Older children (11, 12 and 13 years old) Stages of thinking development Religious and pedagogical material assimilated at this level of development 1. Family The critical attitude towards parents, which preceded the "rebellion" of adolescents, is increasing, but there is still an almost fanatical loyalty to family habits and opinions. Children still need the moral support of the family. It is very useful for children of this age to get acquainted with stories from the Old and New Testaments and the lives of saints, in which the issue of family conflicts is raised, such as the conflict between Joseph and his brothers, the role of the eldest son in the parable of the prodigal son, etc., and it is important to understand the motives of both sides. It is useful to tell the story of the twelve-year-old boy Jesus in the temple, which tells of His apparent disobedience to His Mother and Joseph. 2. The idea of one's personality The consciousness of oneself as a person is strengthened. Children feel joy, success, failures, disappointments more deeply. They have accumulated a lot of different knowledge and information, but their thinking is still quite superficial, and this often leads them to frivolous rationalism and denial of what they believed in earlier childhood, to a mocking attitude towards many things. They are able to assimilate logical explanations and conclusions, if they are sufficiently concrete. At this age, it is possible to acquaint children with a deeper meaning of those events of Holy History that they have known so far, such as, for example, stories about the dogma of the Holy Trinity, about the meaning of redemption, about the kingdom of God, about life after death. It is necessary to try to deepen the Christian understanding of their relationships with others – friendship, responsibility (the parable of the talents), sympathy, obedience. An analysis of the Sermon on the Mount with examples from modern life can be very useful. 3. Attitude to the environment The influence of the school environment is very strong, but the process of "selection" is outlined. "own company", whose opinion is especially authoritative. Girls begin to be interested in boys, but boys prefer the company of boys. A lively interest in the behavior of older youth and the desire to imitate them. During this period, the fragmentation of children's consciousness between the sphere of faith and life is especially intensified. The educator is called upon to awaken in them a sense of Christian responsibility in relations with the environment, peers and adults. Emphasis should be placed on the meaning of choice – on the need to make one's own choice. From this point of view, it is necessary to reconsider long-known parables, such as the parable of the Good Samaritan. It is good to give children the opportunity to give similar examples from modern life. 4. The concept of the Church Although children of this age have a somewhat deeper understanding of the meaning of the service, the attitude towards the Church remains rather superficial, going to church seems to be a boring duty, which is willingly performed only if they take some part in the service – acolyte, sing, etc. Friends of the same age in church are of great importance. Children are more clearly aware of the contradictions between the Christian church worldview and the views prevailing in the surrounding society, and try to find satisfactory answers. Now in their inner world there is a division, a duality: what we say, think and believe in church is one thing, and what we think and do in "real life" is another. At this age, children should be helped to think about the meaning of the Christian life. For a deeper understanding, one should reflect on the meaning of the Sacraments. What does communion of the Holy Mysteries mean in my daily life? What does repentance mean? What is the meaning of baptism? It is not enough to know the rite, it is important to understand the meaning of the Sacrament in your own life. It is important that various forms of communication between children coexist: trips, pilgrimages, visits to other parishes. 5. The concept of the surrounding world It is difficult for children of this age to reconcile the Christian understanding of the universe, faith in God the Creator and God's good providence with what they learn about life from the world around them. Their own naïve, somewhat fabulous ideas no longer satisfy them. If the religious education they receive does not help them to master the "unity of worldview," they will remain under the influence of the duality accepted in our world, and this leads to the critical attitude toward religion that is so often manifested in the next period. The main task of this period is to show children that objective, critical thinking is compatible with faith, does not contradict it. Children now need to be taught the concepts of Christian doctrine, to give answers to the following questions: How do we learn about God? What is the Holy Scriptures? How was it created? What is Holy Tradition? What is the Church? What does human freedom consist of? How does a person think? 6. The concept of God At this age, the child's pure, naïve idea of God is gradually and not without difficulty replaced by a more conscious and spiritualized faith. Sometimes, rejecting the early ideas of God and the miraculous, children abandon the very belief in God, Jesus Christ is now easier for them to imagine as a historical person, but the feeling of the presence of Christ in their own lives is weak, as well as the consciousness of their own relationship to Him. They can follow the course of abstract thought, and simple theological explanations are understandable and interesting to them. Children are ready to perceive the basic truths of theology and doctrine: the concepts of God, the Holy Trinity, the visible and invisible world, good and evil, the manifestation of God's will and God's providence. To do this, you should use stories from the Holy Scriptures as examples and illustrations. 