What is the Waldorf approach to reading?
In Waldorf Education, the oral tradition holds sway throughout the years. In addition to reinforcing the human element in education, this approach also hones listening skills, stretches attention spans and elevates interest. Beginning in the Kindergarten, Waldorf educators approach reading in a holistic way, building layer upon layer toward language acquisition. This starts with nursery rhymes, songs and stories that the children participate in actively. Letters and sounds are not taught in a Waldorf kindergarten, rather they are experienced. In the first grade, students explore the alphabet letter by letter in the same way that ancient peoples evolved their alphabetic symbols out of pictographs. Writing comes out of the students’ artistic drawings, and reading evolves as a natural, and often comparatively effortless, stage in the mastery of linguistic communications. In this way, reading follows the acquisition of a firm grounding in writing. New layers of language acquisition are add
