Nurturing Spirituality in Children: Simple Hands-on Activities »

Peggy J. Jenkins, Ph.D., is the founder of Joyful Child, Inc., which offers the magazine The Joyful Child Journal, parenting classes, facilitator training, and a mail-order service. She lives in Phoenix, Arizona.

"A much-needed book with practical exercises and affirmations that will help children keep in touch with their heart and spirit."

Gerald G. Jampolsky, M.D., author of Love Is Letting Go of Fear

"Nurturing Spirituality in Children is a wonderful way to teach children some of life's greatest gifts!"

Louise L. Hay, author of You Can Heal Your Life

The greatest gifts that a child can receive are an opened mind, a caring heart, and ignited creativity. Thus fully expanded, illustrated edition of Nurturing Spirituallity in Children includes sixty-two simple and thought-provoking lessons that can be shared with children in less than ten minutes each. The lessons are easy to prepare and understand; they use commonly available materials and complement a wide variety of religious perspectives.

Children who develop a healthy balance of mind and sprit are better able to respond to life's challenges when given the tools to think and discover for themselves. Dr. Jenkins gives scores of age-appropriate activities that help children learn empathy, trust, forgiveness, growth, and inner peace.

Peggy Joy Jenkins, PH.D., is the author of four highly acclaimed parent/teacher education books, including Art for the Fun of It, The Magic of Puppetry, and The Joyful Child. Dr. Jenkins is founder and president of Joyful Child, Inc., a nonprofit organization serving parents and teachers. During the 1990s she published Joyful Child Journal, a national magazine that offered educational and inspirational articles for parents and teachers as well as values-based stories for children. Visit www.joy4u.org for more information about Joyful Child, Inc.

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Parents may wish to heighten a child's spiritual awareness but have been unable to find good resources: Nurturing Spirituality In Children provides simple lessons parents can teach to kids in lessons of ten minutes at a time. From words which are powerful to teaching compassion and a sense of God, this provides an excellent set of workbook experiences.

Acknowledgments     ix
Preface     xi
Laying the Foundation     xiii
How to Use This Book     xv
Guidelines for Affirmations     xix
Seedlings: For the Beginning Learner
The Straw Smile     3
The Magnetism of Praise     5
Finding Our Way     7
The Inside Gives Form to the Outside     9
We Are a Visible Form of Spirit     11
Joy Lights     13
Prayer Makes the Day     15
Our Relationship to Spirit     17
The Boomerang Law     19
We Are All Connected     21
Judge Not     23
The Hard Way Versus the Easy Way     26
Cut Your Problem in Half     28
Watch Your Words     30
Our Hidden Potential     32
Spirit Is Present Everywhere     34
I'll See It When I Believe It     36
Focus on the Picture, Not on the Frame     38
Pure Thoughts     40
Sprouts: For the More Advanced Learner
Like Attracts Like     45
The Power of Affirmations     48
Think About What You Want, Not About What You Don't Want     51
The Power of Love     53
What Gets My Attention Gets Me     55
Thoughts Don't Leave Their Source     58
Do Your Words Have Weights or Wings?     60
The Formative Power of Imagination     62
Our Invisible Bridge     64
Deliberate Creation     66
Change Is Needed for Growth     68
There Is No Separation     70
Our Connection with the Creator and with Each Other     72
You Can't Give Love Unless You Have Love     74
Listening for Guidance     76
Balancing Our Life     78
Thoughts Are Gifts     80
Our Icebergs     82
Death and the Body     84
Full Bloom for the Experienced Learner
Only Our Thoughts Hurt Us     89
My Thoughts Join All Others     92
My World Reflects What I Put into It     95
We Absorb Our Environment     98
Take Time to Relax     101
Choose Your Thoughts     104
Importance of "Our Own Climate"     106
Things Take Form According to Our Thoughts     108
There Is a Gift in Every Problem     110
Are You Going Around in Circles?     112
Rise Above the Problem     114
Using Our Daily Energy     118
The Aspects of Mind     121
Belief Activates Faith     124
Tuning in to Spirit     127
Our Cup of Belief     130
Separating Fear and the Problem     133
In-To-Me-See (Intimacy)     136
Just One Person Can Lighten Darkness     138
Anger Is Self-Destructive     140
The Power of the Word     142
Weaving Our Spiritual Consciousness     145
Messages from Water     149
Keeping Connected to Source     152
A Lesson Just for You     155
Epilogue     157
Afterword     159
Index of Materials     161
Index of Subjects     165