Conclusion

We have reached the final week of our course on Child Development. This week, we will focus on preparing for the final exam as well as learn more about the role of children in the plan of salvation and the spiritual development of a child.

Role of Children in the Plan of Salvation

In the scriptures, we read of several references of children and the importance children have in God’s eternal plan.

In Psalms 127: 3, we read, “Children are an heritage of the Lord.” 

In Matthew 18, we read “And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, “Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.”

Christ, when visiting the Nephites in 3 Nephi 17, has a sacred moment with the children gathered. “He [Jesus Christ] commanded that their little children should be brought” (verse 11). When every child had been brought to Him, Christ knelt down and prayed aloud. The scriptures state, “no tongue can speak, neither can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive so great and marvelous things as we both saw and heard Jesus speak; and no one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father” (verse 17). Christ proceeded to bless each child individually and instructed the multitude to “behold your little ones” (verse 23). 

President M. Russell Ballard shared his experience of the birth of his son. “Can anyone look into the face of a precious newborn child and not see etched in its tiny lines and creases the confluence of eternity with mortality?” (Ballard, 1994).

President Ballard continued in his address:

Perhaps that is one reason why the Savior tearfully urged his Nephite followers to “behold your little ones” (3 Nephi 17:23) (The Book of Mormon, 2013). Notice that he didn’t say “glance at them” or “casually observe them” or “occasionally take a look in their general direction.” He said to behold them. To me that means that we should embrace them with our eyes and with our hearts; we should see and appreciate them for who they really are: spirit children of our Heavenly Father, with divine attributes.

When we truly behold our little ones, we behold the glory, wonder, and majesty of God, our Eternal Father. All children are His spirit offspring. We have no more eloquent testimony that our Heavenly Father lives and that He loves us than the first raspy cry of a newborn child. All babies have faith in their eyes and purity in their hearts. They are receptive to the truth because they have no preconceived notions; everything is real to children. Regardless of physical limitations or the challenge of circumstance, their souls are endowed naturally with divine potential that is infinite and eternal.

Through children, we learn so much more than we teach them. Sister Jean A. Stevens, former first counselor of the Primary General Presidency shared these thoughts in the April 2011 General Conference: “Our Heavenly Father knows children are a key to helping us become like Him” (Stevens, 2011). 

To further illustrate her message, she shared a story of a ward in Hong Kong.

This important truth was evidenced some years ago as a member of the Seventy was on assignment in Hong Kong. He visited a very humble ward that was struggling in many ways, unable to provide for its own needs. As the bishop described their situation, the General Authority felt the impression to have the members pay their tithing. The bishop, knowing their dire circumstances, was concerned about how he could carry out that counsel. He thought about it and decided he would approach some of the most faith-filled members of his ward and ask them to pay their tithing. The next Sunday he went to the Primary. He taught the children about the Lord’s law of tithing and asked if they would be willing to pay tithing on the money they earned. The children said they would. And they did.

The bishop later went to the adults in the ward and shared with them that for the past six months their faithful children had been paying tithing. He asked them if they would be willing to follow the example of these children and do the same. The people were so touched by the sacrifices the children were willing to make that they did what was necessary to pay their tithing. And the windows of heaven were opened. With the example of these faithful children, a ward grew in obedience and in testimony (Become as a Little Child, April 2011)

Children show others how to live with faith and trust in our Heavenly Father. Through their examples, others can learn the simple truths of the Gospel. Children play a vital role in the plan of salvation to help bring others closer to Christ through their desire to be like Christ. Their innocence and purity reflect their true nature as a child of God. 

Spiritual Development of Children

Throughout the semester, we have learned about the development of a child through the lenses of physical growth, cognitive growth, and psychosocial growth. As we wrap up the course, we also want to look at how children grow spiritually. While the area of spiritual development does not have nearly as much research behind it compared to other areas of development, we can still apply the developmental milestones of each age and see how the child could develop spiritually.

James W. Fowler, author of “Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning,” writes in length about the spiritual development throughout a person’s life. We will use his foundations to study spiritual development.

First Two Years

A newborn baby through two years of age has limited physical and cognitive abilities. Referring back to our cognitive theories in Week 02, Piaget places infants in sensorimotor development. Young infants rely on innate reflexes and dedicated caregivers. A child’s thinking is derived from their actions and environment. Object permanence limits the child’s ability to conceive that something exists when they cannot see it. Some emotions come into play during this age range such as fear. With that emotion, we see attachments forming and separation anxiety taking place.

In addition, Erik Erikson labels this age range as “Trust vs. Mistrust.” Young children are forming attachments, positive or negative, and using those attachments as a basis for future bonds and relationships. If a child is surrounded by negative attachments with caregivers, the child may have a difficult time trusting others in their future (Bosmans et al., 2019).

The quality and consistency of care given to infants during these two years plays a vital role in their development over all areas of life. However, we can see the beginning steps of spiritual development. Infants and toddlers surrounded by loving caregivers and an enriching environment are more likely to trust in the future. Having trust in the future can also be defined as hope.

While a young infant or toddler may not have the capacity to understand what faith is or to exhibit spiritual development, research sheds light on the foundations that take place during this age. When a child is raised in a loving, secure environment, they are more likely to trust in others and in institutions.

