PRESCHOOL/KINDERGARTEN CURRICULUM

The Cincinnati Waldorf School Early Childhood Programs provide children with a warm, nurturing environment to ensure their early school experience is joyful and engaging - a foundation for a life-long love of learning.

 

Creative, interactive play is considered the foundation of both social and intellectual development. Toys in a Waldorf classroom are specifically designed to be used in many different ways to engage the imagination of the child (planks of wood become tree houses or ironing boards, silk cloths become knight’s capes or baby blankets).

 

Development of the imagination is a cornerstone of flexible thinking and creative problem solving - tools that are crucial to later academic success. Teachers fill the classroom with rich language through storytelling, poetry, singing, and puppetry. This strengthens the memory of the young child, builds the capacity to listen and enhances the ability to put complex language into context - setting up a foundation of literacy and advanced comprehension skills.

 

Numeracy skills also unfold naturally through activities such as finger plays, sorting of objects, setting the table, and counting the chairs for story time. Children strengthen their neural pathways and fine motor skills with activities such as finger knitting, kneading bread dough, peeling and chopping vegetables, drawing, beading, and sewing.

 

Activities such as skipping rope, walking a balance beam, and clapping games help children integrate their vestibular and sensory-motor systems, which enables them to focus their eyes, sit still, and focus their attention in the classroom. Daily outdoor play, seasonal festivities, and nature walks foster a meaningful connection with the world outside and lay the groundwork for future scientific studies.