What does the Waldorf philosophy say?

According to Dr. Rudolf Steiner, human development can be classified into 7-year cycles: 0–7, 7–14, 14–21, and so on. One of the basic concepts of Waldorf Education is the threefold human being: Willing, Feeling, and Thinking. For the first 7 years, we focus only on the ‘will’ of the child. Will is in the body, feelings in the soul, and thinking in the spirit or mind or ego (not the negative ego; here it means the higher self).

As we focus only on the will of the child, it means we work only on the development of the child’s body and do not touch the feeling and thinking aspects yet, as those are to be developed in the later stages of the child’s life. In the early years, eat-play-sleep-repeat is the only mantra.

What does the Waldorf philosophy recommend in the first cycle?

So, what is needed to foster the healthy development of the child’s body? Rhythm, sleep, nutrition, movement, and warmth – these are the FIVE golden keys of parenting, as suggested by Helle Heckmann, who has been running an early childcare centre in Denmark for the last 30 years.

Let us look at these five things, which are all a child requires until the age of 7:

Rhythm

What is rhythm? Why do we need rhythm? How can we build a rhythm?

We find rhythms in nature – daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly. Setting up a rhythm is essential in daily life – it establishes security in children. Life must be predictable rather than full of surprises for children. Repeating your daily routines at the same time of the day is known as a daily rhythm.

Examples to include in your daily rhythm – wake up, bath time, mealtime, indoor play with open-ended playthings, painting, handwork, washing vessels, cleaning the house, putting things away, peeling fruits, eating them, gardening, and so on.

Modern life causes hindrances in building rhythms – automatic washers and dryers mean we can stock up loads of clothes and wash at any time, without regard to weekly rhythms. Children no longer see the tasks of daily life as a process. Irregularities in rhythms create illness. Rhythms are a gift from nature. We will talk about monthly and yearly rhythms in a different blog.

Sleep

Modern-day life throws up the challenge of not enough sleep – a worldwide issue.

Set up a regular sleep time – children begin to feel drowsy; saying a prayer, telling a story, lighting a candle, and switching off lights and gadgets can help. Every child needs 12 hours of continuous sleep to rejuvenate. Children’s rhythm should be such that they wake up on their own and don’t need an external alarm. A lot of physical and mental development happens during sleep. Sufficient physical movement helps children fall asleep.

Nutrition

What is the right nutrition?

We eat to live! Lack of proper fuel can cause hyperactivity, poor mental ability, obesity, malnutrition, and so on. Food habits are determined by yearly seasonal cycles and how climate influences crops. We must eat what is grown locally (where we live) at that time of the year. Nature provides what is needed for us from the natural vegetation in any given place.

Include wholesome ingredients for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Reduce spices, salt, and sugar. Avoid refined, processed, and fried food. Make it a habit to eat together, rather than eating in front of a TV.

Movement/Play

What are the games you played as a child? Today’s children sit far too much!

Movement and speech development are closely interrelated. Movement in the early years lays the foundation for walking, speaking, and thinking.

Free movement like walking – cross coordination helps build a connection between the left and right brain (cerebral hemispheres). Running, climbing trees, and even falling are very important.

Indoor play should allow children to explore and play with natural, open-ended playthings like wooden blocks, pebbles, peg dolls, pods from trees, cotton fabrics, play silks, and so on. We will talk about finer motor skill development in a later blog.

Warmth / Love / Care

Essential clothing should be comfortable for the child to move about freely; loose-fitting, not tight. The child should be able to get dirty without thinking about fashion or accessories. Avoid poor-quality clothes; invest in good cotton clothes. Cotton is child-friendly and appropriate for our climate. You should be worried if you get a clean child home at the end of the day.

A hat during sunny days and proper footwear are important! Children play best when they don’t worry about their bodies. Play helps in the healthy development of inner organs, social skills, creativity, and imagination.

Waldorf parenting, or slow parenting for me, is a lifestyle! If you were born in the ’80s or before, go back to your childhood and recollect your earliest memories. All you did was eat-play-sleep-repeat, compared to a child today who is bombarded with an overload of information through books, activities, numerous toy options, packaged food, screen time, worksheets, and tests in the early years. Today’s children sit more than they move around to play. If you ask a speech therapist, they would say speech is related to movement – and today’s children don’t move as much as we did!

Homeschooling is an overhyped term in recent times, thanks to social media! Not sending a 2-year-old to school is now called homeschooling. Homeschooling is not bringing schoolwork home. I would say – be a mother, slow down, be with your child, give time, give warmth, cook fresh food, eat at the right time, and play with your child. Your child needs you, not a teacher! Early childhood happens only once, it is precious!