OK, begin disclaimer: This blog post is in no way meant to judge anyone for parenting/educating decisions. Seriously. We all walk our own paths, sometimes diverging and coming back together with the unique paths of our friends and family. This is a beautiful thing. We all make decisions that are right for us and our families. This blog is a place I've created to share my musings and thoughts on all things mamahood related...a little glimpse of the path we are walking (hopping, skipping, running, flying, crawling...).
This post is intended to offer some of my thoughts on early childhood education, and a little more of an explanation into our non-traditional views on the subject. Many of you might disagree (even strongly) with some of our views. That's OK! Awesome, even. We are all experts when it comes to the unique wonderful beings that are our children. Alright, I end this disclaimer with love and respect for all of you.
Since becoming a parent I have been consistently amazed at societal pressure to begin formal, academic instruction so early. Why so much, so soon? The pressure is intense, it's everywhere, and it doesn't just stop with academics. It seems like we want our children to be able to do so many things at an increasingly earlier age. I think that in part this comes from the excitement of watching our children grow and learn...it's truly an amazing thing to be a part of.
I recently came across this article from the University of Cambridge discussing the evidence of pushing back the standard school-starting age to seven. In a world where many of my family's decisions are not the norm, it's nice to read more evidence to support what my intuition tells me...early, formal academic "schooling", especially when it takes away from child-led creative play, is not necessary or beneficial for our children as developing learners.
From the article:
"Neuroscientific studies have shown that playful activity leads to synaptic growth, particularly in the frontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for all the uniquely human higher mental functions.
In my own area of experimental and developmental psychology, studies have also consistently demonstrated the superior learning and motivation arising from playful, as opposed to instructional, approaches to learning in children. Pretence play supports children’s early development of symbolic representational skills, including those of literacy, more powerfully than direct instruction. Physical, constructional and social play supports children in developing their skills of intellectual and emotional ‘self-regulation’, skills which have been shown to be crucial in early learning and development."
I think it's very interesting that the recommended age to start school based on the review of the research is seven. This fits in perfectly with Steiner's theory of child development and Waldorf pedagogy. While we are not Waldorf "purists", many Waldorf tenants resonate with me and we do incorporate many Waldorf principles in the home life and education of our children...."Education for the head, heart, and hands." The more and more reading I do about the latest mind-body research and how it relates to parenting, the more I realize that most of this brand new research is supporting what Steiner said so long ago about the stages of child development. For a more in-depth look on the science behind peaceful parenting I highly recommend Parenting for Peace by Marcy Axness. In fact, I'm about to start a re-read...
According to this theory, the first stage of child development (also referred to as human unfoldment) is birth to seven (sometimes 6). During this stage (according to Steiner's theory and much recent research) a child learns primarily through imitation. Their life forces are primarily concerned with the developing physical body. It is the dreamy time of childhood, and much focus is on imaginative, creative play. As the child learns primarily through imitation and physical doing, it is important to provide a safe, nurturing environment worthy of imitation with plenty of opportunities to play, explore and to "do" practical life activities. For more information on this first stage of development (as well as an introduction to Waldorf) I recommend Beyond the Rainbow Bridge: Nurturing our Children from Birth to Seven.
While it is possible (and possibly the norm these days) to pull a child in this stage of development into their mind and intellect, it is not considered beneficial, and in fact, may be harmful. There is a wonderful post here, by blogger Hybrid Rasta Mama on the over-intellectualization of childhood that I enjoyed if you're interested in this topic.
So what does this look like, practically?
This description, take from the Sophia Mundi Waldord School Website sums it up beautifully:
"The best education for the child through these years is given by providing a warm, safe, nurturing environment, with the rhythms and routines of mealtimes and rest, family celebrations, simple stories and music, and surroundings filled with natural beauty, colour, gentle manners, good nutritious food and the experience of the world of nature – the stones, the sea, the rivers, and plants and animals through the seasons."
And from Steiner himself...
"The task of the kindergarten teacher is to adapt the practical activities of daily life so that they are suitable for the child's imitation through play. The activities of children in the kindergarten must be derived from life itself rather than being 'thought out' by the intellectualized culture of adults. In the kindergarten, the most important thing is to give children the opportunity to directly imitate life itself."
This is the sort of environment we strive to provide for our two young children. I see the way it nurtures their whole being...and it feels right for us.
Throughout our days, in everything we do, we are always learning, and when I observe my children, I see that in these early years their spirits want to learn primarily though play.
Once, about two years ago, a person we met at the coffee shop asked me what I did for a living. Luckily (for him) he did not utter the dreaded, "oh, so you're just a mom." After a brief discussion he turned to Mason and asked him what he did. I'll never forget Mason's response...
"I'm mostly a home player." I giggled to myself, but it made perfect sense.
When Mason is having a hard time with something, maybe unkindness from a friend or aggressive behavior witnessed, I watch him work through it in his play. Sure, we talk about it as well, but play (and stories) are his preferred ways of learning...of really incorporating the learning into his being.
"Let's pretend..." might be the thing he says the most throughout any given day.
Usually, we don't just do a fun science experiment together. We are two scientists in a secret laboratory on the moon working on creating something that will save the world. This is all child-initiated, because it is his main way of learning about the world right now.
We don't just fold clothes. Oh no. We are clothes folding robots working in a factory with 'in' and 'out' boxes and specific techniques for cloth napkins.
Unlike many of his peers, our five-year old has not yet begun learning to read. I should say, we are intentionally not doing any kind of formal reading instruction with him yet. This is a choice, and I could not be more confident in it. What we are doing is cultivating a love of learning and a love of language...things that will ultimately serve him far better when he does learn to read than knowing all of his letter sounds by three. He has a grasp of language that surprises many people. He makes up songs, recites poetry, listens intently to stories told and book read aloud. He loves saying silly tongue twisters and discovering puns on his own. He loves language, and is excited to learn to read one day.
The way our little ones are educated is extremely important to us. I'm learning (more and more everyday) that sometimes the best thing I can do for Mason's education is to step back and get out of the way of his learning.
We choose to let our little ones spend these dreamy days of childhood being children. Playing, listening to stories, singing songs, working alongside us, exploring nature, eating healthy food they often help prepare, more playing, using their bodies to learn about all they can do, creating art, more playing...
One day we will dive into academic work and intellectual pursuits with them, working with the natural wonder, curiosity, and reverence developed in these early years, but for now, they get to play.
Yesterday my children spent most of a snowy morning being a werewolf family (Mason is currently fascinated by werewolves, which to him are just fun creatures who can turn from human to wolf, and River's participation mostly involves howling) and the afternoon turning a table into a hammock cave.
Today was all about building with blocks and pretending to be knights.
And tomorrow? Who knows...
Of course, this is only the tip of the iceberg on Waldorf/Steiner child development, and I am by no means an expert. There are many wonderful books and resources available if you are interested in learning more.
Also, I do not consider myself an expert on early childhood education, just an expert on my family and my children. I'm constantly learning from them, and in the process my views and thoughts shift.
One thing I know for sure, is that right now, in these early years, my children will be free to play. Free to enjoy every bit of their one magical childhood. Free to learn in every moment, in the way that is best for them. I truly believe that they, and the world, will be the better for it.