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By Savannah Freier of Outside Kids The Role of Warmth in a Child’s Development As the winter months deepen, bringing some of the coldest days of the year, the importance of warmth is ever-present on our minds, and perhaps surprisingly, on our hearts as well. In Lifeways education, we believe warmth extends beyond physical comfort to play a central role in supporting the development of the whole child. Warmth fosters growth on physical, emotional, and spiritual levels, laying

Hello friends, I imagine many of you have heard or seen recent headlines about the drastic decline of adults and children who read for enjoyment. The numbers are disheartening and frightening. As a constant advocate for being present to and enjoying real life amid a bombarding background of screens and media– I’m not  surprised. As an avid reader married to another avid reader, a vocal library advocate, and book club participant, however, I was surprised to find myself in suc

I have found that the “typical kindergarten circle” learned in Waldorf early childhood training needs to be simplified and changed in...

One of the tasks of the growing child and one of the functions of parenting is to bring the child into rhythm.  It may seem as if the...

Each child we receive into our care is really an amalgam of two beings. Each of us are born with these two beings, both of these aspects,...

Little Shell-a story adapted from Little House by Leslie Wetzonis Woolverton Once on a sandy beach next to a tranquil and beautiful ocean...

Joy is the essence of early childhood, and I have the great fortune of swimming in it three full days a week with nine three- to...

Creating and sharing therapeutic stories with a child can feel like you have some real magic in your parenting pocket!  Stories reach the...

For young children, it is good to have very clear routines and rituals around sleep.  It helps to think about what you are doing for the...

When we are creating a work space – an office, a classroom, a retail establishment – there are certain tools we need for specific tasks....

Rahima writes: In 1984 another Waldorf teacher and I dropped out of the school to be home more and opened one of the early home-based...

Seven years ago this October, Magnolia Blossom Preschool opened its doors inside Harvest Homes Assisted Living facility in Portland, OR....

The child who doesn’t participate, what are they asking us? What is behind that choice? Most likely it has to do with a fear of doing it...

The teacher begins to hum a little tune, a little tune that she uses to gather the children into  circle. One or two of them come. Most...

Steiner-based, early childhood settings abound with rich opportunities for the development of math and science concepts.  This may be...

I believe that one of the greatest contributors to disconnection from our children today is technology. I feel it is has somewhat...

This the final article in a series that has focused on the development of social ability throughout early childhood. “We can be...

This is the fourth article in a series that will focus on the development of social ability throughout early childhood.  Our children...

This the third article in a series that will focus on the development of social ability throughout early childhood.  This month we look...

This is the second article in a series that will focus on the development of social ability throughout early childhood. Toddlerhood is an...