Early Childhood

At the heart of our Early Childhood program is our understanding that self-initiated play is critical to the healthy development of all young children and vital to the maturation of executive function and socialization.

Ample play time, both inside and outside, is part of each morning. Open-ended toys made from natural materials encourage children to create unlimited imaginative universes with their friends, which requires negotiation, patience, leadership, collaboration and self-regulation.

River Valley’s seven acres provide abundant space for exploration and discovery. Climbing on rocks, sledding down the snowy hill, digging in the sandboxes, uncovering the world hidden beneath a flat stone, and sloshing through the front playground’s stream in spring all encourage in our children a life-long appreciation for the natural world, while supporting the development of their fine and gross motor skills.

Story time and puppet plays are important elements of learning in our Early Childhood classrooms. When children listen to storytelling on a regular basis, they become better listeners, their attention span, memory and ability to sequence improves, their vocabulary expands and they begin to understand story elements. 

Most importantly, we believe that listening to stories and watching puppet shows supports imagination and inner picturing, which forms the foundation for much of the work children do in our grade school and beyond. The ability to “think in pictures” is the bedrock of a successful, lifetime reader and creative problem solver. This absolutely essential capacity unfolds gradually through the early childhood years, when supported with intention through joyful experiences brought with love and care.

The children are active participants in all aspects of the day: measuring flour and kneading dough for bread, preparing vegetables for soup, setting the table and serving classmates at snack time, mending and maintaining beloved classroom playthings all carried out with as much independence as possible on the part of the children. These activities build confidence and gratitude, foster an attitude of respect for their environment and develop in children an understanding of their responsibility to their community.

Children explore color with wondrous liquid watercolors, model with warm, sweet-smelling beeswax, learn to finger-knit yarn, wetfelt wool roving, and create beautiful seasonal crafts using items from nature, wool, silk, and wood. The ability to create objects that are both beautiful and functional is a lifelong gift and provides an opportunity to improve fine motor skills while developing focus and attention, critical thinking and problem solving abilities.

Waldorf Education is based on child development. As a result, a child’s age is the primary factor in determining which class they belong in. The curriculum is designed to meet the children where they are during each particular age and stage of their development, regardless of where they are in their academic skills.

Our Early Childhood classes are mixed age groups, with Garden Gate for the youngest children and their parents (0-3 year olds), Tulip Poplar and Sundrop Early Childhood classes for our 3-4 year olds, and Goldenrod and Morning Glory Early Childhood Classes for our 4-6 year olds. Children move into first grade when they are 6-7 years old, and then move through the grades with the same group of children and often the same teacher for several years.

Waldorf education takes a deep look at sensory development through a lens that is somewhat different than other schools. We recognize that a child’s relationship to their body and the senses of touch, balance, movement, and life forms the foundation for all learning they will encounter in grade school and beyond.

• Touch – Where does my body end and the world begin? Can I feel my whole body?
• Balance – Can I stand upright? Stand on one leg? Walk a balance beam? Can I move up, down, right, left, forward and backward with ease?
• Movement – Can I feel where I am in space? Am I in control of the movements of my body? Can I move freely? Are my fine and gross motor coordination skillful?
• Life – Can I feel when I am hungry? Can I feel if I am tired or energized? Can I feel if I am sick?