Early Childhood Education

The first seven years of a child’s life is full of will. This is a time of being in the body – the five senses are awakening, and the child’s way of learning about this ever-expanding world around him is through play. Every sight, sound, taste is an experience that needs exploring and fills the child with vitality and curiosity when play is allowed as a daily activity. Play is truly the work of the young child, and the fantasy involved in free play is essential to the later development of intellectual thinking.

The Waldorf School of Pittsburgh’s Early Childhood programs are non-academic and address the developmental needs of the young child by creating a beautiful, nurturing environment where the young child can safely explore the realms of his world. The classroom is a delight to the senses, where the walls are lazured in comforting hues of pinks and peaches and the beauty and wonder of nature are found everywhere. A nature table draped with a silk cloth displays the special gifts of nature for the time of year, while natural light streaming through the windows illuminates the room.

There are no manufactured toys in the room, but the children become absorbed in fantasy play by using pieces of wood, stones, seashells, pine cones, silk fabrics and such. A log becomes a king’s throne and then transforms into an airplane and takes on passengers. In addition to free play time, other activities include watercolor painting, handwork, crayoning, beeswax modeling, woodworking, gardening and outside play. Such activities empower the child’s will and aids her to gain the confidence later in life to be freely engaged and motivated to live her life with a sense of purpose and drive.

Rhythm is very important in the young child’s life and creates a base of security for the child to ground himself in and feel that he can safely explore his world. Our programs fully embrace rhythm so that each day the children know what the activities will be in the classroom. The family-like setting creates a sense of community, and the daily activities mirror home life: Monday may be bread-making day; Tuesday, laundry day for the table linens; Thursday is the day to make soup. Our Waldorf teachers also spend time doing household tasks such as setting the table for snack, sweeping the floor, washing dishes and caring for the plants in the room. The children may work with the teacher or imitate such tasks in their play. While working, the teacher maintains a sense of poise, grace, equanimity and enthusiasm and is conscious that all actions must be worthy of imitation -- children are imitators by nature and are aware of all that adults do, say and feel.

Along with play and chores, children participate in circle time, which blends movement, song and verse, and often reflect the spirit of the seasons. There is a daily story time when the children gather in a circle, a candle is lit and the teacher tells – rather than reads – a fairytale, a folk tale, or puts on a simple puppet play. Throughout the week, children will hear the same story, which aids in developing memory. In this manner, the future activity of learning to read is being grounded in a rich field of oral learning and meaning, and a foundation is carefully being laid for early literacy. Here, the child’s brain is maturing in a healthy manner and will develop to the level where the abstract concept of reading can be grasped at the age of seven.

At the Waldorf School of Pittsburgh, there are three programs, or stepping-stones, we offer for children within specific age ranges. Each program builds upon the other as the child matures through the first seven years of life on his or her path toward the grade school years.

The first stepping-stone on our path is a program for both the young child and parent/caregiver. For many families, this is their first experience of Waldorf education. Morning Garden meets one morning every week and is designed for children between the ages of two and four. Younger siblings are also invited to join the group. The morning starts out with a short walk, and, once in the classroom, the teacher leads the group in circle time with finger plays, songs and seasonal verses. Circle time is followed by a craft activity, and then the morning snack is prepared with the help of parents and children. After the snack, there is a time for free play where the children can be with their parents or join in play with other children. This is also a time for the parents to socialize and learn more about Waldorf education from the teacher. The teacher then ends the morning by telling a story or doing a puppet play.

The Nursery, the next step on the path of our Early Childhood Program, is composed of children ranging from three and three months to five years of age. Here, socialization and language skills become the focus as the children come together in this family-like setting and learn to play and work together. The songs, verses and games the teacher introduces during circle time are more complex than Morning Garden, and help to develop within the child an interest and love of language. The daily structure is similar to that of the Five-Day Kindergarten, but is designed in regard to the needs of the younger child.

The Waldorf School of Pittsburgh offers a three-day and five-day program for children who are between the ages of four and three months and six and a half years. The three-day program children are combined with the five-day children, and may be suitable for the four-year-old child who is too old for Nursery, but not quite ready for a full five days of Kindergarten. The curriculum of our Early Childhood Program comes into full bloom once the child enters the Kindergarten classroom, and he or she easily transitions into being an active member of the family-like classroom. Older children often become the helpers and caregivers of the younger ones, and learn lessons of responsibility and compassion in this last stepping-stone before the transition to grade school.