Growth and Development of Religious Souls in Children Aged 8-10 Years

This research discusses the development of religious spirit in children aged 8-10 years in the context of the Islamic religion. Through a qualitative approach, this research uses in-depth interviews with an 8 year old girl named Aqila Kanza, to understand her level of spiritual development. The research results show that Aqila Kanza is at an early stage of religious development, where she accepts religious beliefs from her parents and environment without deep understanding. Nevertheless, he showed seriousness in studying and carrying out worship in the Islamic religion. This research highlights the important role of parents in guiding children in aspects of their religion and provides insight into the development of a religious spirit in children of the same age.


INTRODUCTION
Every child is born with innate potential that has been bestowed by Allah SWT, where this ability is latent and requires strong guidance and care, especially at an early age.The development of cognitive, affective and psychomotor aspects in the religious spirit of children aged 8-10 years is an important stage in their evolution.This development process is almost completely influenced by external factors, thus requiring good guidance and direction.
It is important to understand that the development of a child's religious spirit does not occur instantly, but rather through structured stages.In accordance with Zakiah's view, this first growth begins during pregnancy and continues until the age of 12 years.
Parents have a key role in forming a child's religious spirit through guidance according to biological principles, helplessness, and exploration.Therefore, parents' responsibility in directing, developing and guiding the religious potential of children aged 8-10 years is very important.Jalaluddin emphasized the importance of the role of parents in forming a child's religious spirit, and this is closely related to aqidah.Without proper guidance, children's religious potential can grow in the wrong direction, so serious efforts are needed to direct its development.
Considering the importance of guidance in the process of developing the religious spirit of early childhood, it is necessary to carry out an in-depth study of the stages of development of the religious spirit in children aged 8-10 years.This aims to ensure that children's religious potential can develop optimally and in accordance with the desired values.

Growth and Development
Growth is related to changes in number and size, including increases in the physical size and structure of organs in the body and brain.During growth, children not only grow physically, but also experience brain development which allows them to have better learning, memory and thinking abilities.
Meanwhile, development involves both qualitative and quantitative changes in the child's psychophysics.This includes changes in physical and psychological functioning that develop over time.This developmental process is influenced by hereditary and environmental factors, and involves a process of natural maturation and ongoing learning.Maturation is a natural process in which body elements become more mature and developed, while the learning process involves the experiences that children gain over a certain period of time towards maturity.
Children who are experiencing growth and development often have a strong curiosity about the world around them.They often ask lots of questions, and this curiosity allows them to learn and get to know new things.Children's interactions with their environment, both through peers and teachers, play an important role in developing children's social and emotional aspects.Interaction with peers helps children learn to socialize, communicate, share and compromise.Meanwhile, interaction with nature can give children a feeling of relaxation and the opportunity to learn and play better.

Development of Children's Religious Spirit
The development of a religious spirit in children is an important research subject in the field of developmental psychology.According to Fowler, children experience the process of developing their religious spirit through a series of stages starting with the pre-mortem stage.At this early stage, children tend to accept the religious beliefs of their parents without deep understanding.As time passes, they then enter the conventional faith stage, where they begin to develop a deeper understanding of religion and religious concepts.Finally, in the postconventional faith stage, they begin to form and understand their own religious beliefs.
A relevant example regarding the development of this religious spirit can be found through an interview with Aqila Kanza, an 8 year old girl.At this stage, he may be in the conventional faith stage, where his understanding of the Islamic religion is still at a new stage.Most likely, he accepted the religious beliefs of his parents or environment without having a thorough understanding of the concepts involved.

Understanding Cognitive, Affective, and Psychomotor
The concepts of cognitive understanding, affective aspects and psychomotor behavior are important factors in understanding the development of children's religious spirit.Cognitive understanding involves children's understanding of religious concepts, such as God, prophets, holy books, prayers, and religious rituals.For example, a child may understand God as the creator of the universe and the leader of human life.
The affective aspect includes children's feelings, emotions and attitudes towards their religion.A child may feel love, respect, fear, or even confusion about his or her religion and beliefs.For example, a child may love God and respect religious teachings, but also fear religious punishment if he misbehaves.
The psychomotor aspect involves physical behavior and actions related to religion, such as worship, participation in religious rituals, and moral behavior in accordance with religious beliefs.

Application of Theory and Concepts in Research
In the context of this research, we will use theories of the development of the religious spirit and the concepts of cognitive understanding, affective aspects, and psychomotor behavior to understand the development of Aqila Kanza's religious spirit.Through in-depth interviews, we can identify the stages of religious development that Aqila Kanza may have experienced and explore understanding, feelings and behavior related to Islam according to her age.
With this theoretical basis, this research will help us understand how Aqila Kanza began to develop a deeper understanding of her religion and how she began to form her personal religious beliefs.This will also help us relate Aqila Kanza's experience to the stages of development of the religious spirit that have been described in these theories.For example, we might find that Aqila Kanza is in the conventional faith stage, where she follows the religious beliefs taught by her parents and environment without deep understanding.
This research will allow us to more deeply understand Aqila Kanza's feelings of love and respect for the Islamic religion, as well as how she engages in psychomotor behavior such as daily worship.Thus, this research will provide deeper insight into the development of the religious spirit in children of the same age and will contribute to the general understanding of the psychology of children's religion.

