|
Site search
Mission Statement:
A movement program that is solidly based on the developmental needs of children can have many school-wide benefits. These include...
In seating a student behind a desk, we as teachers and parents are anticipating that the child is physiologically ready, or soon will become ready, for the year’s tasks. But realistically, every child will struggle with some aspect of the academic environment: it might be a challenge to sit in balance, or to listen quietly, or to muster the fine motor skills for writing. Thus, we must remember that through movement, every child can be helped in some way to reach his or her full potential. From early childhood through high school, experience has shown that classes of students who are provided with appropriate daily movement activities are able to move ahead more solidly. Benefits of these activities include:
|
Gym & Developmental Movement Intensive 2
From June 29 to July 6, a very lively group convened at Aurora Waldorf School to participate in a rich and intensive immersion in movement theory and practice for the Waldorf school grades. Each day began with 90 minutes of classroom study followed by four 90-minute periods of experiential learning. Attendees included movement teachers, class teachers, remedial teachers - from public and private Waldorf schools throughout North America. Backgrounds ranged from just-beginning teachers to pedagogical leaders with many years of experience. Please fill out a contact form if you are interested in news about future offerings. 
Boys and Girls in Movement
Stereotypes and Archetypes - Balancing Gender Needs in Elementary School Movement Although boys and girls have many developmental-movement needs in common, they also have important differences in the ways they use movement to structurally organize their perception of and contact with the world. These needs that should be addressed in our Waldorf classrooms, schoolyards and games classes. My goal in this article is to review perspectives on this vital topic, from a number of informative sources; to see how these seemingly disparate sources might be connected; and, I hope, to inspire further research and discussion at your school. —> READ PDF 
RECOMMENDED BOOKS
The Art of Roughhousing This wonderful book shows how rough-and-tumble play can nurture close connections, solve behavior problems, boost confidence, and more. —> BOOKS
OUT OF PRINT BOOKS
Child's Play 3 Wil van Haren and Rudolf Kischnick, England, 1994. A classic Waldorf games book, packed with activities and insights for children and teenagers. (Child's Play 1 and 2 is still available). —> BOOKS |
Announcing a Google Group for Waldorf movement, class and remedial teachers
The Waldorf Movement Forum is a new place to ask questions, share experiences, and build bridges between Waldorf movement, class and remedial teachers. You'll need a Google account to access the online forum (the forum format makes it easier than trying to organize emails). If you need a tutorial on this process, here's a youtube video. Two great new (old) articles on development through play & movement
I recently came across these two chapters in a 1984 anthology titled Child's Play and Play Therapy, edited by Anthony D. Pellegrini. If you are searching for ways to answer the frequent questions about movement goals and delaying team sports, I think you will find these both quite helpful. The chart above summarizes these ideas. —> Click here for a pdf file of this chart.
Motor Development and Children's Play - contains powerful material about developing capacities before specialized skills. —> Read it! The Young Child's Play and Social and Emotional Development - so often parents need encouragement to remember that ages birth to nine are an important window for development of right-brain strengths, and that emphasis during these years on left-brain specialization can narrow this window. —> Read it! GAME VIDEO
Cold & Spicy Buffalo Style Yogaball
Here's a rough and tumble game that can be played in grades 2 through 5, when the snow is soft enough and snowsuits provide padding. All you need is four cones to mark the two end zones, and a 24" yoga ball. After a kickoff, players can shove, roll, carry or throw the ball across the goal line. Usually a few players will self-assign as goalies. The rules are: no kicking after the kickoff, no neck or head grabs, and don't hurt anyone... very much! (Say that with a knowing smile on your face, and send anyone who's playing too rough to the "penalty box".) |
 |
