Preschool Curriculum
Up to the age of seven the child more or less surrenders himself to things which can be seen, heard or felt. He perceives the world through his senses. This perception takes place with his whole self, with astonishment, surrender and awe. There are very strong moral forces present in a child, waiting to perceive those things which can satisfy his hunger for goodness. The child will imitate anything which adults do. However, many things do not touch the child because he cannot yet be reached intellectually, emotionally and aesthetically. The child thrives in a world of wisdom and respect for nature. This background is the stuff of fairytales, and is also found in the old traditional circle games with their simple movements, the rhymes which are half sung and half recited. There is no tension and drama, and everything in the game reflects the worldly wisdom and harmony.
The modern child is confronted at a very early age with the “adult” world, a world in which technology and the intellect play a particularly large role. In the past, the child could interrelate with his heart and soul with what was happening around him: his father and mother’s work, the crafts exercised in his environment, and many other things invited him to engage in imitation and imagination in games.
A young child’s earliest play involves movement for the pure joy of it. Running, jumping, whirling, and standing on tiptoe are enjoyable in themselves. The imaginative element will start to enter in when the child hops like a bunny or rides a stick horse . Through imagination, the child is able to unite herself with the world at the same time that memory and thinking are separating her from it. Fantasy and play are like complementary opposites to memory and thinking. The creative power if imaginative play continues to develop throughout early childhood, blossoming between ages three and six. For the young toddler, pretending first begins as imitation and is carried out as actions rather than words, like pretending to drink something from a real or imaginary cup. As children approach the age of two, their growing facility with language enables their pretending to be more conversational and interactive. Simple toys further the child’s imagination. For example, having a toy plate leads to talking about what is on it. This soon develops into preparing food, which can be easily done as a chair is turned into a stovetop with an oven underneath.
A bit of fantasy goes a long way.
One does not need to spend a lot of money on fancy toys to provide a rich environment for the young child. Provide lots of things that the child can touch and explore – remembering that this is the time where children learn through imitation and their senses.
In contemplating toys or dolls for the young child, the simpler it is the more possibilities it holds for the child.
“As the muscles of the hand grow firm and strong in performing the work for which they are fitted, so the brain and other organs of the physical body of man are guided into the right lines of development if they receive the right impressions from their environment.
You can make a doll for a child by folding up an old cloth napkin, making two corners into legs, the other two corners into arms, a knot for the head, and painting eyes, nose, and mouth with blots of ink. Or else you can buy the child what they call a “pretty” doll, with real hair and painted cheeks…..If the child has before him the folded napkin, he has to fill in from his own imagination all that is needed to make it real and human. The brain unfolds as the muscles of the hand unfold, when they do the work for which they are fitted. Give the child the so-called pretty doll, and the brain has nothing to do.” Steiner
Creative play is the way in which children get to know the world, and it has been called the work of early childhood. It is said that there is nothing that human beings do, know, think, hope and fear that has not been attempted, experienced, practiced or at least anticipated in children’s play.
Just as it is important not to skip steps like crawling in physical development, so the age of fantasy should be honored as a valuable part of normal development.
Contemplate the play environment and which items do not seem to contribute to imaginative play or are never used in play. Wooden toys, have a different feel than plastic or metal. Young children are looking to know the real world and maintain the inner conviction that it is good, true and beautiful. Consider whether the toys that are surrounding the children are representative of these values. What are we surrounding our children with?
Setting up activity areas to include a
Doll area
Kitchen and dining table (I was recently shocked to hear that children in an early childhood program did not know what to do with a play stove – they turned it into a “to-go” window!).
Dress up containing simple silk cloths, crowns, capes and the like.
Outdoor play – allow the children to experience the elements