My 2 year old daughter and I have been going to parent-toddler classes at our local Waldorf school. If you don’t know about Waldorf schools, they were started in the early 20th century by artist and scientist Rudolf Steiner. Approved schools employ a number of child-centered approaches to inspire enthusiasm for learning and forge a well-rounded and challenged child. (You can learn more here: https://waldorfeducation.org/waldorf_education).
All the play things available in the classrooms are simple, wooden, cloth or metal toys. You won’t find anything plastic. One area of focus, particularly in early childhood, is “doing” and creating with your hands. We work on crafts for about a half hour per class. This week, we started making a classic Waldorf sock doll. The kids really just watch and try to get their hands in the middle of what you’re doing, but just having the opportunity to watch you do something leaves a lasting impression on a young mind! I really enjoyed getting started on our doll head today and thought I would share a tutorial with you! These are slightly more complicated than what we’ll end up doing, but certainly hunt around for different patterns if this proves too difficult. The first link below is Part 1 of the tutorial, and the following parts are organized below for your reference. Good luck!
Making a Waldorf Doll – part 1 (head) – faith & string
Making a Waldorf Doll – part 2 (supplies)
