The Waldorf Education Philosophy

What Homeschoolers Need to Know About this Homeschooling Method

Sep 16, 2009

Waldorf Education can be considered a homeschooling method. Is it right for your family?

Waldorf Education is not new. The first school was founded in 1919. The goals of this type of schooling are to develop children into moral, free, integrated individuals, and to help the child fulfill a unique destiny. There are many opponents to this type of teaching method. This article will give an overview of the system, as well as the implications for homeschooling.

Waldorf Education as a Homeschooling Method

Waldorf Education is a type of educational system that teaches children about personal uniqueness, as well as encouraging peace and tolerance of others. Lessons will often include promoting imagination through role-playing and theatrics; however, there is much more to this type of educational system.

Waldorf Education has traditionally been centered in Europe; however, the number of schools worldwide has been increasing. Rudolph Steiner wrote a book in 1907, "The Education of the Child," and in 1919 a school was opening in Stuttgart, Germany that was based upon these principles. The school grew quickly, and by 1935 there were numerous schools in Great Britain, the United States, and much of Europe. During World War II, most of the schools in Europe were closed, but opened at the end of the war. As of 2008, there are over 950 Waldorf Schools throughout the world.

Rudolf Steiner believes that learning should integrate artistic and practice elements, with an emphasis on the imagination. It focuses on the creative, as well as analytic, components of developmental thinking. Waldorf schools are given much freedom to determine the curriculum. A good look at how the Waldorf Education theory is thriving in America can be seen by viewing the Rudolf Steiner School website.

Steiner breaks childhood down into developmental stages that occur of periods of seven years. Each stage has its own specific learning requirements.

When it comes to homeschooling, there are several variations of Waldorf Education. However, they all center on using the head, heart, and hands for learning. The absence of book learning in the early years is also evident. Singing, clapping, playing, finger games, coloring, and story telling are the basis for early education.

Waldorf Education Encourages Creativity

Waldorf Education centers on the need for the creative, not the intellectual. This is especially true with the younger students. By playing the games and through constant interaction, the groundwork is being laid for the child to develop the language skills that often present problems later on. This relaxed approach to early childhood development can easily be incorporated into just about any homeschooling program.

As the child grows, the curriculum slowly changes. Since one of the main aspects of this type of educational system is to keep the same teacher for up to eight years, homeschooling fits easily into this style of teaching. Eventually the curriculum turns to intellectual learning, such as the hows and whys needed to understand mathematics, science, and history. However, there is still a great focus on fulfilling the creative and spiritual needs of the child.

While this form of homeschooling may not be for everyone, it can be very beneficial to parents who have developed a clear program for a child’s spiritual, creative, and intellectual development. It is worth researching this educational style further as a homeschooling method, if the overview presented here sounds interesting to the reader.

The copyright of the article The Waldorf Education Philosophy in Homeschooling is owned by Denise Oliveri. Permission to republish The Waldorf Education Philosophy in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.