The child always develops in its entirety. This means that anything he learns to do with the help of others or through imitation influences his developmental process as a whole. For example, when she develops her walk, this changes her entire development process, as it allows her access to numerous events in the environment that were not within her reach before. Therefore, we must give many opportunities to children, whether in the family, at school or in the community. By doing so, we are helping them access development opportunities.
Child development considers inseparable the:
- Physical aspect: the physical growth of the child and the development of motor skills.
- Social aspect: the child's ability to interact with others and learn to build relationships.
- Emotional Aspect: Children's ability to understand their own feelings and those of others, express and regulate their emotions, and develop empathy for others.
- Cognitive language aspect: the child's ability to think and reason and make sense of the world, and to be able to perceive, understand and use language.
Spiritual aspect: It involves your ability to connect with yourself, with others, with nature and with God.
The above model is built on the understanding that the development of a child's spirituality is a central part of development. Spirituality is often absent from current child development structures and programs. This is due to several factors, including the lack of research on what spiritual development encompasses, and the misconception that it only pertains to the religious sphere. And it's actually an aspect that needs to be developed, regardless of religion or not.
Development happens through the interaction between the different domains of development. For example, a focus on language development in the early years – through activities such as storytelling, reading and singing – paves the way for early school reading, helping children understand the sounds of letters and introducing them to a new vocabulary. In the case of language development, for example, health and nutrition play important roles. Furthermore, early in life, children's vocabulary increases dramatically as they begin to move around, exploring and provoking responses from others. The foundations of social competence, which are developed in the first five years, are linked to children's emotional well-being and reflect on the child's later ability to adapt to school and form successful relationships throughout life.
Therefore, the suggestions for activities proposed in this material are intended to contribute to the interaction of different aspects, especially in the development of children's spirituality.
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To think about: Some say that spirituality is innate: the child would already be born with spiritual capacity. At Pastoral da Criança, we think that spirituality, virtues, and ethical life are possibilities given to every human being and that need to be developed through relationships: in social life, in day-to-day interactions, in collective activities. Therefore, aiming at Spirituality, it is essential that the relationship with other living beings be stimulated. |
- e-Capacitação
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- Facilitadores em e-Espiritualidade
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- 2ª Sessão-Módulo 1
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- Child Development
- e-Capacitação
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- e-Spirituality in childhood
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- Spirituality in childhood
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- Child Development