Developmental Signatures Core Values and Practices
in Waldorf Education for Children Ages 3-9
In the present political situation regarding education with increasingly blurred boundaries between kindergarten and elementary school and younger mandatory school age dictated by lawmakers, it is imperative to take a closer look at the totality of child development.
The principle of transformation is critical, the transformation of physical processes into mental and spiritual faculties. Every step of this process takes time in order for these faculties to mature into long-lasting abilities. Education, whether in kindergarten or grade school, that is geared toward wholeness and sustainability must be founded on these stages of development. The following overview sketches the guidelines for this kind of education. The different phases of development from ages three to ten will be illuminated from various perspectives in order to make it clear that this is a complex process. The individual stages of development build upon one another and may not be arbitrarily shortened or skipped without seriously endangering the physical and mental foundation for lifelong learning. Even though each child goes through the educational process quite individually, there are certain anthropological laws that apply. The health, creativity, and achievement potential of a young person depend upon the attention, or lack thereof, paid to these laws. Leitlinien der Waldorfpädagogik für die Kindheit von 3 bis 9 Jahren, Teil 1 und 2 (Reihe "Kindheit - Bildung - Gesundheit") Englische Ausgabe der Leitlinien 1 und 2