric crisis. Amy combines her skills and talents as a social worker and artist, and is well known for her creative illustrations of the Emotions product line, therapeutic games, and over 80 books with Wellness Reproductions and Publishing and with Whole Person Associates ... and now, Nurturing Spiritual Development in Children by Understanding Our Own Spirituality.