| The spirituality of preschoolers is a relatively unexplored field of research, especially when it is based on what the children this age say and do. This thesis addresses that problematic from the perspective of practical theology. It includes both a phenomenological and an hermeneutical approach to the question. Its objective is to recognize, from the observation of daily life activities, the characteristics of the spirituality of children from 3 to 6 years old. It also explores the possible theological meaning of being a child.; Sixty children from three day care centers were observed. One hundred hours of daily life situations were recorded. Analysis of these observation highlighted three modes of the children's being: Sensitive, Relational and Existential.; A first characteristic of preschooler's spirituality relates to their being opened to the world with their senses. Children perceive their surroundings and express themselves with their whole body. They experiment with their senses. Their spirituality seems basically one of incarnation. Secondly, preschoolers live as relational beings. In experiencing their "being the child of benevolent parents", they can become who they are. They also participate actively in their own becoming and the becoming of their peers. The being of the child may have something to teach about human brotherhood, and about being children of God. Thirdly, children's existential mode of being shows that they live in the here and now, and at the same time, they anticipate their be-coming in the future. Their confidence in their existence seems to correspond to fundamental faith. In their daily activity, children's creativity and their ability to find meaning and structure in what they experience allow for their being-in-the world. Children use their senses in the search for a relational and existential way of knowing. None of the children explicitly expressed religious faith but their modes of being seemed to show how they appear naturally inclined to experience transcendence and contemplation. |
