Between the ages of seven and fourteen, a solid foundation in working with the child’s imagination is vital for the later development of the intellect and abstract thought. During these years, the teacher must be an artist – transforming dry intellectual facts into great imaginative pictures, deeply-felt experiences, and all-engaging activities. The curriculum is structured around the main lesson – a concentrated daily two-hour morning session in which one subject is dealt with for three or four weeks at a time, and is referred to as a ‘main lesson block’.   The subjects for these main lesson blocks are set out in a well-structured curriculum which meets the inner need of the child at each step of his or her development.

The main lesson entails greetings, attendance, recitation work, singing, recorder playing, and circle work /morning exercises, all as preparation before the central lesson of the day begins. These lessons are presented through a two or three day rhythm in which students actively engage with the same material over several days; in addition, new material is introduced on a daily basis. 

The remainder of the day is complemented by a range of artistic and practical activities, or extra main lessons, depending on the unfolding curriculum. The lessons requiring the greatest degree of physical and artistic activity, such as painting, modelling, handwork, and physical education, are scheduled whenever possible in the afternoon, when children are generally more restless and active.

Ideally, in a Waldorf school, class teachers stay with their students from Grade 1 through Grade 8. This longer-term student-teacher-parent relationship enables teachers to follow and evaluate each child’s progress and needs through the important stages of childhood.