7. Prayer By this age, the habit of praying with one's parents usually dies off, and often the habit of praying in the morning and evening in general dies off. To a certain extent, the childish attitude to prayer as a means of obtaining something very desirable is preserved. On the other hand, children have a deeper understanding of the difficulties of life and can consciously pray for God's help, for becoming better themselves, for forgiveness. It is difficult to talk about personal prayer in the classroom, but now it is possible to explain more deeply the meaning of liturgical prayers, their relationship to our daily life. A better understanding of liturgical prayers makes it easier for children to attend services, which are often tedious. 8. Understanding Symbolism Children are quite capable of understanding the meaning of liturgical symbols and symbolic narratives, which can arouse their interest and raise reasonable questions. It is no longer enough to explain the rite and the external order of the Sacraments. When working with children, it is necessary not only to explain the meaning of the ritual, but also to do it in such a way that the explanation is related to their own, today's life in modern conditions. 9. Moral concepts The moral evaluation of actions is still largely determined by the approval or disapproval of the environment – friends, family, parents, but the consciousness and understanding of love as the basis of moral life gradually awakens in children. The law of comradeship is very strong, but sometimes a personal sense of moral responsibility awakens, which can go against the opinion of the comrades. Children begin to experience a sense of moral dissatisfaction with themselves and their actions. The sense of "moral taste" is largely influenced by television and radio programs, magazines and the example of older adolescents. The sense of responsibility is somewhat stronger. The main task of religious education is to develop in children a deeper understanding of relationships with people (parents, friends, adults and younger children) as a manifestation of the Christian faith. Children should be taught that sin is not just a violation of a rule, but the destruction of relationships with other people and with God. We can consider the conflicts between people from the Holy Scriptures: for example, the attitude of the sons to Noah when he became drunk, the division of people during the construction of the Tower of Babel, and from the New Testament – the analysis of the denial of the Apostle Peter and his repentance, the betrayals of Judas and his despair. Many examples can be found in the works of Russian literature. 10. Historical consciousness Children of this age are interested in the past, history, ancient objects, willingly collect collections, souvenirs, visit museums, willingly read historical novels, watch programs on historical topics. Knowledge about the Christian faith, the Holy Scriptures, and the Church can now be presented in their historical connection and perspective. Nevertheless, it is necessary to draw the attention of children to the meaning that the information communicated now has for them personally. Knowledge about faith should not be museum-like.

Adolescence (14, 15 and 16 years old) Stages of thinking development Religious and pedagogical material assimilated at this level of development 1. Family A strong desire to be independent, to decide everything for yourself, leads to a rebellion against parents and in general against the authority of adults. Adolescents want to destroy the limitations of childhood and at the same time often get lost when they encounter new phenomena. And yet they need a family as a shelter, from where they can go to an independent life, but where they can return in case of trouble. The desire of adolescents to become independent as soon as possible provides an opportunity to offer them to look with new eyes at faith, at the problems of morality and relations with people. What kind of family would they like to have in the future? How would they like to raise their children, etc.? 2. The idea of one's personality Intellectual development reaches almost full maturity. Children are capable of formal logical thinking. Physiological growth, changes in appearance, a sharp difference in the external adulthood of adolescents of the same age, cause great self-doubt, covered by boastfulness. Puberty and a new attitude towards people of the other sex are associated with increased emotionality. There is a conflict between the thirst for independence and the need for support and protection when the difficulties are too great. But they are able to comprehend a previously unfamiliar feeling of altruism and love. The task of the educator is to help adolescents test their religious beliefs and beliefs in the light of new and more critical thinking. Perhaps the most important thing is the ability to teach them to ask questions about what they believe and don't believe and why, what is most important for them in life, how they understand friendship, love, etc. 3. Attitude to the environment There is a desire to get some kind of status, meaning, recognition. The need to increase the responsibility entrusted to them and anger at the fact that adults do not always trust them. The need to be