My 30 year old daughter - now a grade 4 teacher in the Canadian North read at about 9 1/2 and has never stopped - I was a Waldorf high school teacher for 18 years and know many, many kids who read at about 9 or 10 and even a few boys who were not reading easily until about 14 - all fifnished high school reading fluently - and all have gone on to get universoty degrees - one crucial book to read in this are is called Better Late Than Early - not Waldorf but very useful on this whole question.

We have a five year old boy and a three year old girl, both in Waldorf kindergarten, and a one year old girl still at home. Our son is starting to get very interested in writing already, and I am sure he will be figuring it out long before he will encounter writing practice in school.

We as parents are very happy about the non-rush towards early academic achievements in Waldorf, but somehow I question the system’s ability to support an interest when it is already present in the student. I know that no system is perfect, and to our taste Waldorf education is the closest we have found, but still there is that balance between the collective and the individual that I feel can be a bit heavy on the collective side in Waldorf. (At least in our school.) What would be interesting to me would be a merge between the deeper ideas of Waldorf and Montessori, with support both for the artistic/spiritual ideals of Waldorf and the self directed learning Montessori envisioned.

I was just wondering where this whole idea comes from that if a child will start earlier with something they will get better at it when they are adults? I have been touring public school kindergartens and it is amazing how sedentary the children are. Too bad the right to move and play is not guaranteed be the American Constitution...

I was just wondering where this whole idea comes from that if a child will start earlier with something they will get better at it when they are adults?

I have been touring public school kindergartens and it is amazing how sedetary the children are.
Too bad the right to move and play is not guaranteed be the American Constitution...

My oldest turned four in November. I tried to keep him and his siblings as far away from any medium as I could, but with both parents working from home, it's difficult. I only just started sitting down with him and showing him the sounds of letters and sounds of letter combinations, which he understood quickly - albeit I have no one to whom to compare him. We sit on the back porch, reading short sentences that I make up on the fly - on the laptop in TextEdit... totally unWaldorf - while the younger two play in the bushes and trees.

I don't see anything wrong with learning to play before learning to read. Sure, one can learn both simlutaneously, and I guess that's okay, too. I teach piano to kids who started reading at age four, learned piano at age five, but they cannot name two kinds of palm trees or identify the call of a common ground dove. They can't even turn a twig into a person and make him ride on a paddle boat leaf down an imaginary river.

As for the optometrist, I took an eye exam when in grade school, and we didn't have letters to identify. They were all E's, but some were facing the right direction, some were facing up and to the left and down. I had to turn open palm so that it would look like that E.

Dave,

This is an interesting topic. I have an 8 1/2 year old son who has ADHD. He loves knowledge as a whole (aquatic, farms, science, etc...) but would rather get a shot than try to read for more than a few minutes. This is also a boy who scored in the 99th percentile on his CAT6 (California Achievement Test) in math for our state. My wife and I believe he would rather obtain knowledge from hands on experience or TV (yes call me a bad parent, but he learned more from Sesame Street and the Discovery Channel than he did during his first couple of years in public school). Should we push him to read more or should we let him mature to the point where he wants to read Captain Underpants or Harry Potter on his own? I agree that some kids are simply better at certain subjects like art, math, or dance. Most children are not going to challenge themselves to get better at subjects that are difficult for them and will usually opt to play or do things in which they excel. Of course there are exceptions and if you saw "Little Miss Sunshine" and the world of beauty pageants, you know what I mean.

Anyways, my point is this; some kids are ready to read/learn at an early age and some kids mature later. Is one school better than another? I don't think so. I believe it's the teacher and the parents that make the difference.

Getting back to kids with learning disabilities (ADHD, autism, Down syndrome): caregivers should absolutely get their children tested if they feel their child is falling way behind peers. We incorrectly listened to our pediatrician who blithered on about boys learning later in life ya da ya da ya da. It was only after his nursery school teacher kept on prodding us to get him tested that we found out he had water on his ears (he wasn't hearing correctly) and giant adenoids & tonsils that needed removing. The surgery helped dramatically, but he still goes to speech therapy weekly. Sorry for getting off topic, but a parent has to rant and rave every once in a while!

