Forming the Religious Imagination

Part 3 of my series on the catechesis of infants/toddlers/preschoolers is up at Barefoot and Pregnant: Forming the Religious Imagination.

Where to begin? First, with an idea rooted in Montessori: Children learn through play. Thus a child�s play is work and his work is play. So too children�s worship is also play. A child�s relationship with God is an imaginative act. Thus if you want to cultivate that relationship, you must cultivate his imagination.

So then, how does one cultivate the religious imagination? What kinds of raw materials do you provide your child so that he has an ample toolkit to work with when he enters into religious play?

Thanks again to beautiful Calah for being such a marvelous hostess. Writing this series has been a real treat for me. And I’ve loved all the wonderful, thoughtful comments. There are some great discussions going on the the comments to the first two parts.

Part One is here: “How Do You Do That?”

Part Two is here:  The Religious Potential of the Child

Do come by and say hi. And while you’re at it, say a prayer for Calah and her family.