Many children actively search for spiritual understanding beginning at a very young age. Dr. David Elkind, a professor of child study at Tufts University identifies three stages of faith development –

• The global stage, where children can appreciate religious rituals but cannot connect to an “invisible” God (until about age 6 or 7)
• The concrete stage, where children are still grounded in the concrete but begin to develop a greater sense of spiritual identity based on personal experience and religious practice (from about age 7 to 12)
• The personal connection stage, where a pre-adolescent feels a personal closeness to God and begins a relationship with God. This relationship often becomes an anchor for a young teen in his/her life.

Children’s search for God or for some eternal, unchanging force in the universe is a natural part of human development. Even children who are not raised in a religious home or by spiritual parents ask spiritual questions.

ROLE OF PARENTS

Parents become aware of their child’s spiritual thoughts, queries and feelings but often face the challenge of guiding them in the right direction. Parents want their children to nurture a relationship with God. They desire to raise healthy, mature, responsible children with good values and strong character. Parents have both the opportunity as well as the responsibility to teach and demonstrate the spiritual principles that are the foundation of their faith as well as family life. Parents often wonder if regular visits to the temple, performing rituals in the home, leading a devout Hindu life, and modeling spirituality are enough to allow the children to grow spiritually and develop a strong devotion to God. The upbringing of children becomes even more difficult when their faith and culture is not a part of the mainstream. Support for these parents in this challenging role in the world of today is available now through the Bal-Mukund program that has been launched at the Sri Radha Krishna Temple in Dallas. Parents will definitely be grateful for this valuable service by the JKYog volunteer teachers.

BAL-MUKUND

Bal-Mukund is a unique character-building program meant for children from age 5 to age 15. This program has been envisioned and created by Swami MukundanandaJi with a basis on Vedic spirituality and a focus on developing values and spirituality in growing children. The curriculum integrates culture, values, and spirituality within age-appropriate engaging learning experiences. The program helps children to inculcate a loving relationship with God and to develop a strong character through KRIPALU values. The program emphasizing the healthy body and healthy mind principle is led by a team of enthusiastic and caring teachers. The program consists of enjoyable activities such as inspiring stories from Vedic literature, Yoga, Pranayama, Guided Meditation, Shlokas recitation, Keertans, Bhajans, Festivals, Games, Cultural Arts and many more.

CLASSES AND ENROLLMENT

For further information about the Bal-Mukund program at the Radha-Krishna Temple in Dallas and to register a child for the classes visit:

http://radhakrishnatemple.net/bal-mukund/