Stages of Age and How to Deal with Them

1. Basic principles for all stages

• Establishing a relationship of love and friendship between the servant and the child.

• Respecting the child’s personality and feelings and never harming or insulting him.

• Using encouragement and praise instead of rebuke.

• Defending the child before others without justifying mistakes.

2. Understanding the nature of early childhood

• The child responds through senses more than intellect; therefore, his senses must be engaged with visuals, movement, and sounds.

• Church teaching tools are more effective than long explanations.

• Coptic rites (candles, incense, icons, hymns…) nourish the child’s senses and deepen his belonging.

3. The child’s abilities and talents

• His memory is very strong; what is memorized at this age remains for life.

• He loves repetition, refrain, singing, and movement, so lessons should be melodic or dramatic.

• He imitates easily; therefore, the servant must be a model.

4. The child’s imagination

• His imagination is wide and should not be considered lying.

• He loves fantasy stories, angels, animals, and miracles.

• Stories teach him indirectly and fix values in his mind.

5. The role of stories in spiritual upbringing

• Children need many stories from Scripture, saints’ lives, virtues, and even animals.

• Adults who lack stories fail to attract children.

• Grandmothers are loved because they tell stories; servants should be the same.

6. Planting faith through receiving, not reasoning

• The child is in a “receiving stage,” not a stage of argument.

• He accepts what he sees: the sign of the cross, prayers, fasting, and God’s love.

• Atheism is foreign to human nature; the child accepts God without questioning.

7. Warning against fear-based teaching

• Do not frighten the child with God, the church, martyrdom, or trials.

• Show God’s love, care, blessings, and gifts instead.

• Stories of martyrs should focus on their glory, not their suffering.

8. Building the spiritual memory

• The child stores everything in his subconscious.

• What is planted early cannot be removed easily.

• His memory must be filled with hymns, prayers, verses, and spiritual stories.

9. Stages of spiritual and educational growth

• Nursery and early childhood: the stage of receiving.

• Late childhood (primary): the stage of teaching and understanding.

• Preparatory and secondary: the stage of dialogue.

• University: the stage of deep and elevated dialogue.

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