I wrote before about the Montessori-based religious education program called Godly Play. (I have links to my other posts at the bottom of this post.) Advent is a time when children can truly experience the mystery of Christmas through Godly Play. The spirit of Advent encourages you to slow down, take time, and experience the mystery with your child. Take time to wonder…
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There’s much you can do at home with Godly Play to help Advent come alive:
1. If your church has a Godly Play program, you can reinforce the lessons at home.
Even if you don’t have Godly Play materials, you can help your child by having an Advent wreath and lighting the candles once each week during Advent or every evening at the dinner table. The following emphases would coordinate with the Godly Play lessons each week:
- Week 1: The Prophets
- Week 2: The Holy Family
- Week 3: The Shepherds
- Week 4: The Wise Men and Christmas
- Christmas Eve: The Nativity Story
- Christmas Day: The Mystery of Christmas (The Incarnation based on the book The Glorious Impossible by Madeleine L’Engle)
For more ideas on using Advent wreaths, I have links to resources in December Family and Homeschool Activities.
2. For a homeschool, you can prepare and present the Godly Play Advent lessons.
The Godly Play materials and lessons help your child truly experience the language of Advent and the mystery of Christmas.
2018 Update: Stories of God at Home: A Godly Play Approach by Jerome W. Berryman was published in April. It contains the Advent scripts!
The current Godly Play Advent lessons are also in The Complete Guide to Godly Play: Volume 3, Revised and Expanded (2017)
You can purchase the Godly Play Advent materials through links in my post on How to Add Godly Play to Your Homeschool. But to make the materials financially feasible for home use, you will probably want to make the materials yourself unless you have someone who can make them for you. Until the new book of patterns is published, you will need to purchase Young Children and Worship by Sonja M. Stewart and Jerome W. Berryman. The book has patterns and presentations for the Advent lessons, although the presentations aren’t the latest versions.
3. You can create a Godly Play table or shelf for your home.
This is a lovely and practical alternative for many homes.
I love the posts from Wondering Through the Year on Godly Play.
Here are some wonderful links about using Godly Play at home:
Advent, In Advent, Godly Play: Advent in Felt, and Playing in Advent from Watkins Every Flavor Beans
Godly Play Advent and Godly Play Holy Family Story from Life in the Pink Tower
Advent Club – Week 1, Advent Club – Week 2, Advent Club – Week 3, Advent Club – Week 4, and Creating Spiritual Space for Children from Explore and Express (this isn’t about using Godly Play at home but has great ideas that would be applicable – for art and religious language, for example – especially with elementary-aged children)
Advent – At My House, Advent – The Focal Shelf, Advent – My Story Materials, Advent – A Third Child, and Advent IV from Wonderful in an Easter Kind of Way
Ten Godly Play at Home Tips for Parents from Faith at Home
Here are my Previous Posts about Godly Play:
Making Religion Come Alive for Children
Godly Play Isn’t Just for Children
How to Add Godly Play to Your Homeschool
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We have started the tradition of reading The Advent Book by the Stockmans. These ideas would be a great addition to our reading.
Thanks, Michelle! The Advent Book looks beautiful. I just looked it up. My kids would have loved that when they were little!
I love the figures and advent set you have pictured. Such lovely wood work. I made a set for home out of felt, but love the wood.
Thanks for all the links and resources.
Thanks, Emily! The photo was from my Godly Play Training at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Portland. Trinity Episcopal Cathedral has a beautiful Godly Play room, but it is difficult to create those sorts of materials at home. I love the way you’ve found practical and creative ways to use Godly Play at home – while still preserving the mystery and beauty.
After I made our Advent cards I realized I had put the wreath on the right! It’s going to drive me crazy but we’ll use them this year.
THANK YOU, Nichole, for the link to my post and for letting me know about your Godly Play Advent activities! You’ll help many others know how to design the cards – and it always helps to know what went right or wrong for someone else. The important part is the mystery and sense of wonder, which you presented very well! I love what you’re doing and just added your Godly Play Advent link to my post.
Thanks for stopping by and giving a shout out to my little pinecone craft. More importantly, thanks for introducing me to your blog. I really appreciate this post. Thank you! thank you!
You’re welcome – and thank you! I really like your pinecone craft. I plan to feature it again before Christmas!
I love this!!! I’ve been looking for a great way to teach my children about Advent!
stopping by from iFellowship – only a day late! LOL!
Thanks, Penny! I’m doing my iFellowship visits a day late, too. Happy iFellowship Thursday!
Hi Deb, Thanks so much for taking the time to read my Advent post and then posting it on your website! I just returned from a weekend away and I look forward to reading all of your articles on Godly Play.
You’re welcome, Sheila! I love the creative ways you’re using Godly Play with different groups! I’ll look forward to following your Godly Play posts!
This post is the perfect way to start off the Advent Link-up Party. I can see that you have updated it quite a bit. So thankful for this great resource!
I just found Godly play and am very excited about it. I’m so glad I found you blog!
This set looks lovely and inexpensive. “Olive Wood Children’s Nativity Set (12 Pieces Set)” Sorry I can’t post the link for some reason, but it’s on Amazon. Our former church used Godly Play and I am trained in it. We moved and I miss this program so much. It\’s very hard to start up somewhere new when people are just content with what they use. I had forgotten that Advent is in Vol. 3 I own Vol 2 . . . whoops oh well. Prayers for you on your Godly Play journey this is such a wonderful post.