ABSTRACT
Children A 5-year-old child wonders who made the flowers and the grass. A 10-yearold child begins to question some of the beliefs his parents hold. A 12-yearold becomes absorbed with thoughts of death and dying and whether there is life beyond death. These are common occurrences of childhood, yet few research studies have focused on the spiritual concerns of children or on developmental issues regarding children and spirituality. Lovecky (1997) describes a “spiritual sensitivity” that she uses to denote the spiritual concerns of children. She further describes this sensitivity as having both cognitive and emotional aspects. She explains that spiritual sensitivity does not necessarily mean that the child or family belong to a religion or even believe in a Supreme Being.“The seeking of the transcendent may be an experience of connection to something larger than oneself, to nature, to the universe, or as an inner experience of wonder and awe” (Lovecky, p.179).
