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Katie Garcia, Teachers College, Columbia University, United StatesAbstract
This qualitative pilot study explores how young children articulate spiritual awareness and ecological connection through theater-based activities in a university laboratory preschool setting. Nine children aged four to five years participated in ten arts-based sessions over two months, engaging in embodied storytelling, poetry creation, terrarium building, and performance activities inspired by ecological and Indigenous narratives. Drawing on theories of children's spirituality, biophilia, and embodied learning, this research examines how theater serves as both a pedagogical tool and a sacred practice for young learners. Data collection employed participant observation, children's artistic artifacts, video documentation, and parent reflections. Findings revealed that children naturally expressed profound spiritual sensitivity through imaginative play, sensory engagement, and creative expression. Key spiritual and theatrical characteristics emerged throughout the activities, including presence, flow, imagination, ritual, empathy, and transformation. Theater activities, particularly embodied storytelling and improvisational drama, facilitated children's ability to explore perspectives beyond themselves, fostering empathy and environmental consciousness. This study affirms that creative arts, especially theater, nurture not only cognitive and artistic development but also spiritual and ecological awareness in early childhood, offering vital implications for holistic educational practices that honor children's innate capacity for wonder, connection, and care for the natural world.
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Conference: IICAH2026Stream: Arts - Performing Arts Practices: Theater
This paper is part of the IICAH2026 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Garcia K. (2026) Raised by This Place: Ritual Theater, Ecological Identity, and Spiritual Nurturing in Young Children ISSN: 2432-4604 – The IAFOR International Conference on Arts & Humanities – Hawaii 2026 Official Conference Proceedings (pp. 293-311) https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2432-4604.2026.26
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2432-4604.2026.26
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