I would LOVE to hear about how Waldorf works with children who have significant developmental delays and other special needs. My older son is/was a micro-preemie miracle (26 weeks). He is almost 4 now and is happy, cheerful and medically very healthy. That said, he has quite significantly delays in speech, language, social skills, and play skills (probably delayed by a 1-2 years). He also has challenges with sensory processing (mainly auditory and visual) which impacts his auditory processing time and ability to engage and attend to people. He is currently in a multi-categorical special education preschool classroom with peer models and receives some speech therapy through the local public schools. We also work with a private SLP and OT (for sensory processing). I read and read about Waldorf and slowly but surely make changes in our home life to bring more and more good quality rhythm into our home life.
As I read I wonder, would Waldorf be a good fit for him? If the nearest Waldorf school is too far away or expensive, could I Waldorf homeschool (with some supplemental help from therapists)? Do Waldorf families ever work with SLPs, OTs and other therapists that aren’t necessarily trained in Waldorf education? And sometimes I wonder if the therapists/school/county are putting too much pressure on him/us to close the gap… might his development be unfolding in it’s own slow pace but given time and a nurturing environment and some very thoughtful extra help (therapies, etc) might he do just fine… grow into a grounded, healthy, happy adult? (Sometimes it feels a little intense but maybe that’s just my perspective.) Anyway, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this in a future post!
That’s a really good question, Erin, and one that frequently comes up. In my experience, there are always children with special needs of one sort or another in any given Waldorf classroom.
But not all teachers and not all schools can always meet the need of all children with special needs, as much as a school and teacher would like to be able to. That’s a great subject for a future post, and one I will be sure to address!
I love the video format! I would really like to see examples of the structure of “circle time” I have a one year old and a two year old and we have just started doing brief circles at home, usually a short simple story, a finger play and a song, and we repeat the same ones for a week at a time, I would love to see how others do circles perhaps using some of your beautiful products.
The video format would be an ideal way to share stories, songs and fingerplays! You can look forward to some of those. Thanks for the suggestion, Cynthia!
Hello Sarah,
Could you give us homeschooling folks suggestions on how to keep little ones occupied during school time? I think a lot of us are struggling with this issue and it is always a challenge to entertain our 2 to 3 year old’s.
Thanks a bunch!
Sarah! I LOVE seeing Bella Luna Toys grow! What an awesome way to connect with your customers! Now we can all match your beautiful face to your beautiful voice! Congrats!
Thank you, Miaja. Such an honor for me to nurture and grow your baby! Reading your comment made me realize what a big part of my destiny you have been.
One of the beautiful aspects of Waldorf education is it’s focus on the whole child, including incorporating a healthy diet. We try to eat well & we regularly eat as a family the one meal I prepare for everyone to eat (ie, no special, separate ‘kid’s’ dinners)… but we do have a very, very picky eater (a classic Phlegmatic child). Coming up with healthy meals that please everyone can be a huge challenge. Is there any advice you can share on meal-planning or ways to encourage picky eaters to eat their soup?
Hi Sarah,
I have really enjoyed reading your blog. I would love to learn more about the mindset with which we as mothers can approach our daily work with our little ones around us. Also, any comments about weekly rhythm for preschoolers is always appreciated.
Thank you!
Tahirih
I saw a similar request made, but I thought I’d throw in my own… I’d love to know how to best incorporate Waldorf principles into our life when mainstream preschool is our only option right now (and seems to be having an adverse effect on my toddler). I was at home with my son for the majority of 3 years before starting a new job 4 months ago. Our local Waldorf schools were not accepting any more students for Fall so we ended up at a “regular” preschool. Although my job is only part-time, my son is at the school 9 hours a day, 3 days a week. Most days I pick him up, he has a meltdown before we even get home. The rest of the evening is similar. Our schedule/rhythm from before I began work is completely gone. He doesn’t seem to respond to any of our old peaceful methods and routines. It’s 3 days of nightmare, followed by 4 days of me trying to calm things down again.
What a challenging situation, Deanna. I think that having strong, consistent and predictable rhythms for your time together is most important. Are there any other options for preschool until a space opens up at your local Waldorf school? Maybe even a home caregiver, rather than a preschool? Would love to address in a future video post.