In response to Olga's statement. The child psychologist Piaget had what he termed the American Question, which was, "How can my children move more quickly through the developmental stages (he theorized about)?" Piaget said that only in America was this question posed to him.

Alfie Kohn has some good stuff to say about how practice and homework don't make kids better at whatever they're working on. It's a myth that Americans hold onto, deeply rooted in our pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps-immigrant culture (IMHO).

As much as I try to relax and let my daughter concentrate on what she is interested in, I've felt a little anxiety over reading lately. She's 4 1/2 and EVERYONE thinks she'll be an early reader, but there are times where it just doesn't feel like she's progressing as quickly as I would like. She'll have periods of voraciously devouring books with me or walking around telling stories with books in hand, then she'll go for long times without doing that. While I would like to see continuous progress towards reading, the fact of the matter is that the spurt and plateau approach to child development is a valid one. So, I end up where I started, believing that if she truly discovers what she is interested in, then I don't need to interfere very much.

And don't even get me started on public school recess... the public school my daughter will NOT be attending next year would have her for 7 hours a day with 1 (I repeat, 1) 25 minute recess!!

I guess that will be really helpfull to take a look at the patterns in their writing skills
and to compare it with the patterns of a kid that
had learned to read/write in a traditional school

I hope that you find my comment usefull
and excuse me if I'm wrong with my english grammar.
(I'm Argentinian and I had never really studied
english language)

I'm commenting on this rather late, having just discovered your blog.

I was homeschooled with fairly standard commercially available materials, however, looking back I have reason to believe my parents either instinctively or deliberately used some of Waldorf's methods in the way we were taught. I started reading fluently relatively early, I think around age eight. But neither of my brothers was comfortable reading until they were more like ten and eleven. Little sister, being the classic youngest child, learned to read the earliest of all because she wanted to be just like the big kids.
Though our parents spent big bucks on the ciriculum, we didn't use it intensively until we were in second or even third grade....up to that point we spent a lot of time learning through hands on and exploration. We all learned fractions, for example, early and easily because mom took us into the kitchen and had us help her cook, especially baking where fractions matter a lot.

I think kids learn to love reading and learning in general when they are able to set their own pace. I think my families experiences bear that out and I hope to convey the same attitudes and desires to my children.

perhaps because i'm not a parent, this is absolutely beyond me. my parents read to me and with me constantly from birth and, as a result, i was reading by 5 and have never once in my life had an issue with reading, writing, or verbal communication. my playing was entwined in the books that i read, the stories i wrote and told to other children, the songs i could sing. my progress in other areas (sports, maths, sciences, technology) was helped purely by the fact that i could explain, clearly and eloquently, why i didn't understand. i think being an early and competent reader was the best possible gift my parents could have given me.

having your kids learn to play and be creative is just as important as learning to read and i wouldn't agree that pressuring children into jumping through academic hoops (my own progress at school was a happy by product, but not my parents' intention)is right. these things should be nurtured in balance, none at the expense of the other. but no matter how quickly your children will pick up reading and writing when they eventually come to it, how exactly can that make up for the several years they have lost?

denying children such a massive part of their development until the age of eleven seems instinctively wrong to me. i hate to sound so negative but could someone tell me, what is the benefit of doing this?

Good points, Fiona. I should point out that I read to my kids every night too. Tonight, I read another chapter of "Treasure Island" to G-, and earlier read a "Tessy and Tab" and Scooby-Doo book to K- before she fell asleep. But reading books doesn't necessarily mean that they are going to learn how to read. They're into it, but there's really no rush. My 11yo, A- is a voracious reader, amusingly so: she can read a book like Inkheart or Harry Potter in just a day or two. Just like I was as a kid!