RESEARCH METHOD
This research uses a qualitative approach, namely describing and explaining the Growth and Development of the Religious Spirit of children aged 8-10 years.The way to describe and explain this data is through observation and interviews as well as several expert opinions.So, by using a qualitative approach, this research is expected to provide comprehensive facts about the Growth and Development of the Religious Spirit of children aged 8-10 years.
Other publications that are suitable as sources for research that will be examined by the data collection techniques used in this research are library research, where library research is the activity of collecting materials related to research originating from scientific journals, Literature is available in print and digital form, in the form of books, scientific articles and research reports.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The results of this research reflect how Aqila Kanza, who is 8 years old, experienced the development of her religious spirit at an early stage.According to Fowler's theory of religious development, at this stage, children like Aqila tend to accept religious beliefs from their parents and environment without deep understanding.However, they show positive feelings towards religion and are active in worship and religious activities, although these feelings and actions are still strongly influenced by their parents and the surrounding environment.
It is important to note that the development of a religious spirit in children is an ongoing process, and Aqila Kanza will likely experience further development as she gets older.Therefore, further studies may need to be carried out to follow its development further.The results of this research also highlight the important role of parents and the environment in shaping the development of children's religious spirit.Parents and the environment play a key role in introducing children to religious concepts and helping them in practicing worship and participating in religious activities.
In this research, we conducted an in-depth interview with Aqila Kanza to understand how she experienced the development of her religious spirit in the context of the Islamic religion.The main results we found included Aqila's basic understanding of Islamic religious concepts, her positive feelings towards religion, and her involvement in worship and daily religious activities.To understand more deeply, we continued the interview with Aqila to evaluate her understanding and depth of understanding of the Islamic religion at the age of only 8 years.
Kanza, her nickname, has displayed a good understanding of Islamic teachings.She is aware of the prophets and messengers, can perform prayers, and regularly observes the five daily prayers at home.When the call to prayer (adhan) is heard, Kanza quickly prepares herself for worship.
Kanza's attitude towards those engaged in religious activities is very positive; she actively participates in the worship.Furthermore, Kanza has mastered the ability to read the Quran up to Juz 13 and can recite it correctly, including its proper intonation.She also knows various supplications such as those for learning, eating, and entering the mosque.
Kanza's parents play a crucial role in teaching and guiding her in matters of faith, including prayers and Quranic recitation.Kanza demonstrates discipline in fulfilling her religious duties, including fasting throughout the month of Ramadan.
She also possesses a good understanding of the six pillars of faith and the five pillars of Islam.While occasional reluctance might arise, Kanza has never refused to go for Quranic lessons or prayer when asked.However, she may sometimes feel lazy, as is typical of children.Aqila Khanza serves as an exemplary model of a child dedicated to understanding and practicing the teachings of Islam, with strong support and guidance from her parents.
The results of this interview reflect Aqila Kanza's level of spiritual development when she was 8 years old and show her seriousness in studying and practicing worship in the Islamic religion.From the results of this interview, we can gain better insight into how the development of spiritual aspects occurs in 8 year old children, as well as how important the role of parents is in guiding them.

CONCLUSION
Based on the results of research and interviews with Aqila Kanza, it can be concluded that at the age of 8, Aqila was experiencing the development of her religious spirit at an early stage, in accordance with Fowler's theory of religious soul development.At this stage, children like Aqila usually accept religious beliefs from their parents and environment without deep understanding, but they show positive feelings towards religion and are active in worship and religious activities.
This research also highlights the important role of parents and the environment in shaping the development of children's religious spirit.Parents and the environment play a key role in introducing children to religious concepts and helping them carry out worship and participate in religious activities.
Aqila Kanza has demonstrated a basic understanding of Islamic religious concepts, positive feelings towards religion, and involvement in daily worship.He can also pray, recite the Koran, and even memorize prayers.This shows seriousness and commitment in developing the spiritual aspect.
However, it is important to remember that the development of a religious spirit is an ongoing process, and Aqila Kanza will likely experience further development as she 6 gets older.Therefore, further research may need to be carried out to follow its development further and understand the development of its religious spirit in depth.
Furthermore, the results of this research provide valuable insight into the development of religious spirit in children, especially in the context of the Islamic religion, and underline the important role of parents in guiding their children in religious aspects.