Talking with Kids about the Pope’s Death
The death of Pope Francis is a big deal, with news services replaying his Easter Sunday ride around St. Peter’s…
MorePosts tagged: Religion
Exploring Diverse Holidays with The House Without Lights
Holiday lights are a staple of many winter traditions. Solstice candles, Hanukkah menorahs, colorful Christmas strings,…
MoreFinding Comfort in I Am Not Afraid
Bedtime fears are a common childhood experience. Monsters under the bed or in the closet. Strange noises and shadows.…
MoreChildren & Awe
At two and a half, my eldest child was obsessed with garbage trucks. She loved the sounds they made, the way they…
MoreChildren’s Concerns about Climate Change
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reports that Earth’s temperature has risen just over a…
MorePassover Explorations
Looking through photos, I found several of my family celebrating Passover with friends who are Jewish. They would…
MoreKids, Ramadan & Food Insecurity
As the war between Israel and Palestine continues, many Palestinian parents struggle to feed their families. Violence…
MoreEaster Around the World
Easter, like many holidays, is both a religious and cultural event. Some families focus on the Christian aspect, some…
MoreChildren’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…
MoreHanukkah Story Activities
Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, is an eight day celebration that recalls how a small band of ancient Jews…
MoreMaking Religious Meaning with Journey to Bethlehem
During the month of December, many Christian families retell the biblical Christmas story as part of their holiday…
MoreAcknowledging Hurt & Making Amends
Yom Kippur, the annual Jewish Day of Atonement, begins the evening of Sunday, September 24. It is a time for deep…
MoreCelebrating Eid al Fitr
After 30 days of fasting, Muslim worldwide mark the end of Ramadan with Eid al Fitr, literally a festival of breaking…
MoreSharing 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…
MoreExploring Ramadan
Six years ago, I visited Istanbul with two of my children. We were there during Ramadan, which meant we observed…
MoreFamily Solstice Celebrations
When my children were young, a family friend invited us to a winter solstice party. There were sparklers and glow…
MoreDiwali Spirituality
As fall crops are harvested and days grow shorter, many cultures and religions acknowledge the season with celebrations…
MoreYom Kippur
Fall brings two major Jewish holidays: Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), which is…
MoreTalking 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…
MoreReading Small Town Pride With Kids
Small Town Pride stars a tween working to understand himself, change his community and gain autonomy over his own…
MoreCueing Spiritual Language
When my son was learning about lower case letters, he got into an argument with his preschool teacher about the letter…
MoreImaginative Play & Spirituality
“Do you have a minute?” asked my daughter’s preschool teacher. “Of course,” I replied, “Is something…
MoreExploring Ellen Outside the Lines
In their latest book, author A.J. Sass creates a neurodivergent main character (Ellen) who is negotiating changes in…
MoreSpirituality & Black History
February is Black History Month, a time when parents, teachers, and the media share stories of African American civil…
MoreReading Fauja Singh Keeps Going
Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on the 3rd Monday in January reminds us that society needs strong leaders:…
MoreWhy Children Confuse God with Santa
Santa is everywhere these days. Well before Thanksgiving, store displays and commercials were selling products in his…
MoreReading The Proudest Blue
Wearing hijab is a spiritual statement for Muslim girls and women. It is a sign of faith and a practice of…
MoreExploring 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…
MoreHow 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…
MoreSpiritual Mirrors, Windows & Doors
“But mom,” my eldest complained, “why do I have to go to church school? They never talk about anything…
MoreHelping Families Navigate Multiple Spiritual Traditions
Many children are growing up in families that have ties to multiple spiritual traditions. In a household where one…
MoreSpiritual 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…
More