Building Faith Through Play: How STREAM and Dramatic Play Foster Spiritual Growth in Children

Faith in Action, Not Abstraction

Let’s be honest, children don’t discover faith by sitting in rows reciting belief statements. They find it in the swirl of color while painting, in the rustle of blocks being built into “houses of kindness,” and in the joy of pretending to heal a friend’s imaginary wound. Faith, for children, begins not with theory but with experience.

That’s where STREAM and dramatic play come in. STREAM stands for Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Art, and Music. It’s a holistic educational model that weaves together disciplines to promote critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration. Add dramatic play into the mix, and you’ve got a dynamic blend of learning where kids not only think but feel, imagine, and believe.

Together, these two frameworks create a rich soil where spiritual growth can take root. In fact, spiritual development often begins in the play space, where curiosity meets compassion and children begin to explore the deeper questions of life in age-appropriate and meaningful ways.

The Role of Wonder in Spiritual Growth

At the heart of both STREAM learning and spiritual development lies one essential human trait: wonder.

Children are naturally curious. They want to know why the stars shine, how a bird sings, or where kindness comes from. That same curiosity, which drives science and engineering, also drives spiritual seeking. Asking questions about the world and about ourselves is not only intellectual but deeply spiritual.

According to a 2022 randomized controlled trial by Fazlollahi and colleagues, children who participated in a 12-session meaning-centered play program showed significantly higher scores on the Spiritual Sensitivity Scale for Children. These kids weren’t simply playing to pass time, they were engaging in activities that heightened their awareness of mystery, values, community, and meaning. In other words, structured play made them more attuned to spiritual realities (Fazlollahi et al., 2022).

When children are placed in environments that encourage open-ended questions like “Why do we care for others?” or “What makes something beautiful?”, they begin to develop not just intellectual reasoning but moral imagination. This sense of awe, so central to both faith traditions and scientific discovery, becomes a bridge between learning and believing.

Many religious traditions celebrate wonder as sacred. From the Psalms praising the heavens to the Quran's reflections on creation, from Buddhist mindfulness to Indigenous storytelling, the invitation to stand in awe of the universe has always been a doorway to spiritual insight. STREAM gives children tools to explore that awe in real, tangible ways.

Dramatic Play as Practice for Empathy and Moral Imagination

Have you ever watched a group of kids play “hospital” or “school” or “community helper”? You’re seeing more than make-believe. You’re watching empathy in action.

Dramatic play allows children to step into someone else’s shoes. It gives them a safe space to explore roles, relationships, and responses. When a child plays the role of a nurse, firefighter, or teacher, they’re not just acting, they’re practicing moral reasoning, kindness, and care.

This is backed by research. A 2024 meta-analysis by Smits-van der Nat and colleagues reviewed 34 studies and found a consistent link between pretend play and social competence, especially when the play was high in quality and included real collaboration. The strongest effects were seen in the early years, where empathy and cooperation are being actively formed (Smits-van der Nat et al., 2024).

What does this mean for faith development? It means that when children engage in meaningful dramatic play, they’re laying the groundwork for compassion, perspective-taking, and moral insight. Storytelling deepens this even further. Through story-based dramatic play, children don’t just “play house” they live stories of courage, care, and community.

So when a classroom sets up a dramatic play center themed around “The Good Samaritan” or “Feeding the 5,000,” they’re not just reenacting a Bible story. They’re stepping into the sacred, making moral imagination real.

STREAM as a Modern Pathway to Spiritual Formation

It might seem surprising to connect STEM or STREAM education with spiritual formation, but think about it: creation, discovery, creativity, and purpose are found at the heart of both scientific inquiry and spiritual growth.

Take art and music for example. They’re not only essential to STREAM, but they are also time-honored ways of fostering reflection and reverence. In a 2023 study, Stamkou and colleagues found that children who viewed awe-inspiring art clips were more likely to help others and donate to out-groups like refugees. The effect wasn’t just emotional, it was physiological, with children showing higher markers of social engagement (Stamkou et al., 2023).

That tells us something powerful: art that creates a sense of awe can also create a sense of compassion. When classrooms incorporate music, storytelling, or reflective drawing into STREAM, they aren’t just teaching content. They’re nurturing souls.

