Play is spiritual work.
In Spirit Play, children encounter stories from our Unitarian Universalist tradition while building friendships, practicing agency, and discovering their own inner authority.
This is an age for discovering: I have an inner voice, and I can listen to it. Our Guides create a safe, Montessori-style container, resisting the pull to step in simply because children encounter friction, play with something differently than intended, or navigate a social dilemma in a way an adult wouldn’t choose. When children invite us into their play, we say yes—and let them lead.
Through all that playing, negotiating, wondering, choosing, compromising, and trying again, children discover both that it’s good to know what they want and that they belong to a community where other people’s wants matter, too.
Our hopes are concrete: a favorite story from our tradition, a Sunday BFF, and at least three adults at the Fellowship who know their name and would say hello if they met out in the world.!
What Sundays look like
Spirit Play children begin in the sanctuary with their families and leave together after Time for All Ages. Spirit Play happens in Room 6C, near the bottom of the stairs in the classroom wing.
Once in Spirit Play, we light our lantern, check in with one another, hear a story, and move into child-directed exploration in our Montessori-inspired space.an.
Participation can look different
Children may opt out of any activity. They can watch. They can sit nearby. They can take their time.We believe engagement requires trust, and trust requires time. We also believe that more learning happens from the sidelines than most adults realize. Proximity to learning is often excellent learning.What children may not do is make participation difficult for everyone else. If a child’s way of opting out becomes disruptive or communicates to other children that their participation is embarrassing or “lame,” we’ll first invite them into a more relational way of being present. If that’s simply not possible for their body that morning—which can be entirely developmentally appropriate!—we’ll lovingly reunite them with their family in the sanctuary. They’re welcome to try again another Sunday.
Why all this play matters
This year, children are hearing stories from our religious tradition, organized around our JETPIG values. We want them to know that they inherit a legacy of values-driven justice-making—and that someday they’ll help shape what this faith becomes.But the relationships they’re building are every bit as important as the stories.Shared stories, shared experiences, trusted adults, and real friendships are what transform “the church my family takes me to” into my community. Those relationships become especially important as children grow old enough to have much stronger opinions about whether they want to spend Sunday morning here.
Good to know
Spirit Play children begin Sunday in the sanctuary with their families and leave together after Time for All Ages.
We don’t serve snacks in Spirit Play, and Guides don’t provide diapering or toileting assistance. If your child needs bathroom help, we’ll come find you.
Pick-up is at 11:15 AM, or immediately following the service if it runs long.
Helpful links
Register for Childen and Youth for Religious Exploration →
Safe Congregation Policies and Practices →
Please send any questions about our children’s and youth programs to the Director of Lifespan Religious Exploration, Skyla King-Christison at dre@uucorvallis.org