Early Childhood Curriculum

EC Overview | The EC Environment | A Strong Foundation |
Morning Garden | Parents and Tots |
Nature Tots | Nursery & Kindergarten

Early Childhood Overview

The early childhood years are a transition between the security of home and the coming grade school years. At this time in life, it is important that young children feel secure in their surroundings. It is this sense of safety that allows them to explore their environment, to let their natural curiosity develop, and to begin the life-long process of engagement with the world.

Young children are filled with wonder. They see beauty and purpose in everything. They are curious about all that comes to meet them. Early childhood teachers create an environment and rhythm in which this natural curiosity and wonder is fostered.

The foundation of the early childhood program is the deep understanding that young children learn primarily through imitation and imagination. It is very important that what children see, hear, and inevitably imitate is worthy of imitation. The teachers themselves, in their attitudes, feelings, and gestures, strive to be worthy of that imitation.

The Early Childhood Environment

The specially trained Waldorf Early Childhood teacher takes great care in creating activities and a warm, homelike setting in which children may blossom. Since young children experience their world primarily through the physical senses, they learn most readily in an environment that nourishes the senses through movement, artistic forms, and a rhythmic daily schedule. The classroom is warm, colorful, cared for, and filled with nature's beauty and variety—a place where children can let their imaginations roam while feeling reassured and safe.

The Foundation for a Love of Learning

Waldorf education consciously builds a strong foundation during the Early Childhood years for the later intellectual growth of the child. The Early Childhood curriculum lays the foundations for:

• Language Arts: Established through broad and fundamental work in listening and speaking skills, including singing, proper pronunciation, and rhymes. These form the later basis of word families and the comprehension of stories and poems, which also provide vocabulary enrichment.
• Mathematics: Accomplished through imaginative play with simple objects, which provides a concrete basis for abstract manipulation of symbols in grade school. Activities requiring counting provide concrete experience with numbers. In addition, gross motor activity, the graceful movement of Eurythmy (rhythmic movement), balancing, coordination, spatial orientation, and dexterity in fingers and limbs builds an internal framework matching the nature of mathematics.
• Science: The use in imaginative play of natural materials such as cloth and wooden toys as well as shells, rocks, water, and sand stimulate curiosity about, and a familiarity with, the natural world. Seasonal festivities and nature walks foster a meaningful connection with the world outside and lay the groundwork for future scientific studies.
• Artistic Practice: Gained through painting, coloring, music, singing, Eurythmy (movement), and simple dramatizations. The children learn that art is not a separate subject, but is woven naturally into all of life. Artistic practice develops the ability to think creatively, problem-solve, and focus, as well as fostering self-discipline.
• Social Skills: Fostered by providing a safe environment for the children, who are learning to live, work, and play in a group. The sharing of practical activities such as snack preparation, bread baking, clean-up, and plant care starts the child on the path toward personal responsibility, the ability to cooperate, and respect for others.
• Good Work Habits are formed. Children must put things away in the same place after using them, and are encouraged to complete tasks, working within the gentle structure provided by daily rhythms and the larger rhythms of the week, month, and year.

CWS - Parent and Child Programming

The Cincinnati Waldorf School offers Parent & Child programming for children from ages 6 months though 3+ years. Our Parent and Child programming provides children their first school experience in the security of their parent’s presence, a place where parents and children come together to explore the wonders of life within a deliberate rhythm and a gentle structure. A variety of parent and child classes are offered at both our main campus in Mt. Airy and at our Early Childhood campus in Indian Hill.

• CWS Morning Garden Program—For children ages 6 months to 18 months and their parents or caregivers, this one hour, once weekly class meets in a nurturing setting where support and friendship grow out of weekly conversations with other parents and our class teacher, while the babies explore their world. Read more...
  
  
• CWS Parents and Tots Program—For children 16 months to 3+ years of age and their parents or caregivers, this two-hour weekly class is a stepping stone to our child-only Nursery program.  Our Parents & Tots program provides an opportunity for young children and their parents or caregivers to come together in a warm and nurturing environment where children are introduced to their first school experience.  With a thoughtful and gentle structure and rhythm the foundation for a life-long love of learning is fostered. Read more...
  
  
• CWS NatureTots Program—For children 16 months to 3+ years of age and their parents or caregivers, the NatureTots program is a companion program to our Parents & Tots program. Nestled in the woodlands of Indian Hill, the Meshewa Early Childhood campus (map and directions) offers a parent and child experience in a beautiful facility that allows for the integration of nature into the rhythm and structure of our Parents & Tots programs. Read more...

CWS Nursery and Kindergarten Program

Nursery and Kindergarten classes are offered two, three or five mornings per week from 8:30-noon.
Extended Day is available.

Nursery for children 3-4 and Kindergarten for children 4-5.

Waldorf education consciously builds a strong foundation during the early childhood years for the later intellectual growth of the child, but avoids the actual teaching of academic subjects at this time. The purposeful activities provide the first steps in the evolution of the cognitive, social, and emotional processes that continue in the academic work of the elementary school.

The Early Childhood faculty builds this foundation by filling the day with carefully crafted and artfully executed activities. Eurythmy (rhythmic movement), nature walks, and healthy outdoor play build physical strength, agility, and grace. Other purposeful activities include watercolor painting, drawing, handcrafts, beeswax modeling, and baking. Imaginative play, poems, stories, puppetry, music, and circle games all open the youngster to the wonders of creativity.

The rhythmic repetition of these activities strengthens and nourishes the children, imbuing them with a sense of order and harmony.

For more information or to schedule a class visit or tour of our Mt. Airy or Indian Hill campus , contact our Enrollment Director by phone 513-541-0220, ext 103 or by email. See the Map and Directions page for the locations of both campuses.

Problems or comments on the website? Please let us know:
webmaster@cincinnatiwaldorfschool.org