So wonderful to learn more about you and it was great to speak with you the other day. I was wondering if you could give some information on becoming a Waldorf Educator. I am a public middle and high school teacher who feels that so much is missing from the classroom. Thanks!
Absolutely, Kelly! I love sharing my story of how I became a Waldorf teacher. Enrolling in Waldorf teacher training was one of the most life-altering experiences of my life! (Along with becoming a mother for the first time.)
Would you address helping young children into creative play so that a mother can then step aside a bit and address work around the house that she needs to get done? This is a challenge for me, with a 3.5 year old and 1 year old, because my 3.5 year old always wants me to play “with” him – the moment I step away from his play, he gets whiny or starts tormenting his little brother! It would be great to have some creative ideas to put to use!
Hi, Sarah!
I’ve really been enjoying your Sundays with Sarah series. It’s become a favorite tradition of mine now to listen in after the children are asleep & hear your perspective on these topics that are so pertinent to my life right now.
I already suggested a topic, but if I may, I’d like to hear your wisdom on another topic that seems to come up time & time again.
There seems to be so much pressure for kids to grow up so quickly. My oldest daughter is 5-yrs old & one of her dearest friend’s birthday is approaching. The birthday party will have makeovers (nails, hair & make-up) and a photoshoot afterwards. We declined and said that we have other plans (which we don’t have… yet), but I don’t feel good about saying ‘no’ or about fibbing about the other plans. I know my daughter will be disappointed when she inevitably finds out that she missed the party, as I know the birthday girl will be hurt when she discovers that we did not come. I am not sure how I will explain our absence and I feel it would be unwise to tell her that this girls’ family does not share our values; our families see each other often because the kids are such sweet friends.
What are some strategies to navigate this balance between being ‘in the world’ and maintaining our values of simplicity & honoring the innocence of childhood?
And as my children age, how can I explain to them why we don’t participate in all this “normal” stuff that everyone else seems to take for granted (media, etc.)
What are your thoughts on this topic? I’d love to hear about your experience on this matter!
18 Comments
I would LOVE to hear about how Waldorf works with children who have significant developmental delays and other special needs. My older son is/was a micro-preemie miracle (26 weeks). He is almost 4 now and is happy, cheerful and medically very healthy. That said, he has quite significantly delays in speech, language, social skills, and play skills (probably delayed by a 1-2 years). He also has challenges with sensory processing (mainly auditory and visual) which impacts his auditory processing time and ability to engage and attend to people. He is currently in a multi-categorical special education preschool classroom with peer models and receives some speech therapy through the local public schools. We also work with a private SLP and OT (for sensory processing). I read and read about Waldorf and slowly but surely make changes in our home life to bring more and more good quality rhythm into our home life.
As I read I wonder, would Waldorf be a good fit for him? If the nearest Waldorf school is too far away or expensive, could I Waldorf homeschool (with some supplemental help from therapists)? Do Waldorf families ever work with SLPs, OTs and other therapists that aren’t necessarily trained in Waldorf education? And sometimes I wonder if the therapists/school/county are putting too much pressure on him/us to close the gap… might his development be unfolding in it’s own slow pace but given time and a nurturing environment and some very thoughtful extra help (therapies, etc) might he do just fine… grow into a grounded, healthy, happy adult? (Sometimes it feels a little intense but maybe that’s just my perspective.) Anyway, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this in a future post!
That’s a really good question, Erin, and one that frequently comes up. In my experience, there are always children with special needs of one sort or another in any given Waldorf classroom.
But not all teachers and not all schools can always meet the need of all children with special needs, as much as a school and teacher would like to be able to. That’s a great subject for a future post, and one I will be sure to address!
I love the video format! I would really like to see examples of the structure of “circle time” I have a one year old and a two year old and we have just started doing brief circles at home, usually a short simple story, a finger play and a song, and we repeat the same ones for a week at a time, I would love to see how others do circles perhaps using some of your beautiful products.
The video format would be an ideal way to share stories, songs and fingerplays! You can look forward to some of those. Thanks for the suggestion, Cynthia!
Hello Sarah,
Could you give us homeschooling folks suggestions on how to keep little ones occupied during school time? I think a lot of us are struggling with this issue and it is always a challenge to entertain our 2 to 3 year old’s.
