Godly Play

Formation for children

Education

What is Godly Play?

Children are spiritual. They have incredible capacity to listen, wonder, and make meaning out of the biblical stories they hear. This is the foundation for Godly Play, our Montessori-based Christian formation program for children.

Godly Play seeks to foster a child-centric community in which children can confront their existential questions in a safe and supportive environment. As they encounter the stories, they are given language to further their wondering and engaging with mystery. The Godly Play approach allows children to bring their whole selves to the encounter and set them up to continue to discover meaning for themselves.

Godly Play time is structured in the following way: welcoming ("crossing the threshold" in Godly Play language), a story, response time, feast, and departure. The consistent, yet expansive structure helps children feel safe enough to risk deepening their understanding of their own spiritual lives.

Godly Play is for children ready to engage in this hour-long structured experience without a caregiver present.

In Godly Play, we teach children the art of using religious forms of expression, including parable, sacred story, silence and liturgical action. These are tools for them to articulate and wonder about the relationship they already have with God. You can watch our whole archive of Godly Play stories told during the “distanced time” of the pandemic.

Godly Play starts back up for the 2024/25 school year on Sunday, September 8th at 10:00 a.m.!

Children will process up to join you in time for Communion with you, if attending the 10:30 service.

Godly play meets every Sunday at 10:00 a.m. unless otherwise specified. We hope to see you there!

Godly Play Teachers

  • Grace Gorski

    I have been a Holy Communion member since early 2019, and have been attending since mid 2018. I was trained as a Godly Play storyteller in November of 2022, and I’ve been an early childhood educator for over eight years. I believe strongly in the importance of children discovering their own connection to and relationship with God, and it is a constant honor to play a part in guiding children towards that discovery. I am a St. Louis transplant, and my other interests include reading, writing, harp, and my dog, Goober. I am very excited to be part of Godly Play at Holy Communion.

  • Niquita Hohm

    I completed my M.Div from Duke Divinity in 2016, have been exploring and assisting with Godly Play since 2017, and was officially trained as a storyteller in 2022. I recently attended the Godly Play North American Conference and can’t wait to embark on HoCo’s Godly Play journey this fall. I love the wonder that shapes all of Godly Play. As a storyteller and as a parent, it is so important to me that children’s questions be respected and honored and that they can find safe space in the Godly Play community for expanding their inherent spiritualities. We have a lot to learn from our children’s Godly Play, and through this journey I hope for more opportunities for belonging and connection for our families.

The Ten Best Ways for Godly Play Parents 

One Godly Play lesson introduces children to the “Ten Best Ways” to live. This is the story of the Ten Commandments. The following ten best ways are not commandments, but the ways we invite you, the parent, to support your child’s Godly Play experience. 

1. Help your children be on time and ready! The ideal arrival time is between 9:50 and 10:00. We start promptly at 10:00. Teachers need time to prepare for the day’s lesson, so please do not send your children to the Godly Play room early. Encourage your child to go to the bathroom before class. Children are always welcomed into the circle, but it is best if everyone is settled before the story starts. 

2. Be patient, knowing that part of what we are teaching the children is the importance of slowing down and being ready to be with God. The Godly Play circle is built slowly and lovingly, to welcome each child, one at a time. When children arrive, they wait outside the door while the teacher helps them get ready to join the circle. 

3. Say your goodbyes at the door, and know that the teachers are ready to make the next hour a safe and welcoming time for every child. Even if your child is not ready to go in, you may leave them to continue getting ready with the doorkeeper once the rest of the children have gone into the room. 

4. Do not come into the room during drop off, class, or pick up. The Godly Play room is a sacred space for the children, and having additional adults in the room is disruptive to the flow of the class. The doorkeeper will dismiss the children one at a time so that each child has time to clean up their own things and say goodbye to the teachers. Again, please be patient! This is an important part of the lesson. 

5. Do attend our next HoCo Pack event to connect with other Godly Play families. Watch out for the newsletter to get more information about upcoming events and opportunities to gather as households. Let us know if you need to be added to our email blasts!

6. Try not to be discouraged if children do not have the words to tell you about their experience in the classroom. Young children, in particular, will not always be about to tell you what they learned, because what they learned was how to learn about the powerful language of the Christian people. 

7. Know that there may not be a physical product for their “work” that day, because some of what they are learning cannot be put into words even by adults. In Godly Play, we focus on our relationships with God, the depth of relationships in the community of children, and learning how to use the Christian language to make meaning of our experiences. 

8. Understand that some days we will choose not to include all of the parts of the lesson. In Godly Play we believe that we have “all the time we need,” and it is more important to respond to the needs of the children than to stick to a strict schedule. Skipping a particular piece of the lesson is not a punishment, it is an intentional decision made for the benefit of the entire group based on the time available. 

9. Support the program by learning more about Godly Play. Introductory material is available to borrow from the Godly Play room. 

10. Stay connected with your child’s classroom teachers. Always email or call if youhave questions or concerns!