Spiritual development varies by age

For this age group, Teresa Greco, licensed clinical social worker and child psychologist at Lucy Daniels Center Family Guidance Service in Cary, recommends teaching manners and sharing.

“Young children are developmentally selfish and aren’t good at sharing, but early modeling is the key to developing empathy,” she says.

The following activities can build caring and nurturing:

Spirituality in children 4 and younger begins with feeling safe and nurtured by more than one person and learning to trust, hope and survive challenges, according to Tryst Chagnon, director of religious education at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh.

Elementary school-aged children are concrete thinkers and are judgmental by nature, Greco says. She recommends talking more directly with them about different spiritual and moral perspectives.

Young school-aged children develop understanding about what religious community means by participating in it, Chagnon says. They are beginning to explore religious questions and like stories that inspire wonder.

It is important for middle- to upper-elementary-aged children to know the core stories of their society, family and congregation, Chagnon says. They’re interested in learning about religious ideas and identifying with others.

Preteens and teenagers are beginning to think more abstractly. Greco recommends discussing “hot topics” like war, poverty and dating violence.