Thanks a bunch!
I would love to hear about this as well!
Sarah! I LOVE seeing Bella Luna Toys grow! What an awesome way to connect with your customers! Now we can all match your beautiful face to your beautiful voice! Congrats!
Thank you, Miaja. Such an honor for me to nurture and grow your baby! Reading your comment made me realize what a big part of my destiny you have been.
One of the beautiful aspects of Waldorf education is it’s focus on the whole child, including incorporating a healthy diet. We try to eat well & we regularly eat as a family the one meal I prepare for everyone to eat (ie, no special, separate ‘kid’s’ dinners)… but we do have a very, very picky eater (a classic Phlegmatic child). Coming up with healthy meals that please everyone can be a huge challenge. Is there any advice you can share on meal-planning or ways to encourage picky eaters to eat their soup?
You did it Sarah!
Great medium for all.
Yay!
Madrona
Hi Sarah,
I have really enjoyed reading your blog. I would love to learn more about the mindset with which we as mothers can approach our daily work with our little ones around us. Also, any comments about weekly rhythm for preschoolers is always appreciated.
Thank you!
Tahirih
Rhythm is so beneficial for getting through the day with young children. Thanks for the suggestion, Tahirih!
I saw a similar request made, but I thought I’d throw in my own… I’d love to know how to best incorporate Waldorf principles into our life when mainstream preschool is our only option right now (and seems to be having an adverse effect on my toddler). I was at home with my son for the majority of 3 years before starting a new job 4 months ago. Our local Waldorf schools were not accepting any more students for Fall so we ended up at a “regular” preschool. Although my job is only part-time, my son is at the school 9 hours a day, 3 days a week. Most days I pick him up, he has a meltdown before we even get home. The rest of the evening is similar. Our schedule/rhythm from before I began work is completely gone. He doesn’t seem to respond to any of our old peaceful methods and routines. It’s 3 days of nightmare, followed by 4 days of me trying to calm things down again.
What a challenging situation, Deanna. I think that having strong, consistent and predictable rhythms for your time together is most important. Are there any other options for preschool until a space opens up at your local Waldorf school? Maybe even a home caregiver, rather than a preschool? Would love to address in a future video post.
So wonderful to learn more about you and it was great to speak with you the other day. I was wondering if you could give some information on becoming a Waldorf Educator. I am a public middle and high school teacher who feels that so much is missing from the classroom. Thanks!
Absolutely, Kelly! I love sharing my story of how I became a Waldorf teacher. Enrolling in Waldorf teacher training was one of the most life-altering experiences of my life! (Along with becoming a mother for the first time.)
Would you address helping young children into creative play so that a mother can then step aside a bit and address work around the house that she needs to get done? This is a challenge for me, with a 3.5 year old and 1 year old, because my 3.5 year old always wants me to play “with” him – the moment I step away from his play, he gets whiny or starts tormenting his little brother! It would be great to have some creative ideas to put to use!
Hi, Sarah!
I’ve really been enjoying your Sundays with Sarah series. It’s become a favorite tradition of mine now to listen in after the children are asleep & hear your perspective on these topics that are so pertinent to my life right now.
I already suggested a topic, but if I may, I’d like to hear your wisdom on another topic that seems to come up time & time again.
There seems to be so much pressure for kids to grow up so quickly. My oldest daughter is 5-yrs old & one of her dearest friend’s birthday is approaching. The birthday party will have makeovers (nails, hair & make-up) and a photoshoot afterwards. We declined and said that we have other plans (which we don’t have… yet), but I don’t feel good about saying ‘no’ or about fibbing about the other plans. I know my daughter will be disappointed when she inevitably finds out that she missed the party, as I know the birthday girl will be hurt when she discovers that we did not come. I am not sure how I will explain our absence and I feel it would be unwise to tell her that this girls’ family does not share our values; our families see each other often because the kids are such sweet friends.
What are some strategies to navigate this balance between being ‘in the world’ and maintaining our values of simplicity & honoring the innocence of childhood?
And as my children age, how can I explain to them why we don’t participate in all this “normal” stuff that everyone else seems to take for granted (media, etc.)
What are your thoughts on this topic? I’d love to hear about your experience on this matter!