Posts tagged: Religion

Passover Explorations

Looking through photos, I found several of my family celebrating Passover with friends who are Jewish. They would…

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Kids, Ramadan & Food Insecurity

As the war between Israel and Palestine continues, many Palestinian parents struggle to feed their families. Violence…

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Easter Around the World

Easter, like many holidays, is both a religious and cultural event. Some families focus on the Christian aspect, some…

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Children’s Understandings of Death

Death is a part of life. Even if some children do not experience it directly with a pet or family member, they know…

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Hanukkah Story Activities

Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, is an eight day celebration that recalls how a small band of ancient Jews…

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Making Religious Meaning with Journey to Bethlehem

During the month of December, many Christian families retell the biblical Christmas story as part of their holiday…

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Acknowledging Hurt & Making Amends

Yom Kippur, the annual Jewish Day of Atonement, begins the evening of Sunday, September 24. It is a time for deep…

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Celebrating Eid al Fitr

After 30 days of fasting, Muslim worldwide mark the end of Ramadan with Eid al Fitr, literally a festival of breaking…

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Sharing the ‘Hard Parts’ of the Christian Easter Story

As I was recounting the events of the Christian Holy Week with a group of children, Jess* waved her hand wildly in the…

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Exploring Ramadan

Six years ago, I visited Istanbul with two of my children. We were there during Ramadan, which meant we observed…

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Family Solstice Celebrations

When my children were young, a family friend invited us to a winter solstice party. There were sparklers and glow…

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Diwali Spirituality

As fall crops are harvested and days grow shorter, many cultures and religions acknowledge the season with celebrations…

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Yom Kippur

Fall brings two major Jewish holidays: Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), which is…

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Talking about the Queen’s Funeral & Rituals after Death

Less than 24 hours after Queen Elizabeth’s death, media outlets were carrying articles about ‘what to expect’ as…

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Reading Small Town Pride With Kids

Small Town Pride stars a tween working to understand himself, change his community and gain autonomy over his own…

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Cueing Spiritual Language

When my son was learning about lower case letters, he got into an argument with his preschool teacher about the letter…

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Imaginative Play & Spirituality

“Do you have a minute?” asked my daughter’s preschool teacher. “Of course,” I replied, “Is something…

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Exploring Ellen Outside the Lines

In their latest book, author A.J. Sass creates a neurodivergent main character (Ellen) who is negotiating changes in…

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Spirituality & Black History

February is Black History Month, a time when parents, teachers, and the media share stories of African American civil…

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Reading Fauja Singh Keeps Going

Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on the 3rd Monday in January reminds us that society needs strong leaders:…

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Why Children Confuse God with Santa

Santa is everywhere these days. Well before Thanksgiving, store displays and commercials were selling products in his…

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Reading The Proudest Blue

Wearing hijab is a spiritual statement for Muslim girls and women. It is a sign of faith and a practice of…

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Exploring Spiritual Traditions through Objects

One of my grown daughters will only drink grape juice if she has bread to dip in it. It’s a throwback to her…

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How Spirituality Shapes Imagination

The other day I spread out a play mat for a friend’s four-year-old son and gave him a few hot wheels. He started the…

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Spiritual Mirrors, Windows & Doors

“But mom,” my eldest complained, “why do I have to go to church school? They never talk about anything…

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Helping Families Navigate Multiple Spiritual Traditions

Many children are growing up in families that have ties to multiple spiritual traditions. In a household where one…

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Spiritual Story Books

My children love to read. From a young age, they knew that I would rarely deny their request to buy a book that caught…

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