“Sensory integration.” In Waldorf Philosophy

In Waldorf philosophy the emphasis is on educating the whole child, that includes the senses too, commonly called “Sensory integration.”

A Waldorf kindergarten environment encourages children to move freely and gives enough scope for open-ended play. The natural fabrics, wood, etc used in a Waldorf kindergarten gives them natural sensory stimulation.

The same is done through variety of activities given below-

  1. Gardening – In our Waldorf Kindergarten we give a lot of importance to Gardening as it helps children in many ways it connects them to nature. The children touch and smell the soil, they find pebbles, they crush hard soil and prepare it for the plants.

  2. Handwork – Several activities are taken under handwork- Fishing rope with natural cotton yarn, deseeding cotton, playing with potter’s clay, working/playing with Bees wax, coconut scraping, paper mache, and much more, all these are fine motor skills and sensory activities. These activities prepare the children for grade 1 where they are required to start writing.

  3. Painting – Wet on wet watercolour painting is an introduction to the beautiful world of colour for the young child. There are many ways to paint, but wet-on-wet painting is a dreamy, fluid, mostly formless painting method that allows to experience colours. It is perfect for the process-oriented kindergarten child. The intent is to give young children an experience of colour, not form. Because the wet paint is laid on wet paper, the colours flow, blending into one another in beautiful, unexpected ways.

  4. Cooking – Cooking is an integral part of our Kindergarten at Kalpavruksha. It is a treat to all the senses. Activities like dough kneading stimulates tactile skills.

  5. Meal times – You may think why meal time is included as a sensory activity! In Waldorf Kindergartens each day a child brings wholesome, homemade healthy food for the whole class. The food is rich and gives exposure to different textures, smells and tastes to young ones. At “Kalpavruksha, Steiner Inspired School“, strong emphasis is laid on community meal times, children eat together the same home cooked food. Children are encouraged to use their hands for eating. The food exposes them to variety of textures, tastes and smell.

Getting messy is never discouraged in Waldorf schools, it is necessary to develop tactile senses, at our school “Kalpavruksha“ children develop tactile senses through sand play, play with Clay, walk in rain, jumping in the puddles and much more.

We would like to emphasize that sensory activities are key in building flexibility, mobility, spatial awareness, motor skills, tactile sense, and the sensory integration.

Pooja Chukkala

(Kindergarten Teacher)

“Child’s play is a serious work”

Toys hold a very important place in a child’s life. At different stages in their childhood, children show a preference for different toys.

In Waldorf the whole learning process is holistic, and it happens through the Head (Thinking), Heart (Feeling), and Hand (Doing). Waldorf toys, activities, and the whole environment is set and designed keeping these three things in mind.

In a Waldorf Kindergarten, a lot of focus is laid on selecting the appropriate toys, creating the ambience, and on free playtime. The playtime is not instruction based, it is unguided, uninterrupted free play.

How are Waldorf toys different?

Waldorf toys are distinct by their beauty and simplicity, they are handmade from natural materials like cotton, wood, linen, or wool.

The toys are open-ended with basic shapes, and smooth edges, the wooden toys are left in their rustic natural wood finish and the cotton and fabric toys are mostly in light pastel colors. The dolls and animals don’t have facial features or have minimal features. In a Waldorf kindergarten, plastic and battery-operated toys are strictly avoided. toys with too bright colors are also not used. The toys are designed following the Steiner principle – To allow children to imagine and visualize their own emotions and expressions for the dolls.

When you walk into a Waldorf kindergarten, it gives you a feeling of comfort and warmth. The classrooms have simple designs, aesthetically pleasing, age-appropriate, and minimal artwork. Play objects are neatly stacked in baskets and kept covered on the wooden shelves.

What Toys Are Used In A Waldorf Kindergarten?

In a Waldorf Kindergarten, we use wooden blocks, logs, planks, small wooden human/animal figurines kitchen play tools, hand-knitted ropes, pine cones, Twigs, sticks, silk fabrics, Capes, balancing boards, Waldorf dolls, Crotchet balls, and many other simple articles. The classroom is set to encourage free and imaginative play. All objects are kept in a way that is aesthetically pleasing, balanced, and easily accessible to our children.

Why are Waldorf Toys Expensive?

Waldorf Toys are handmade from natural material and hence are expensive. At Kalpavruksha, we sell some beautiful handmade toys which are priced reasonably, these are perfect for your little ones and can make a great gifting option too.