What Is Religion: For Others and for Us?

By Virigina S. Steel

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Theme and Description

Focuses on church, religion, holidays, and Unitarian Universalism. Helps children feel a part of a loving and worshiping community. Provides opportunities to practice UU values and experience freedom of inquiry and a quest for understanding. Introduces religious concepts and language to help understand God, religion, Jesus, Bible, prayer, worship, and religious holidays.

Goals for Participants

To understand Unitarian Universalist ways of being religious;
To feel that they belong to a caring religious community;
To articulate their questions about religion and being religious;
To become aware of different ways of being religious.

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Age Range

6-10

Size of Group

3 to 15 (10 to 12 ideal)

Space Requirements

Room appropriate to the size of the group

Number and Length of Sessions

27 sessions
Length: 1 hour

Leader Training

A careful reading of the curriculum's introductory material and a knowledge and understanding of the age level are necessary. If a leader has no previous experience in teaching this age level, participation in a training workshop for teaching primary children is advised.

Leader Preparation

2-4 hours per session

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Strengths

Has an excellent leader preparation section with simple but useful information, such as a yearly calendar, age characteristics, teaching methods, discipline suggestions, and tips on parent/adult involvement.
Offers many suggestions for how to respond to children's questions about such traditional religious concepts as God, prayer, and salvation.
Lists many resources.
Suggests ideas for helping churches make use of their own facilities, resources, and church history.
Features self-contained sessions that are not dependent upon previous or following sessions (thereby resolving some of the difficulties of erratic attendance).
Has a comfortable flexibility to meet individual groups' needs and schedules.

Limitations

Requires careful teacher planning and advance preparation because some activities are not clearly presented.
Uses role-playing extensively with no instructions for inexperienced leaders.
Calls for reading, spelling, listening, or writing in many activities, which may be difficult for some primary-age children.
Allows little opportunity for children to express their own ideas through a variety of media.
Offers few suggestions for music.
The language is not always inclusive of "Universalist."
Some quotes from other sources include sexist language.
Illustrations are not racially inclusive, with one exception.

Adaptability

Can be used with children as young as 6 and as old as 10.
Can be adapted to a small group with a wide age range, if appropriate reading materials and activities for older children are chosen.

Unitarian Universalist Values

There are specific references to Unitarian Universalism, belonging to a UU congregation, and some UU values (for example, a free and responsible search for truth and meaning: in children's language). The meaning and the story of the origin of the flaming chalice as a UU symbol is related. These Principles are affirmed: the inherent worth and dignity of every person; justice, equity, and compassion in human relations; and the belief that the living tradition we share draws from many sources.

Reviewed on June 30, 1996

Unitarian Universalist Association
25 Beacon St. | Boston, MA 02108 | 617-742-2100