How to Teach Reading in Waldorf Education

Waldorf 101: Syllabus

This mini-course is designed to be easy to do so that you can become more knowledgeable about Waldorf education with minimal effort. We know how busy you are because we are busy parents & teachers too! Each article only takes moments to read. However, we have also provided additional resources at the end of each mini article so you can watch videos, read more in-depth, or explore further! Each article includes an optional free video, free in-depth lessons, and links to additional resources!

One of the most common questions I hear in Waldorf education is, “How do children learn how to read?”

Parents are amazed that, traditionally, Waldorf educators start teaching letters in first grade and don’t even start reading until second grade in some cases. Of course, if a child is ready before then, a teacher can take their lead and gently provide them with additional resources. However, forcing an artificial situation on a child is detrimental to their learning. Children’s minds are like a garden of roses. They will open and bloom with the right ingredients, but if you rip them open instead, they will have to settle for partial knowledge and understanding of the subject, or be “glued back” together in some semblance of order.

The same happens when children learn how to read. In the methods most common today, children are taught the abstract before understanding. This leaves a gap in their relationship with language, so that even if they do learn how to read, they may never really have the love of reading and writing that they could. In some cases, other gaps may surface later, such as poor spelling or difficulty with composition.

To approach reading from the standpoint of Waldorf education, one must also learn, as a teacher, to understand reading before thinking about it in the abstract. We talk about reading as if it were an abstract foreign concept. However, it is as natural as learning how to speak. As teachers, we need to see reading as something natural rather than abstract. We start from there. Keep this in mind as you read this information below. I am writing this to allow you, as the teacher, to adopt a different way of seeing reading and to provide you with a translation of ideas from mainstream to Waldorf.

Most of what you will read below is intended for the teacher. The only items that should be shared with the students are the lessons. What I (or you) did to create the lessons should be seen only with our adult minds – because it is abstract. So, children should not be given lists of “Dolch words” and told to copy them or learn them with flashcards; they should not be given worksheets with phonics on them, with the endings in big, bold letters. Both of these methods alienate the child from the concept of reading. We can see these worksheets and lists and understand them. However, the child can better understand a lesson from them rather than the lists themselves.

However, first, before we start the lessons, we need to understand what reading is. So what is reading? Reading is a process by which we learn to associate symbols with meanings. To be good at this, we need skills in imagination, creation, and visualization.

Think of all the stories that exist about books coming alive and words coming off the page into pictures. These books have brought to life what is happening inside a child’s head when they read. But how can this happen if a child is not allowed to cultivate their imagination and visualization skills?

Imagine a child who is asked to sit and look at the letter “R” at a young age. They are told that this letter has a sound, and if you put that with an “ED,” it makes another sound, which actually means the color red. You are asking a child to engage in abstract thinking when they are much too young for it. In fact, most classes commonly known to involve abstract thinking (philosophy, for one) are not taught until High School or College.

Now imagine that you tell a child to look at an “R” and imagine all that this “R” can be. There is a story about the “R,” and the “R” has adventures, and the child is allowed to feel the “R,” be the “R,” and identify with it as a character with personality. Stories are told about all the letters, and they come alive in form, pictures, and verse.

Now, tell this child that this letter is going to transform itself into a word to mean “red”. This is now in the realm of the imagination, where anything is possible. Princesses can have hair as tall as a castle tower, birds can talk, swans can turn into boys, and “R”s can turn into the word “red”. Anything is possible. This is not abstract – it is imagination.

So how can you cultivate this imagination and ability to see words in a different way? By reading, telling stories, and hearing many fairy tales, the child can slowly develop a relationship with the language.

The second most important change we need to make in our minds as teachers is to believe that reading is natural. It was a natural progression of humankind to develop reading and writing. It is a natural progression in the human being.

Traditional methods approach reading as if it were unnatural. Reading is IMPOSED into a structure and into an environment as if it were “work” – it is put forth as “now we will do our reading now”. We have language homework, language workbooks, and even entire reading classes and programs. And many people argue that “they work” and are so happy when their 3-year-old is reading. But have they ever asked themselves HOW it happened, or contemplated the long-term effects on the child? I have seen some children ready to read at a young age, approaching it with joy and intuition. However, for so many children, it is imposed upon them.

Think of reading as an extension of language. Telling stories to a child develops the ability to tell stories, just as speaking to a child develops their ability to converse. In the same way, reading to a child and letting them become familiar with language develops their ability to read. When your child is just learning how to talk, do you remove them from their daily life and say, “ok, now we are going to practice talking”?

Not usually.

We need to think of reading in the same way. Instead of removing the child from their life and saying, “We are going to practice reading now,” you can make it part of their life by telling stories, reading them stories, doing letter activities, reciting verses, and simply enjoying language.

OPTIONAL ITEMS FOR MORE IN-DEPTH STUDY

Waldorf Philosophy Video

If you are unable to view this video, please try a different browser (Chrome or Firefox). If that does not work, please let us know at: CustomerService@TheBEarthInstitute.com

Eurythmy videos are now included in our curriculum! To purchase additional Eurythmy videos check out our video page or the amazing selection at www.Eurythmyonline.com.

More Waldorf Philosophy Articles & Lessons

The book is 606 pages and covers every aspect of teaching language arts (1/2 of the academic curriculum for grades 1-3) from what concepts and skills to teach, how to plan the year, a block, and a lesson, how to teach creatively and effectively, and how to assess the efficacy of your program and what a student has learned and what still needs to be worked on.”

FREE Waldorf Book

Enjoy this enchanting and creative book, filled with felt illustrations by Ina Curic, a children’s author based in Romania, who is creating books with the rainbow elves inspired by the felt art she creates.

Waldorf Philosophy Books & Resources

You can find the rest of this article and lessons in the First Grade Language Lesson Block.

You can find excellent books on this topic on this page HERE.