What is Godly Play?

Godly Play sessions can be used as a one off experience or offered as a series of classes throughout the school year across all ages, with a maximum of 30 children in each session.

It can be used as the RME part of class or school projects. There are stories of historical Scottish Christians, stories about people who have stood up to bullies, stories about moving on (for the end of the school year).

"Godly Play sessions are a great, interactive, experience for the children. The Godly Play storyteller, discusses the topics and areas of learning happening in the class and makes suggestions for appropriate stories. As well as listening to the story, the children enjoy opportunities to wonder about the bigger questions and messages in the stories. The children are encouraged to explore their own thoughts and feelings about the stories. During response time the children enjoy interacting with the stories and working on craft activities. Often the children who follow other religions will state that they recognise the story from their own faith.”
Vikki Wilson, Musselburgh Burgh Primary School

 

What's involved in a Godly Play Session?

A typical Godly Play session lasts between 45 minutes and an hour.  It can be tailored to meet the needs of the school, teachers and students, with the parts of a full session adapted to fit the space and time available.

A full Godly Play session has four distinct parts which may be included:

Entrance
Gathering – Each child will be welcomed in to the Godly Play area and encouraged to sit quietly in a circle and wait for the session to begin.

Story and Response
Hearing – There will be a story told using a mixture of movements, with materials and words to encourage the children to be drawn into the story.

Wondering – The children will be asked to wonder about the story and what they thought about the various aspects of the story. This wondering time is open ended, with no right or wrong answers.

Responding – Each child will be given a period of time to respond to the story in their own way. They will be provided with art materials, books and the Godly Play stories to engage with.

Feast - optional
Thanksgiving – After the children have had an opportunity to respond, the group will gather together once more to have a small feast - normally water and a small biscuit or piece of fruit.

Exit
Saying Goodbye – After the feast, each child will be thanked for their work as they leave the Godly Play session.

The Storyteller

Storytellers have attended Accredited Godly Play Storyteller and Door Person Training. This training is designed to give Storytellers an understanding of the theory and practice of Godly Play, alongside a broad base of the most frequently used core stories.

The Godly Play Storyteller will:

  • provide all the materials needed to tell the story.
  • tell the Godly Play story.
  • guide the class through the Godly Play Session.

They may also be able to provide some arts and crafts materials and a selection of books for the response time, so if you would like those to be included, please ask.

What does the school need to provide?

To ensure that the Godly Play experience runs smoothly, the school will need to provide:

  • A room where children can sit in a circle with space to the side for art materials to be laid out.
  • Cushions or PE Spots for children to sit on to help form the circle.
  • The feast of food and water, but only if you want that part included in your session.
  • A member of staff to help:
    • bring the children into the Godly Play area, or settle them if the story is being told in their classroom,
    • the children to respond to the story,
    • to serve the feast.