ABSTRACT
The popularity of themes in the religious education of younger children arises out of the children’s widely acknowledged problems in understanding many religious concepts. Two examples of life themes offered by Ronald Goldman are ‘The Importance of Bread’ and ‘Homes’. The theme develops along lines in which most children are interested such as making bread and looking at the effects of yeast. An approach to the teaching of religious education with younger children through the use of themes has become widespread. This was brought into prominence by Ronald Goldman under the name of ‘‘life’ themes in 1965 and in 1973 reoriented by Michael Grimmitt under the title of ‘depth’ themes. Thematic teaching has been misunderstood by many teachers. Some have seen themes as convenient branches upon which to hang religion. To the former group, the whole of the theme is religious education, to the latter group the religious part is that which has an explicitly identified religious content.
