A Place to Go, A Time To Grow

“Our highest endeavor must be to develop free human beings who are able of themselves to impart purpose and direction to their lives. The need for imagination, a sense of truth, and a feeling of responsibility—these three forces are the very nerve of education.”

― Rudolf Steiner

Early Childhood: 2.5 – 6 years

The Waldorf School of St. Louis’ Early Childhood program provides a nurturing foundation for the growing child. By nourishing the mind and the senses through a healthy, beauty-filled environment, our program fosters the development of the whole child. The Early Childhood program provides a warm, nurturing foundation for young children, and allows unhurried time for their growth. Cognitive, social, emotional, and physical skills are accorded equal value in our EC program. Each classroom, indoor and out is inviting, cared for, and intentionally filled with beautiful, natural elements. Simple items from nature such as blocks of wood, seashells, and beeswax for modeling, as well as handcrafted dolls and toys, encourage children to create and form games and stories. Our Early Childhood rooms are gentle places where children can imagine and explore freely while feeling safe and comfortable.

Play is at the heart of the Waldorf Early Childhood program

Through play, children develop the capacity for creative thinking, problem-solving, and social skills. These abilities develop in a joyful, unhurried environment through a balance of child lead, imaginative play, and teacher-directed activities.

As children listen to fairy and folk tales, watch puppet plays, and participate in dramatic play, their power of memory, comprehension, and imagination is strengthened. The use of storytelling, poetry, and recitation provides a strong foundation for emerging literacy, as these activities expose the children to the building blocks of reading.

Counting games and rhythmic activities, in addition to bread baking, cooking, and table setting, allow children to build a foundation for learning math and introduce concepts such as counting, measurement, and primitive geometry. Math takes place when children are preparing snacks, or setting the table for their friends. Concepts such as addition and subtraction, weight, quantity, and shape are grasped in a practical manner. Through movement games, children will recognize and recreate patterns.

While outdoors, the children refine their large motor movements, sensory experiences, and social interactions while engaging in cooperative play. These experiences develop decision-making skills and which are essential for their growth and for future success.

Learning about the physical world by being outside and climbing, jumping, and digging prepares children for studying the sciences. Time outdoors in all seasons and climate conditions strengthens a connection with nature. All of these learning activities are held in consistent daily routines and in seasonal rhythms that lovingly connect the children to the world around them.

“The task of the kindergarten teacher is to adapt the practical activities of daily life so that they are suitable for the child’s imitation through play. The activities of children in the kindergarten must be derived from life itself rather than being ‘thought out’ by the intellectualized culture of adults. In kindergarten, the most important thing is to give children the opportunity to directly imitate life itself.”

– Rudolf Steiner from “The Child’s Changing Consciousness”

Children in Early Childhood will participate in:

Creative Play

Children are encouraged to follow their own initiative and imagination while using a variety of natural toys and materials.

Outdoor Play

The class will share outdoor play through all seasons and weather of the year. Children swing, dig, build forts - all of their own free will. Gardening, nature walks, and woodworking are additional activities introduced outdoors.

Circle Time

The class is brought together for storytelling, puppetry, as well as group songs, verses, and movement.

Forest day

Children participating in a 5-day program will take part in forest day monthly on Friday. Children spend all morning in the woods - enhancing their appreciation for nature, building their physical abilities and confidence.