Hi. Just wondering if anyone has experienced children with Down Syndrome in a Waldorf classroom? Sounds like a perfect environment for children with DS to learn in. Thanks

This is in response to Cathy's question. I think it depends on the school. If the school is established, has a corp of experienced teachers, and maybe has some remedial support, I think it's wonderful. But I just a few hours ago left a devastating meeting with a parent of a child of Down Syndrome at a Waldorf school that is coming to realize they cannot meet his needs right now. They're just too young and inexperienced as a school and a classroom, and his needs are too great. His first year in Kindergarten was lovely, but this last year was a real struggle for many people; now he's not ready for first grade, but not well matched for Kindergarten. He will be Waldorf-educated when he returns to his home community in a year, but that school is designed for children with special needs. I'm going through some significant sadness for his mother, for him, and for his brave teacher who is feeling connected to him but unable to serve him in all he needs. His mother is inconsolable and only seeing many negatives right now, and my heart breaks that maybe she's feeling a hurt that will be with her a long time. He did need the nurturing, healing, and warm environment of the Early Childhood/Kindergarten classroom, and that first year it was probably exactly right for him...but his behavioral and learning needs just aren't being met in a way that always keeps him safe and keeps the class intact should he decide to elope (very common in this population). A very sad situation, started with the best of intentions. So, in total....a good possibility, but approached carefully....blessings...

Hi,

Ive just ndiscovered this blog late at night after watching the your baby can read infomercial! I am a parent of eight from seven months to 25 years old including my wonderful @1 yr old aiden , who has Downs syndrome. I am also a former waldorf teracher and professional storyteller. I googled your baby can read waldorf to see if i found anyhting and found this blog! Yess Just exploring my thoughts.

To Cathy . Aiden went to Waldorf for eight years. Four years kindergarten, lucky boy, and up to grade four. He had an aide. It was a good experience but we had realistic expectations.

Im thinking about these things .. how we wanty to be with our little one Gabriel .. having some very |waldorf thoughts ! and wondering about either ors and ands .. inclusivity .. I am a storyteller and wondering if the meeting place in in the realm of oral tradition

Need to go to bed now but heres my email ericjgordon@shaw,ca if anyone is so inclined and i will return in a more coherent way eric

I am sorry, but anyone who understands the brain and child development knows that early reading and language development are key to success. If a child is introduced and encouraged to learn about language, to read, to be read to, such a basic fundamental skill will be so much easier. It has been shown that children who are read to and encouraged to read at an earlier age do better in school and in life. My children (oldest is 9) are reading well for their age. In fact, my 9 year old reads at a high 7th grade level, and comprehends what she reads. My 7 year old reads at a sixth grade level and attends gifted classes because of her advanced abilities. My four year old recognizes all of his letters and numbers, and connects the sounds that the letters make. This has not been "pushed" on them, rather we speak to them like they are actual people, don't baby them, and introduce them to experiences (both written and real-life) that are interesting and meaningful. This whole "dream-like childhood" that the Waldorf approach encourages is a big reason why children have a hard time dealing with reality, learning to read, adapting to the world around them.
This "free-love" hippie approach to learning should be banned, and children in Waldorf schools need to have real schooling. Parents who subscribe to this should not allow themselves to becoming brainwashed into this "cult"

I realize public education is nowhere near perfect. That being said, how do Waldorf educated kids handle the transition - if they need to make it - to public school. What about college? My mom taught 6th grade and would occasionally receive kids from Montessori and other alternative schools. They tended to have a very hard time adjusting mostly because they felt they could do what they wanted and refuse to do some assignments because they just didn't feel like it. I think schools like Waldorf would be great for a preschool, or Pre-K. But I would be hard-pressed to go beyond that. In today's society, education is key. And while I don't believe in pressuring my 2 year old to learn, especially in this magical age of play (which is unfortunately too short), I am not about to hold it back from her. She loves books - knows her letters, numbers, colors. And if she wants to start reading in a few years I will definitely encourage her. I will teach her as much as I can before she starts school.
I don't think ANY kids should be made to feel bad at their abilities to learn - but what is the point of holding it back from them?
I am so scared for what life will be like for her as a teenager...with technology changing as much as it will. When I was in HS I didn't have internet, cell phones, text messaging, Myspace. I hope books stay important to her....and I feel like encouraging her now, and my husband and I reading will help.

