The purpose of this workbook is to encourage caregivers to be aware of the importance of spirituality and to realize that spiritual development can be nurtured at a very young age. In order to successfully do this, it is important for caregivers to explore and understand their own spirituality.
This book introduces the concept of spiritual development vital for all caregivers, for it references aspects of spiritual development that are common to all people. Each chapter offers insight into how spiritual development unfolds. Readers will find information about various aspects of spiritual development. Space is given for reflection and journal writing. This will provide opportunities to evoke and strengthen the caregivers' spiritual development that will enhance the spiritual development of the children the adults are nurturing.
Each chapter concludes with a list of ideas, activities and spiritual moments that caregivers can share with the children in their lives.
Author Biography:
Ester R.A. Leutenberg has worked in the mental health field for many years as a publisher,
author, and advocate for those suffering from loss. She personally experienced a devastating loss
when her son Mitchell, after struggling with a mental illness for
eight years, died by suicide in 1986.
Soon after Mitchell's death, as a way of both healing and helping
others, Ester co-founded Wellness Reproductions & Publishing with
her daughter Kathy Khalsa and they developed these therapeutic
products: The SEALS series for teen-agers, the Life Management Skills
series for adults, and a variety of other therapeutic card, board, and
bingo games, balloons, and posters.
Ester has co-written the following series of reproducible activity
workbooks and card decks created for facilitators: GriefWork,
Mental Health & Life Skills, Teen Mental Health & Life Skills, Mind-Body
Wellness, Coping, Transitional Life Skills for Teens, Erasing the Stigma of
Mental Health through Awareness, and Working with Family Deborah L. Schein, PhD has been an early childhood educator since
1972. She received a bachelor's degree in psychology, a master's
degree in education with a focus on curriculum and instruction. She
spent many years teaching in early childhood classrooms in urban
and suburban settings, and at numerous colleges. More recently,
she completed a Ph.D in early childhood education, researching a
definition of spiritual development for young children. This quest
began when a young child came to her excitedly holding a worm in
his hand. At this moment Deb realized that a language of spiritual
development did not exist in this inner city school and possibly from
most early childhood programs. Amy Leutenberg Brodsky, LISW-S works assisting children and adults in psychiatric crisis. Amy
combines her skills and talents as a social worker and artist, and is well known for her creative
illustrations of the Emotions product line, therapeutic games, and over 80 books with Wellness
Reproductions and Publishing and with Whole Person Associates ]] and now, Nurturing Spiritual
Development in Children by Understanding Our Own Spirituality.