Fowler (1981) labels this age of development as “Undifferentiated faith” (pg. 121). Further, he states, “Though really a pre-stage and largely inaccessible to empirical research of the kind we pursue, the quality of mutuality and the strength of trust, autonomy, hope and courage (or their opposites) development in this phase underlie (or threaten to undermine) all that comes later in faith development” (Fowler, 1981). 

Early Childhood

During early childhood, children acquire language not only to communicate their wants and needs, but also to share their understanding of the world around them. Their thoughts can now be shared with their environment. With that language, they also desire to know more. Any parent of a 2–6 year old child knows that questions will come. Children ask “why” and “how” more than a parent can count. Young children are naturally curious about how the world works.

With that language acquisition, we also see limitations in a young child’s thinking. Recall back to the cognitive development of a young child. Conservation is purely based on what the child sees. Their logic is based on what they see, not the abstract. In addition, children are impressionable at this age. If they have been surrounded by trusting and consistent adults, they believe what their caregivers say and do.

If parents or caregivers choose to introduce religion and religious symbols during this age, then those children are more likely to refer back to those ideas. For example, if a child is exposed to the religious concept of heaven, they are more likely to say their deceased grandparent went to heaven. If a child is not exposed to the idea of heaven, their response to “what happened to your grandparent?” would be different, based on their minimum knowledge base.

Fowler (1981) places early childhood development in the “Stage 1: Intuitive-Projective” faith. This is defined as “the fantasy-filled, imitative phase in which the child can be powerfully and permanently influenced by examples, moods, actions and stories of the visible faith of primally related adults” (Fowler, 1981). A child’s imagination will be based on the simple truths they have been introduced to from trusted adults. 

Middle Childhood

During middle childhood, we see changes in cognitive development. Children in this age range are considered concrete operational thinkers. They can tell lengthy stories, solve math equations, understand the different perspectives around them, and make connections in their learning. Lastly, children in this age range have achieved theory of mind. They can understand how others see the world in different ways and even how others feel differently about the same situation.

With these cognitive advances, children also seek to understand the differences between pretend and reality. Children seek truth and hard facts to know what is real. Fowler (1981) labels this faith stage as “Stage 2: Mythic-Literal” (Fowler, 1981). 

When in stage 2, Fowler suggests children “begin to take on… the stories, beliefs and observances that symbolize belonging to his or her community” (Fowler, 1981). Furthermore, children think literally of the symbols and pretend from the previous stage. Children can give meaning to a series of events. Children may begin to see behaviors as either right or wrong, with little wiggle room in between.

Adolescence

As children approach adolescence, they move into formal operational thinking from Piaget’s stages of cognitive development. Physical changes abound during this stage, but so do the cognitive changes. With Kohlberg’s stages of moral development, we see adolescents capable of forming universal principles and morals. They understand that what is right in one situation may not be right in another. There is a more fluid thought process.

Fowler (1981) describes adolescents in “Stage 3: Synthetic-Conventional faith” (Fowler, 1981). The experiences of adolescents reach beyond their immediate family and home. Their faith must include all aspects of their lives, and their very identity. Adolescents create their own set of beliefs and values, which they use to determine opinions of the world and events that take place. These beliefs and values may be shaped throughout the child’s life as they were introduced to symbols and stories as a young child. Fowler asserts that many adolescents will eventually examine these beliefs at some point during adulthood, which can eventually lead to the next stage of his spiritual development theory. 

Children and Youth Program Application

In Luke 2:52 we read, “Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and favour with God and men” (The Holy Bible, King James Version, 1611). Jesus Christ grew physically, cognitively, emotionally, and socially as a child. But we also know He grew spiritually. This scripture from Luke is the main theme for the Children and Youth Program, published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This program, introduced in 2020, lays a pathway to encourage children and youth to grow physically, intellectually, socially, and spiritually. Children and youth are invited to create goals in each of the four areas of development. 

Ideally, these goals help encourage development in the child. We can see how the ideas of Leo Vygotsky can be applied to goal-making and accomplishing goals. Scaffolding our goals and applying the concept of zone of proximal development can help children see the steps to reach a goal. As parents and leaders, we can help children become independent by also acknowledging the steps along the way. The mini-goals that need to be met in order to achieve the large goal.

All individuals are invited to participate in the Children and Youth Program. This helps all to increase in their development. While we have studied the development of children from birth to adolescence, we never stop developing: physically, intellectually, socially, and spiritually. As we set goals to further our development, we can become more like Christ, who grew in “favour with God” (Luke 2:52) (The Holy Bible, King James Version, 1611).

References

Ballard, M. R. (1994). “Great Shall Be the Peace of Thy Children.” Liahona. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1994/04/great-shall-be-the-peace-of-thy-children?lang=eng

Bosmans, G., Waters, T. E. A., Finet, C., De Winter, S., & Hermans, D. (2019). Trust development as an expectancy-learning process: Testing contingency effects. PLOS ONE, 14(12), e0225934. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0225934

Fowler, J. W. (1981). Stages of faith: The psychology of human development and the quest for meaning (17. [print.]). Harper & Row.

Stevens, J. A. (2011). Become as a Little Child. Liahona. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2011/04/become-as-a-little-child?lang=eng

The Book of Mormon: Another testament of Jesus Christ. (2013). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints.

The Holy Bible, King James Version. (1611). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/nt?lang=eng