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The Foundation for Learning
Young children are filled with wonder. They see beauty and purpose in everything. They are curious about all that comes to meet them. It is this natural sense of wonder that opens young children to the world about them. The role of the Waldorf teacher is to create a beautiful environment in which this natural curiosity and wonder can be fostered.
Children learn about life first by seeing and then by imitating what they see. Therefore, great care is taken to surround them with as many life-filled experiences as possible. Free play, singing games, stories, puppets shows, crafts, baking, gardening, nature walks, painting, and beeswax modelling are natural activities for children from ages three to six. The foundation for later learning is firmly laid through such imitative play. The introduction of reading and arithmetic is purposely left until the elementary grades.