And let’s not overlook the “Religion” in STREAM. Including religion in this framework invites children to explore what cannot be seen: values, purpose, belonging, and the divine. In STREAM, learning itself becomes sacred. When a child engineers a bridge out of Superspace pieces, they’re not just solving a problem — they’re practicing cooperation, creativity, and care. These aren’t just academic skills, they’re spiritual disciplines.

Real-World Examples in the Classroom

Let’s bring this to life. Here are a few ways educators are using Superspace and STREAM to nurture faith in playful, practical ways:

• Biblical Storytelling Through Building: In one classroom, students used Superspace materials to build scenes from Bible stories like Jonah’s boat or the Tower of Babel. The process invited discussion about obedience, trust, and community.

• Designing Places of Peace: A STREAM lesson challenged students to collaborate and “build a sanctuary of kindness.” Students brainstormed what peace looked like, then worked in teams to construct peaceful spaces filled with calming features, symbols of unity, and quiet zones.

• Art and Music Reflections: After building a communal structure, students gathered for a short music reflection where they listened to instrumental music and drew their feelings. Many expressed themes of beauty, gratitude, and togetherness.

  
  

These activities go far beyond standard curriculum objectives. They awaken something deeper: a sense of purpose, connection, and spiritual insight.

How Educators Can Support Spiritual and Faith Development Through Play

So, how can educators make room for spiritual formation without being heavy-handed or dogmatic? It starts with creating spaces where faith, creativity, and curiosity can coexist.

Here are a few ideas:

• Dramatic Play Prompts: Provide role-play themes based on moral stories, parables, or acts of kindness. Let children act out scenarios where they practice care and empathy.

• STREAM Projects with a Purpose: Frame science or engineering challenges around themes like stewardship, community building, or acts of service.

• Reflection Corners: Create quiet zones where children can draw, journal, or simply sit and reflect. Add prompts like “What made you feel amazed today?” or “How did you help someone this week?”

  
  

These small shifts help spiritual development become part of the classroom culture, not just a separate “lesson.”

The Superspace Connection

If you’ve ever watched children interact with Superspace, you know how powerful open-ended play can be. These modular, hands-on building tools naturally support collaboration, reflection, and a sense of shared purpose.

But beyond the physical, Superspace offers a philosophical approach. It values creativity, flexibility, and human connection. In many ways, it reflects what faith itself asks of us: to build, to wonder, to care.

In light of the 2022 RCT by Fazlollahi et al., we know that structured, meaning-centered play can significantly boost spiritual sensitivity in children. Superspace becomes a perfect tool for this, turning abstract faith concepts into shared, embodied experiences.pleas

Building With Purpose

At the end of the day, play isn’t the opposite of faith, it’s often faith’s first language.

Through dramatic play and STREAM learning, children explore awe, empathy, community, and meaning. They come to see learning as sacred and relationships as worthy of care. When educators nurture this kind of play, they’re not just teaching. They’re pastoring, guiding, and inviting children into a world where faith is something you do, not just something you say.

If you’re looking for tools to support this kind of learning, Superspace is ready to help. Its open-ended design and flexible framework make it a powerful ally in building children’s spiritual and emotional worlds, one playful step at a time.

References

Fazlollahi, M., Ghasemi, M., Mohammadi, N., & Kazemi, A. (2022). The effect of meaning-centered play on spiritual sensitivity in children. International Journal of Community Based Nursing & Midwifery, 10(1), 54–63.

https://ijcbnm.sums.ac.ir/article_47897.html

Smits-van der Nat, M., Overbeek, G., & Mieras, M. (2024). The relationship between pretend play and social competence in early childhood: A meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10648-024-09884-z?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Stamkou, E., Chen, J. M., van Egmond, M. C., van de Groep, S., & van Kleef, G. A. (2023). Awe and prosociality in children. Psychological Science, 34(3), 428–439. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36709520/

Bring Faith and STREAM to Life in Your Classroom

Ready to take these ideas from theory to hands-on play?Explore our free, ready-to-use lesson plans inspired by this article:

• The Nativity Builders (Ages 3–5, Christmas)

• Resurrection Garden Builders (Grades K–2, Easter)

• Light Builders (Ages 3–5, Hanukkah)

  
  

Each plan combines dramatic play, STREAM learning, and spiritual reflection to help children experience faith concepts through creativity and collaboration.

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If you’d like Superspace to reach out to your school or program to become an approved vendor, fill out our short form at superspace4educators.com/contact — we’d love to support your classroom community.