To Alicia: Visit some Waldorf schools before making judgments about what is "real schooling". Both of my adult daughters attended Waldorf through 8th grade, began reading when they were ready and made excellent transitions to public high school and college. Reading may not be taught explicitly until 2nd grade, but look at the curriculum as the children progress through the grades - they are exposed to more than most publicly-educated students in the U.S. They were taught by teachers who understood the importance of art, music, movement and a connection to nature in the healthy development of children. Waldorf does not encourage a "dream-like childhood" (unless by this you mean imagination - which is essential for critical thinking in adolescence and adulthood) but rather a natural, healthy childhood. This includes recognizing developmental stages and how educating the heart (emotional life) and body is crucial. Waldorf schools give these the same attention as the intellect. I've worked in a public Waldorf school for over 11 years and have seen the positive effects of Waldorf education in 100s of students - many who are now adults and living productive lives (and can read beautifully, too).

My son started his first day of 8th Grade in a Midwestern Waldorf School today. He has attended the same Waldorf School since kindergarten and has had the same teacher since 1st grade. In terms of delaying reading, all I can say is that that waiting on reading has paid off for my son. He absolutely loves to read (mostly science fiction, fantasy series books) and does it all the time. He is exceptional. Part of this success is just him though. Our second son, a fifth grader at the same Waldorf School, does not have nearly the same ability.

My 8th Grade son recently took a standardized test to enter a public high school in my city. This school is a magnet, ranked 36th in the 2009 U.S. News and World Report rankings of Best Public High Schools. He has never taken a standardized test before in his life and he placed in the 91st percentile for reading comprehension (and 81st in math). Needless to say I was very happy and believe that a large portion of this success was due to his Waldorf education.

Alicia knows nothing of what she speaks of. Do not listen to her. If I wasn't so polite I'd call her an idiot and take her out to the woodshed. She obviously has some sort of axe to grind.

The reference to "free-love" made me crack up since it is so ludicrous. I'm certain that my Waldorf educated children can read circles around her kids.

Hello All!
I came upon this blog by chance and I am so glad that I did! My son is currently in 4th grade at a public school. He has aspergers syndrome which has caused delays in his social skills and has caused some difficulty in his ability to gain information from the lecture style teaching that is common in public schools. He does much better with hands on and visual type learning. We are touring a Waldorf school in a month and I am wondering if anyone else out there has a child similar to mine, formerly or currently in a Waldorf school. I was also wondering if we should start him in 3rd grade when we switch him to waldorf since he is socially immature and compared to his peers in fourth grade public school, he isnt able to write essays and complete writing assignments easily. He has had an aide in school in the past, but this is because there are 35 kids in his class and he easily gets lost in the shuffle. I dont expect he would need an aide in a smaller classroom setting. He doesnt have any behavior problems such as tantrums or outbursts, his main behavior issue is being incredibly shy and not knowing how to join in with his peers in conversation. Socially is he more like a 6 or 7 year old than a 9 year old. any advice would be greatly appeciated! Thanks in advance ~Sonya

The question to ask if you are looking at Waldorf schools is what systems and approaches are in place for the children who do not start reading "magically" and never put a book down, albeit by age 11. Every school differs.

Hello Waldorf Parents,
I am looking strongly in a waldorf school for my son but I have so many questions. Do these children
fit in with society when they grow up? Is their education looked down on when applying to college? Are they good with mingling with children and teenagers who don't go to waldorf schools? I don't want him to feel like an outcast! Because the teachers don't have masters degrees in education can I trust them to teach my child? Sorry for the overload but I can't find anywhere else to ask these questions!
Thanks for listening.

