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Nurturing the
Spiritual Health of Children Through Literature by Delphine Rossi
Human beings are mind,
body, and spirit interconnected. As parents, we are dedicated to helping our
children become whole and healthy beings physically, emotionally, socially and
intellectually. The overlooked and sometimes forgotten health aspect of the
whole child is spiritual health, the core component that serves to nurture the
heart and soul of a child. Spiritual
health encompasses experiencing unconditional love, joy, faith, hope,
forgiveness, and optimism. It enables us to feel a connectedness to self,
others, and a higher power or larger reality. Spiritual health provides us with
a sense of resiliency, personal fulfillment, and inner peace. Spiritual health
does not refer to religion, although many religions incorporate spiritual
practices into their system of beliefs. Teaching
children about their spiritual health through literature is a natural way to
expose them to spiritual qualities in a simple manner that they can understand.
The following are examples of classic and contemporary children’s stories that
provide opportunities to talk with children about spiritual issues and allow the
enhancement of their spiritual development. Many of them can be checked out of
public libraries. If you have read them with your child before, you might want
to read them again to discuss the questions below. Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman is a story that teaches hope, optimism, and personal fulfillment as Grace believes in herself and is voted to be Peter Pan in her class play. Bambi by Walt Disney Books shows optimism, hope, and resiliency as Bambi learns to live without his mother and eventually finds love and peace in the forest. Beauty
and the Beast by Walt Disney Books teaches unconditional love and hope as Belle
shows unconditional love to the Beast which transforms him into a gentle, loving
being. Discussion questions: Why was the Beast so sad and angry? Why wasn’t
Belle afraid of the Beast? What did Belle see in the Beast that others didn’t
see? What helped the Beast to change? Cinder
Edna by Ellen Jackson is a delightful parody on Cinderella. It shows how one’s
attitude greatly determines happiness. Cinder Edna shows optimism and hope as
she looks for the positive from her experiences, accepts herself for who she
really is, and learns of personal fulfillment through the simple joys of life.
She turns crisis into opportunity
and lives happily ever after. Discussion
questions: What helps Cinder Edna feel good about her life? Why does Cinder
Edna make the best out of each situation? Why is Cinder Edna’s life happy? Guess
How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney is a beautiful story that depicts the deep,
unconditional love between a child, Little Nutbrown Hare, and a parent, Big
Nutbrown Hare. It is one that will surely warm your heart. Discussion questions:
What is unconditional love? How do you know I love you? Koala
Lou by Mem Fox is a story in which Koala Lou believes that she must win her
mother’s love after many siblings are born. In defeat of her goal to win the
Bush Olympics to get her mother’s attention, Koala Lou learns that her mother
has always loved her unconditionally. Discussion questions: Why does Koala
Lou feel she has to win her mother’s love? What does unconditional love mean?
Do you feel that you are loved unconditionally? Do you think love has to be won? The
Lion King by Walt Disney Books demonstrates forgiveness, resiliency, and love as
it describes Simba’s struggle with the loss of his father and his eventual
return to the pride to assume his leadership role as the king. Discussion
questions: Why was Simba angry at the loss of his father? Why did he want to
leave the pride? Who did Simba have to forgive to feel better? Why did Simba
return to the pride? The
Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper is an excellent example of the spiritual
qualities of resiliency, optimism, and personal fulfillment. The little engine
demonstrates how faith and optimism in one’s ability leads to success.
Discussion questions: Why did the Little Engine keep trying? How did the
Little Engine feel when he asked for help and other engines said no? Oh,
the Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss helps children to understand the importance
of optimism and resiliency when facing life’s challenges. Discussion
questions: Why is it good to be optimistic? Tell me about a time you felt
optimistic about something. How do you feel when things don’t turn out the way
you want them to? The Very Quiet
Cricket by Eric Carle is a tender story that teaches children faith and hope as
the cricket continues to chirp to find one of its own kind. Discussion
questions: Why didn’t the cricket give up? How did the cricket feel when he
met another cricket? You
Are Special by Max Lucado is a wonderful story about a boy named Punchinello who
discovers that he is special no matter what others may think. It teaches
unconditional love, resiliency, and inner peace. Discussion questions: Is it
okay to be different? Why was Punchinello special? Is everyone special? What
makes you special? Reading
and discussing stories with children provides parents with teaching moments,
golden opportunities to teach their children about the importance of their
spiritual health. We, as parents, need to remember to teach our children about
such qualities as forgiveness, hope, optimism and joy. Our attention to the
whole child will enable our children to become more resilient in times of
adversity, more optimistic in times of disappointment, and more hopeful during
the inevitably difficult times that life brings to us all. Additional
spiritual health literature:
Delphine Rossi, M.S., Th.D., is the former coordinator of the School Health
Education Program at Utah State University. She has extensive experience in
the public schools teaching Health Education
K-12.
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