Category: Routine and Ritual
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Best Nursery Rhymes and Songs for Toddlers
This topic is where my passion for music education and love for Waldorf combine. Verse and song form an important part of the daily rhythm and routine in Steiner kindergartens. A simple song can let the children know that it is time to pack up and another can have them rushing to the sink to…
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Music in the Mood of the Fifth
If you have ever visited a Steiner playgroup or kindergarten you may have experienced music in the mood of the fifth. This style of Steiner music has an ethereal, expansive quality. It is thought to best reach children in their dream consciousness. This musical style is based on indications from Rudolf Steiner as to what…
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Easy Card Making with Toddlers
Toddler Crafts | DIY Card Making I’m taking a break this week from our deep dive into the 12 senses to show you a recent card making activity with my toddler. I have been involving my 2.5 year old in birthday celebrations for a few months now. Before attending a birthday celebration we talk about…
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Harmonising the Senses of Early Childhood
We all know what it’s like to feel out of balance. We might snap more quickly than usual, a 10 minute task can take an hour or we may walk into a room and look around wondering what we came for… No one enjoys feeling out of balance – our children included. What if we…
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Winter Solstice Festival and Lantern Making
Winter solstice is a special time of year. In the Southern Hemisphere the path of the sun is farthest north and provides the shortest amount of day light; making the solstice the shortest day of the year. In Australia this occurs around June 21, and in the Northern Hemisphere it falls near December 22. This…
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Storytelling in the Waldorf Kindergarten
This post is one part of a series on how to incorporate 5 aspects of the Steiner kindergarten program into your Waldorf home. Today we will focus on the art of storytelling. For an overview of the 5 aspects, click here. What is storytelling in Waldorf Education and why is it important? I have very…
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5 Ways to Incorporate Song and Verse into Your Child’s Day
This post is one part of a series on how to incorporate 5 aspects of the Steiner kindergarten program into your Waldorf home. Today we will focus on the element of song and verse. For an overview of the 5 aspects, click here. Singing with your baby or toddler can have a profound impact on…
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Autumn Morning Circle
The Morning Circle is the first formal activity of the day in a Steiner kindergarten program. It is a sequence of verse and/or song accompanied by actions. The activity is led by the teacher and gestures are copied by the children. The same morning circle is repeated every day for 3 weeks and by the…
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Simple Easter Baskets
Step-by-step instructions | Toddler friendly I have such fond childhood memories of Easter. The smell of hot cross buns baking in the oven, painting and dying eggs, creating Easter baskets and, of course, the Easter Egg Hunt. First thing on Easter Sunday morning we would rush outside to see where the eggs had been hidden;…
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Embracing the Seasons – Autumn
Rhythm and routine form a big part of the Waldorf early years education. Rhythms can happen on a daily basis; taking your shoes off when you come inside, saying morning verse at the start of each day and sitting down together to eat morning tea. Rhythms can also occur on a weekly rotation; baking bread…