Our daughter, 7 1/2, has attended a Waldorf-inspired public charter school since kindergarten. She is now in the 2nd grade and, yes, has the same teacher as last year, and by a fluke of classroom reshuffling, is even in the same room as last year. She knows all her fellow classmates and her teacher very well which creates a safe and stable environment for her. She is now starting to read and to me the real success that is unfolding is when she takes a random word from her spelling list and creates a sentence and a beautifully illustrated picture around the word. The sentence was: I said, "Mom, I want some food." The vocab. word was "said," it was right before dinner and she drew herself sitting at the table and me, preparing the food. In my mind, this type of spontaneous exercise (I didn't suggest any of that to her) shows a deepening connection between the power of words and imagery. It is this kind of deep connection (which starts in kindergarten when children are taught stories that develop their imaginations—the first step toward reading) that is one reason we send her to this school.

Jodi,
Your son will fit in with society just fine. Waldorf kids in general are patient, calm, and emphathetic. They are interested in learning for learning's sake and not just to achieve an A. (At least this is my experience with my 2 boys). I can't really say how colleges view a Waldorf. My oldest is in 8th Grade and he will go to a public high school so I doubt any university that he applies to will pay much attention to education prior to high school. You can trust Waldorf teachers as much as you can trust any teachers. Ours are committed, sensible, intelligent people and many of them have upper level degrees. Good luck to you in your decision. Waldorf has a different slant on educating, but I believe for my two children is was the right choice.

My son is 8 years old and in 3rd grade at a Waldorf school. I am concerned because he hasn't started reading yet. I thought in Waldorf children start reading in 2nd grade and grow on it in 3rd. He brought homework the other day and couldn't even read the first word in the directions: "find" Should I be concerned? I talked to other parents in the school and they told me their children started in 2nd.

Yes, I would be concerned, Nana, and I would call up and have a conversation with the teacher. Half-way through third grade he should be reading or he should be diagnosed if there's some sort of reading disorder (dyslexia, etc). Don't wait!!

My son, who is currently in 4th grade at a well-established Waldorf School, was behind in learning to read. This was not because of his education. In the second grade during standard eye testing it was discovered he was having vision difficulties (eye movement and focusing difficulties, convergence and tracking difficulties) despite having 20/20 vision. After a year of vision therapy and some added support at school he loves to read. In fact, he just finished the last Harry Potter book. At age 7 he could barely read basic words- at age 9 he has no trouble making it through a 700 page book.

It is important to add that the strides he made in the last year not only came from the vision therapy but also from a strong support system at school. His teachers were wise and thoughtful in dealing with his delay. They took it seriously and made sure he had additional support in place without it feeling like a fire drill because he wasn't meeting some standardized benchmark.

I always think about when I was 6 and would see my mom and sister reading and I was Desperate to read too,but wasn't taught in school until 8-9.I live in England now and have 2 sons.My son who is 6 in February has been learning phonics in school since he was 4.I am so impressed with his reading ability and he gets so much pleasure when he reads signs and labels to me.He is able to read such things as "the girl and boy walked down the street to the swimming pool.They both had a bag with their swimsuits." I think that the older a chid is,the more difficult it becomes for them to learn language.I can't imagine being 9 now and just being able to read.When I was young it was fine,as that was the age everyone was,but now I would think that it could do serious damage to children's self esteem if they see a six yr old reading and they themselves are not able to read at 7 or 8 yrs old.Being able to read also gives them the opportunity to do more things that they couldn't if they weren't able to read,like reading the instructions to a board game,for example.

I AGREE WITH ALICIA.... I know several people who attended WALDORF schools and are complete FLAKES! The Waldorf system lends to CULT thinking and guarantees Waldorf kids will look at life as if Harry Potter was reality... interesting how the Waldorf parents here, all seem to think Harry Potter is the standard for reading goals...VERY SAD! I am sure all these "wacko-hippie" parents would NEVER allow their kids to open a Bible..I REST MY CASE!!! AND AM RIGHT!!!

Interesting comment, Larry. My friends who have children in public schools bemoan that their kids "didn't get the reading gene", whereas my older children, who have been in Waldorf schools all their life, are HUGE readers, typically going through 3-4 books/week. My 13yo reads adult fiction without even realizing that it's unusual, so based on a data sample of one, the comment of Harry Potter being the highest to which they can manage is bunk.

