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Forming those who form others

Children's Catechesis: A Developmental Approach to Conscience Formation

If we wish to assist learners in forming a Catholic conscience, it is important for us to understand how individuals typically grow and change over the lifespan with regard to moral thinking and reasoning. The way we approach moral catechesis and conscience formation will vary somewhat depending upon the developmental level of the individual. One characteristic that is common to all learners, especially during the childhood years, is their need to access the material in multisensory ways. Some individuals are visual learners. Some are most engaged when material is presented verbally. Still others need to move and interact with what they are learning. The following is a brief discussion of conscience formation at various ages, with recommendations for multisensory activities to aid in teaching at each developmental level.

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Dr. Joseph White is a clinical child psychologist and former parish catechetical leader. He currently serves as a National Catechetical Consultant for Our Sunday Visitor Publishing and is the author of the book, The Way God Teaches: Catechesis and the Divine Pedagogy (Our Sunday Visitor, 2014).

This article is from The Catechetical Review (Online Edition ISSN 2379-6324) and may be copied for catechetical purposes only. It may not be reprinted in another published work without the permission of The Catechetical Review by contacting [email protected]

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