A vision of the Whole Child: The Significance of Religious Experiences in early Childhood

Abstract

Most literature on early childhood highlights the importance of the whole child and a holistic approach to the care and education of young children. However, little attention is usually devoted in the literature to the contribution of childhood religious experiences towards the development of the whole child. This article describes the research and ideas of one group of scholars who studied religious experience in childhood. Edward Robinson and his colleagues have researched the religious experiences of people in the British context. In this article, implications are drawn from the work of Robinson and his colleagues for those who educate and care for young children in a variety of settings.