Godly Play in Middle & Late Childhood

A New Book by The Reverend Cheryl v. Minor, PhD

“The goal of Godly Play is to play the ultimate game for itself. The players are God, the self, others, and nature. The place for play is at the end of knowing and being. The time has a very clear limit. It is our lifetime.”

- Jerome Berryman

This latest addition to the Godly Play­ series focuses on methods for mentors to use with children ages 6-13 to keep them engaged, including adaptations to the environment, adding more stories, offering more sophisticated materials for free-art responses, and more. There are compelling reasons for doing Godly Play with this age group and this book shows you not only why, but how.

Long time Godly Play Trainer, The Reverend Dr. Rosemary Beales had this to say regarding the release of this timely and important work, “ I am delighted to commend to you Cheryl Minor’s new book Godly Play in Middle and Late Childhood. This book has been needed in the Godly Play Community for many years. I can’t think of a single training I have led in my 20 years of experience in which the question regarding Godly Play with older children has not been raised, often with the assumption that it is only preschoolers or very young children who can appreciate what Godly Play offers. Cheryl knows differently and the depth and breadth of her experience as well as her background in faith formation make this book an important addition to every Christian educator’s library. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.”

The Godly Play Foundation is so thrilled with this new publication we are offering a free guided book study beginning September 12th through October 3rd. You can sign up to receive weekly emails with a study guide, notes from the author, Cheryl Minor, and video discussion prompts. You may also choose to join or facilitate a study group!

“Cheryl Minor shares the gifts of her deep experience, practical encouragement, and joy in lifting up the voices of young people in Godly Play Circles.” writes Faith and Play Training Director, Melinda Wenner Bradley, “Supported by engaging antidotes, research data, and interviews, this is a fundamental guide to how Godly Play can grow with our children on the developmental journey through middle and late childhood. The book calls us to create spaces for older children that give them permission to play, to wonder, to allow for mystery and big questions… Godly Play spaces.”

Order your copy today!

The Reverend Cheryl Minor, PhD is the Director of the Center for the Theology of Childhood and a Godly Play Trainer. Cheryl was the Consulting Editor for Volume 6, 7, and 8 of The Complete Guide to Godly Play, and the revised edition of Teaching Godly Play. She was also on the team helping to revise Volumes 2, 3, 4, and 6 of The Complete Guide to Godly Play. Cheryl is an Episcopal Priest in the Diocese of Massachusetts. She and her husband Paul have been Co-Rectors of All Saints’ Church in Belmont since 1997. They have two grown children.