During the early years, Waldorf education consciously builds a strong foundation for later intellectual growth, while using the European model of waiting until first grade to begin formal academic subjects. Instead, the young child’s time at school is spent on activities that support their healthy development. Exploring nature year round develops the connections between brain and body with both fine and gross motor movement. Handwork develops the focus and fine motor skills needed for reading and writing. Songs, poems and folk stories learned by heart grow vocabulary and strengthen memory. Helping to prepare healthy snacks and practicing good manners with classmates fosters a sense of care for self and community.
Early-childhood
Experience the magic and wonder of childhood - unhurried, the way it was meant to be.
At City of Lakes Waldorf School, our Early Childhood programs provide a time of gentle and joyful transition from home to school. In our warm, home-like atmosphere, your child’s inherent abilities can unfold through a curriculum that values free play, healthy movement and generous outdoor time. We believe that the experience of rich, imaginative play in early childhood guides children toward becoming free, creative thinkers and decision makers through the remainder of their lives.
Parent-Child Classes
Philosophy of Learning
What to Expect in Early Childhood
- Meaningful Work and Play: Waldorf teachers model meaningful, purposeful work in the classroom by engaging in activities such as cooking, cleaning, baking, sewing or knitting with the children. Outdoors, children may be found raking, gardening, filling bird feeders or shoveling snow, out of imitation of the teacher. The young child is learning real life skills, as they become confident and capable. In the same way, play is also the work of the young child, as they explore and make sense of the world around them.
- Natural Materials: Toys found in our Early Childhood classrooms are made from natural fiber and materials to nourish a young child’s senses. They feel warm to the touch, are beautiful and are creatively open-ended. Studies now show that creative play supports future academic work and social-emotional health by helping them to discover new skills and express themselves in a productive way.
- Creative Experience: An artistic and creative experience is integrated throughout the City of Lakes Waldorf School curriculum. In our Early Childhood programs, children are offered daily opportunities to participate in fine-motor and gross motor crafts and artistic actives including: watercolor painting, drawing, coloring with beeswax crayons, beeswax modeling, woodworking, finger knitting, sewing and other fiber arts and seasonal crafts. Art, movement and music are woven into the curriculum throughout the day.
- Gratitude, Happiness, and Wonder: An emphasis on gratitude, manners, empathy and respect fill our days in the Early Childhood classroom. With daily practice of self-regulation and social-emotional skills, the young child learns through modeling, how to be part of a community. As childhood is a time to be cherished, and not rushed, children are able to live deeply into their imaginative life through the celebration of seasonal festivals, ample free-play indoors and out, and the artistic experience.