Vrijmoed - de Jong, M. (1993). Geloofs ontwikkeling en geloofs opvoeding [Faith development and faith education]. Bij de Tijd, Volume 4, Issue 2.

In this article the author lists some of the main characteristics of faith development in a child. She does so from the angle of the whole development of the child. She gives special attention to the development of the conscience. Her purpose is to help parents help their children. She believes that the main thing is for parents to understand how their child functions and that they themselves then will know how to help each of their children.
The author emphasizes the importance of the child’s experiences as an early developer of the faith system. She also stresses the fact that faith is a gift of God, not a skill that can be acquired independently. Vrijmoed’s sequences are clearly formulated and presented. Maybe the format of aiming at a broad audience of readers has taken some of the special content away. While it is obvious that she has done research there are no cross references that will help me with further research.
 

Summary:
An adult’s faith differs from that of a child in that the adult has additional life experience and knowledge. Because the child knows relatively little and has not experienced the love and help of his Lord as much, his faith is very vulnerable; he can easily be influenced and swayed.
The fact that faith needs to grow and develop along with the person’s growth toward mature adulthood does not mean that faith of a later stage is any better. A child’s faith is not inferior to that of an adult, because the knowledge and life experience are not essential. Essential is the surety of hope and the certainty of what is not seen . In their trust in God, many children are examples to adults.
Faith is a matter of the whole person. It deals with the mind, the emotions and the will: head, heart and hands. Faith nurturing has to pay attention to all of these parts of the person’s being: the feelings of the child toward God and His service; the child’s personality; his knowledge and insight in matters of the faith; his potential and his abilities.

Persons learn first through their experiences, then by imaging (stories), and last of all through the use of signs (conceptual language). For faith, it is therefore especially important to acknowledge that the most significant and fundamental form of learning is experience. Later a person may ‘image’ that experience, and even later conceptualize it. We begin by experiencing life in a community which seeks the good of others, then we learn the story, for example that of the Good Samaritan. Finally, through reflection on our experience, we symbolically conceptualize the community of God in terms of love, justice and equality. Each of these steps in learning occurs in order, and each is essential for the following step. But at the beginning is experience.
We should not underestimate the importance experience has in the shaping of our lives. Experiences in a community of faith are important for the development of the faith. We need to bring our experiences and offer them to others, not as a matter of mere human feelings, but under the judgment and inspiration of the Gospel.
Christian faith by its own nature, demands conversion. Conversion is turning from ‘faith given’ (through nurture) to ‘faith owned’. Conversion (through a nurturing process) progresses through doubt and intellectual questioning, to experience , illumination, certainty and identity. True conversion involves personal and social life lived based on God’s will.

Stages of Development
Cognitive development.
Bible study / education plays an important role in the first twelve years of a child’s life. A strong foundation of knowledge needs to be constructed for use in the following years. The experiences of these years will always need to relate knowledge to the emotions of love and trust and joy, etc.
Up to age 12, a child thinks in fairly concrete terms. He can only consider what he sees, hears, feels, tastes and smells. The meaning of words such as sin, grace, justification, etc. can only be explained by means of concrete examples. Sin is what David did with Bathsheba and Uriah. Grace is receiving a free gift which you do not deserve, as the murderer on the cross did. The child’s difficulty in thinking abstractly is the reason that most of a church service is beyond his grasp. Not only does he understand little of the Bible reading and sermon, also the words of the songs are generally too difficult.
The period of realism begins around age 9. The concepts of time and distance are well enough developed and the imagination is no longer boundless. The children are very inquisitive and have a good memory. They begin to see cause and effect. This is the time to provide more extensive Bible knowledge. They are ready to learn about the meaning and importance of people and events in the history of salvation.
The ability to think abstractly begins in early adolescence. Greater understanding of Biblical terms and concepts needs to be attained. These needs to be understood in relation to the concerns of regular, daily life.
Around age 15, reasoning skills are developed to such an extent that parts of sermons can be fairly well understood. The young adolescent learns to draw his own conclusions, and as a result he becomes able to form his own opinions and talk about them in discussions. This is a good time to begin participation in Young People’s Societies.

Social development.
Faith has a personal and a social aspect. Jesus teaches us to say ’our Father’ and Paul calls the saints to strengthen and encourage one another. Christians need the work of the Holy Spirit and the support of each other to receive and keep the faith.
The 1 - 4 year old is centered on self. To develop his faith he needs the confirmation of parents and other family members.
The 5 - 10 year old is more sensitive to the togetherness in groups during worship, song and prayer. He especially needs the appeal to the emotions.
From age 10 into puberty the communal aspect of religious experience outside the family increases in importance.
During puberty the direction and attitude of the peer group and social environment become crucially important. It is very desirable that during this time the child belongs to a group which is active in positive activities. Young people at this age are very sensitive to communal expression of faith in the congregation. They need forms of song and prayer and witness that are fresh and stimulating, and that allow for personal expression of the faith experience.

The development of conscience.
The development of conscience ought to be based on Biblical values and norms regarding justice and injustice, good and evil, love and rejection. The main factor is the modeling of the parents in their daily lives. It is this modeling and the accompanying Biblical instruction that develop the awareness of sin.
1 Before age 3 a child has no awareness of sin. He only links the parents’ approval or disapproval with certain things that should or should not be done.
2 At age 3 - 6 the child connects the command or prohibition with the person of the parent. (Dad does not allow that). He still does not understand sin as something that is an offense in itself.
3 In the period of age 6 - 9 the awareness grows. The child internalizes the commands and prohibitions and learns to let that direct his behaviour. If he does not live by a certain rule he feels guilty; with that the awareness of sin and guilt begins. This is the time to emphasize the concepts of sin, salvation and forgiveness. Now the stories of Christ’s coming, His suffering, death and resurrection are much better understood along with stories about people who came with their guilt to Jesus to ask for His forgiveness.
4 During the ages 10 - 16 the child begins to apply those rules and laws to situations of which he has no prior experience. The conscience can be very strict and black and white. He will on purpose get into big arguments with his parents in order to test whether he wants those rules and laws to indeed guide his life. He knows the rules but needs to make them his own.
5 The conscience of the young adult matures and ripens, guided by God’s Word and His Holy Spirit to give him the courage to make his own decisions. His personal trust in God is very important at this last stage.