Spirituality for Kids – Review
I was first interested in this program because I mistook spirituality for religious. Don’t be fooled – this program is not overtly religious! It is based on the principles of Kabbalah but I think you’ll find that they are very applicable to everyone. I’m very glad that I was interested in it, because it’s pretty amazing.
Spirituality for Kids is a free, online program. It follows a boy, named Ari, through the Game of Life. In this ‘game’, Ari learns all about the rules, players, challenges, and goals. As we follow Ari through his game, we are playing along and learning all about ourselves in our own Game of Life!
The boys and I have been working through the program for a bit now, and they love it. They beg me to watch the videos. And the cool part is that they totally get it! The lessons make sense!
Baloo is benefitting the most, but that’s not surprising. The program is aimed at kids 6 to 12 years old, and Baloo is 7.
I’m going to start with the pros.
First, it’s really written for kids. The analogies and message are not dumbed down, but they do make it very easy to understand. My favorite so far is the difference between Physical Things and Spiritual Fulfillment in lesson 2. The message is that we only want the things we want because of how they make us feel. The analogy was a girl eating ice cream. The first time she loved it! But after eating it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for multiple days, she didn’t like it anymore. She still desired the positive feelings, but she no longer had the personal feelings from eating ice cream. What we want is to feel good, not things!
Another lesson dealt with rules. There are two dot-to-dot worksheets that come in the worksheet pack. They are the same, except for one crucial part – worksheet 1 does not have instructions. I gave Baloo worksheet 1 first and he was pretty much immediately confused and frustrated. He wouldn’t even attempt it! We quickly moved on to the 2nd worksheet. After reading the rules he was ready and excited to try again, and we managed to finish the entire page!
Second, the lessons it teaches are invaluable. Things like finding the light inside you, listening to your true voice, sharing, etc. All the lessons would not only improve our own lives, but the lives of people around us.
After lesson 4 we all sat around and talked about our light qualities. I encouraged the boys to think of a light quality for themselves, and for someone else. It was so uplifting to share the positive ways we have helped each other.
Third, the videos are entertaining. They’re not serious and boring! Little jokes and silliness are sprinkled throughout making a very entertaining video. I’ve watched each of the videos with the boys so far and I’ve found them refreshing!
Fourth, there are additional reading materials to further the lesson! I truly love a program that inspires reading in addition to everything else!
It’s FREE! Whenever I see amazing programs like this for free, I wonder ‘how?’. Everything from the videos, to the activities, to the workbook is 100% free.
Now for the cons.
Though not spiritual, there are some parts that are religious-esque. For example, in lesson 3, the story of the light closely resembles creationism. This might not be a con for all, but it is for us. I would advise to watch the videos ahead of time as possible, and screen the videos if necessary.
Second, there has been one comment so far that I was a bit uncomfortable with. One character mentions that someone might have had “too much to drink”. For a show geared towards 6-12 year olds, I wouldn’t expect a comment like that.
There is also a good deal of sarcasm, although I love sarcasm so that doesn’t bother me as much!
We are currently about halfway through the program and truly enjoying it. It’s been well worth it to carve out a piece of our homeschooling day to check out this program!
