Lakeside School at Black Kettle Farm offers birth –2nd grade education based on the Waldorf  philosophy on a working farm in Essex, NY.

Fall Newsletter: Play as an Avenue of Learning in Kindergarten

by Robin Gucker, Kindergarten Teacher

If you are new to Lakeside School or Waldorf Early Childhood Education, you may wonder where the teaching is happening. How are we actually educating the Kindergarten children. You might observe the lovely silks and the paintings coming home of pure red or yellow and start to wonder what are the children learning?

Play is the avenue for the bulk of learning in the Kindergarten. Whether it be outside, inside or even during a chore there often is play involved.  At Lakeside we emphasize creative play recognizing that it offers practice and development of social skills, problem solving, self initiative, collaboration, creativity, and joy! These

qualities and capacities are what we believe will serve the children to meet our modern world with grace and courage. In the Kindergarten I witness the possibility for each of the children to be challenged and fully engaged through their play. It takes tremendous courage to begin, but once the fire is lit, it can hardly be extinguished. The interest they take in the world seems to expand exponentially and the possibilities are endless. This is the way that we wish for our children to experience the world around them, filled with abundance and possibility. Play not only feeds their physical bodies, through movement  and new found skills, but nourishes their souls. If we were to concentrate on intellectual tasks and academics, this would only stimulate one aspect of the young child, and I might go so far as to say, rob

them of the full development of their early childhood. This stimulation of the intellect prematurely awakens them and can paralyze their ability to enter into play, stifling the deep well of self initiated will that resides within each child. One of the greatest

 gifts of play is the development of Courage. In order to enter play a child must be brave enough to take initiative and interact with their peers socially. They must also be willing to take risks and try something new. It demands compassion to be open to others, and courage to be true to oneself . Play offers the possibility to fail; fall down , brush themselves off and try again. This courage often results in a greater confidence, cumulative experiences of success and ultimately joy!  All of these benefits are foundational for learning in the moment and into the future. The importance of Play is not always so tangible to us as adults. It cannot necessarily be measured and quantified. It takes a tremendous amount of trust and courage on our part to allow for the children to unfold in their development naturally. We often want to uproot the small tree and look to see how sturdy the roots are growing beneath the tree, to assure ourselves that the tree is healthy. I honor the courage that all of you model for your children by supporting them as they unfold. They are so fortunate to be offered a childhood rich in PLAY!