Now, in terms of the Bible, that depends on the translation, doesn't it? Generally it's quite poorly written and quite confusing to figure out what is happening and what the point is. That's one reason that there are Bible study groups, isn't it?

And for what it's worth, the Waldorf schools I've visited are way more religious than any public school, with pictures of Mary and baby Jesus on the walls, celebrations of Christian saints and even school holidays around (admittedly obscure) Christian saints that you'd never see anywhere else outside of a Christian / Catholic school. Honestly, it's one of the things I'm not so enamored of...

Just came across this from a Google search. We're planning on a Waldorf-inspired home school education...and the reading is completely a moot point. My 4 1/2 year old daughter has already taught herself. Issue solved! :) Totally agree that kids have their own schedules. She learned to talk at 3 1/2 and started reading at 4.

If you are reading this article and are thrown off by the anti-Waldorf comments, consider the tone of the writers. The general theme is one of anger and their comments are full of accusations and subjective judgments about those who attend Waldorf schools. I am sure that must be a result of their very biased public school education, which has it's own very serious issues. If you doubt that, get your hands of Gatto's book "Dumbing Us Down" ASAP! Steiner was a visionary, ahead of his time.

Why do people think that enforcing a developmental schedule on children is a good idea, whether forcing kids to read faster or holding them back when ready to learn. Steiner's ideas are based on his spiritual insights not scientific observation. His developmental stages do not correspond to the evidence provided by developmental psychology. I personally know two mothers, one a poet and one an artistic designer, who each had their children in a Waldorf school for a year and pulled them out because their children were unhappy. One child was told he couldn't bring in a science book about snakes that he loved because it wasn't grade appropriate. Both children, now adolescents still speak negatively of the Waldorf experience. Education should be individual tailored to the student. Waldorf may produce great artists but how many great scientist or even great athletes come from Waldorf schools. The encouragement of the development of imagination and artistic expression encouraged by a Waldorf education is admirable, but the forced developmental schedule is not. An approach that uses the self-directed style of learning found with Montessori along with the support artistic of artistic development found in Waldorf, along with a program that encourages physical development would be ideal. If your child is exclusively a non-competitive artistic type Waldorf may be ideal for them, for most children it is not!

After an independent Waldorf School Kindergarten, we picked a Charter Waldorf School, which mixes Waldorf methods and public school standards, for my son's first grade. He is starting to read by sounding out words and is very excited. As long as he is into it we are excited too.
Waldorf is not designed to hold kids back, but to resist pushing them before they are ready.
Common sense must override over zealousness to imbibe a teaching. And a real professional will always think of allowing and not pressuring when it comes to learning.

My 2 daughters go to a Charter/Waldorf inspired school in Northern California. They are both in second year Kindergarten. One child is 6, and typically developing, and one is 8 with Down's Syndrome.
It has been my experience, so far, that there really is no perfect classroom for my daughter with DS. I will say she loves school, has friends, is around excellent speech models. Perhaps what I am most pleased about is the introduction to so many things that many children in special ed classes never get the chance to fall in love with. Nature, crafts, art, music can be things that make a huge difference in the quality of life for a person with DS. As she is about to enter into first grade I will continue to way it out and be honest about who she is and what we expect from her, knowing that at some point I may have to switch gears and move her when the upper grades start to move too fast, or maybe not. This is a journey and we do not know all of the answers.
I would say my daughter is learning things every day at her Waldorf School that are really important for the long term. I may have to supplement an outside reading program, where she can get more repetition. But at the end of the day I am not sure how much difference it is going to make in her life if she reads at a 5th grade level or a 7th grade level? I want a happy whole child/adult who can function in society, be part of a community, and have loving relationships and hobbies and interests.
Her sister BTW is daily turning into the most beautiful girl, and loves this school. She is a perfect fit for this curriculum.
A note to all the people bashing this program. Meet some kids who have gone to school at a Waldorf School. They will impress you. It was not the la-ti-da kindergarten program that wowed me, it was the graduates. (They read, you know)