Waldorf Education Curriculum by Grade

Early Childhood (Birth – 6 years)

Age 0 – 3 (Birth to Toddlerhood)

Focus: Foundation of trust, rhythm, imitation, and sensory development.

Continuous Experiences

• Movement & Physical Development: Crawling, walking, climbing, outdoor free play.
• Language: Songs, nursery rhymes, rich storytelling language; no formal instruction.
• Artistic Play: Finger games, lullabies, natural material exploration.
• Practical Life: Helping with household tasks — wiping, stirring, carrying, tidying.
• Rhythm: Repetition and daily rituals for security and predictability.
• Social-Emotional: Warm attachment and imitation as the basis of early learning.

Modular/Block Subjects

• Seasonal Rhythms: Simple seasonal songs, verses, and nature walks.
• Home and Family Life: Care routines as “lessons” in rhythm and love.
• Sensory Play: Sand, water, natural textures (early sensory education).

Age 3 – 4 (Young Kindergarten)

Focus: Imagination awakens; play becomes more social; rhythm anchors development.

Continuous Experiences

• Creative Play: Open-ended imaginative play with natural materials.
• Language Arts: Simple nature stories, nursery rhymes, seasonal poems.
• Artistic Activities: Watercolor painting (one color), beeswax modeling.
• Music & Movement: Circle time songs, finger plays, movement games.
• Practical Life: Baking, cooking, washing, gardening.
• Social Learning: Cooperation through imitation and shared work.

Modular/Block Subjects

• Seasons and Festivals: Autumn harvest, Winter light, Spring growth, Summer warmth.
• Nature & Gardening: Daily care of plants and animals.
• Handcrafts: Simple crafts (wool balls, felt hearts, small gifts).
• Storytelling Themes: Nature stories, gentle folk tales, animal stories.

Age 4 – 5 (Mixed-Age Kindergarten)

Focus: Strengthening will and imagination through artistic work and purposeful activity.

Continuous Experiences

• Language Arts: Folk tales, nature stories, circle songs.
• Artistic Work: Painting (two colors), handwork (finger knitting), beeswax modeling.
• Music & Movement: Seasonal dances, rhythm games, pentatonic songs.
• Nature & Science: Observation of seasons, gardening, weather.
• Mathematical Foundations: Counting through movement, sorting and patterning.
• Foreign Languages: Oral exposure through songs and verses.

Modular/Block Subjects

• Seasonal Festivals: Michaelmas (courage), Advent, Spring Festivals, Midsummer.
• Practical Life Skills: Bread baking, mending, weaving.
• Arts and Crafts: Seasonal nature crafts, simple sewing.
• Storytelling Themes: Folk and nature tales reflecting courage, kindness, and transformation.

Age 5 – 6 (Kindergarten – Transition to Grade 1)

Focus: Integration of body, imagination, and will; readiness for formal learning.

Continuous Experiences

• Language Arts: Fairy tales, dramatic play, storytelling and retelling.
• Artistic Work: Watercolor (three colors), modeling, weaving, seasonal crafts.
• Handwork: Finger knitting, beginning knitting with needles.
• Music & Movement: Circle time, rhythmic stepping, coordination games.
• Nature & Practical Life: Cooking, gardening, woodworking.
• Math Foundations: Counting, sequencing, pattern recognition.
• Social-Emotional: Empathy, cooperation, helping younger peers.

Modular/Block Subjects

• Storytelling Themes: Classic fairy tales (truth, courage, transformation).
• Seasonal Festivals: Deeper engagement with seasonal cycles and symbolism.
• Handcrafts & Practical Arts: Knitting projects, nature crafts, bread baking.
• Nature & Science: Weather observation, seeds and plants, animal care.
• Transition Readiness: Forming habits of focus, imitation, and will.

Grade 1 (Age 6-7)

Continuous Subjects

• Language Arts: Form drawing, letter introduction through stories and images
• Mathematics: Number quality and quantity (1-20), four processes through movement
• Music: Pentatonic flute, singing, rhythm
• Movement: Eurythmy, games
• Foreign Languages: Oral introduction (typically two languages)

Modular/Block Subjects

• Painting: Watercolor (wet-on-wet technique)
• Form Drawing: Straight and curved lines
• Handwork: Knitting (knit stitch)

Grade 2 (Age 7-8)

Continuous Subjects

• Language Arts: Reading and writing development, fables, legends
• Mathematics: Place value, times tables (introduction), four processes (to 100)
• Music: Continued flute, singing, lyre introduction
• Movement: Eurythmy, circle games
• Foreign Languages: Speaking, songs, poems

Modular/Block Subjects

• Saints and Legends: Main lesson block
• Fables: Main lesson block
• Painting: Color studies
• Handwork: Knitting (purl stitch), crocheting

Grade 3 (Age 8-9)

Continuous Subjects

• Language Arts: Cursive writing, grammar (parts of speech), Hebrew stories
• Mathematics: Measurement, money, time, four processes (to 1000)
• Music: Flute, choir, simple notation
• Movement: Eurythmy, group games
• Foreign Languages: Grammar introduction, writing begins

Modular/Block Subjects

• Old Testament Stories: Main lesson block
• Farming: Main lesson block (practical farming experience)
• House Building: Shelter construction project
• Painting: Three-color method deepens
• Handwork: Simple sewing, cross-stitch

Grade 4 (Age 9-10)

Continuous Subjects

• Language Arts: Norse mythology, composition, grammar deepens
• Mathematics: Fractions, factors, long multiplication and division
• Music: Recorder, choir, rounds and canons
• Movement: Eurythmy
• Foreign Languages: Writing and grammar develop

Modular/Block Subjects

• Norse Mythology: Main lesson block
• Local Geography: Map-making, local environment
• Zoology: Human and animal (introduction)
• Painting: Technique refinement
• Handwork: Cross-stitch, embroidery, simple animal forms

Grade 5 (Age 10-11)

Continuous Subjects

• Language Arts: Ancient cultures (India, Persia, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece)
• Mathematics: Decimals, all operations with fractions, freehand geometry
• Music: Orchestra begins, more complex songs
• Movement: Eurythmy, Greek pentathlon games
• Foreign Languages: Grammar, literature, conversation

Modular/Block Subjects

• Ancient Civilizations: Main lesson block (India through Greece)
• Botany: Plant study in relation to earth
• Geography: North American geography
• Handwork: Knitting (patterns, socks), woodwork introduction
• Painting: Light and shadow

Grade 6 (Age 11-12)

Continuous Subjects

• Language Arts: Roman history, medieval history, business letters
• Mathematics: Percentages, business math, geometric drawing with tools
• Music: Orchestra, two-part singing
• Movement: Eurythmy
• Foreign Languages: Literature, grammar refinement, conversation

Modular/Block Subjects

• Roman History: Main lesson block
• Medieval History: Main lesson block
• Geology: Mineralogy and earth science
• Physics: Acoustics, optics, heat, magnetism, electricity (phenomenological)
• Geography: European geography, astronomy (introduction)
• Handwork: Sewing (simple garments), woodwork projects

Grade 7 (Age 12-13)

Continuous Subjects

• Language Arts: Renaissance, Reformation, Age of Exploration, creative writing
• Mathematics: Algebra (introduction), negative numbers, powers
• Music: Orchestra, three-part singing
• Movement: Eurythmy
• Foreign Languages: Literature, composition, idiomatic expressions

Modular/Block Subjects

• Renaissance & Reformation: Main lesson block
• Age of Exploration: Main lesson block
• Chemistry: Combustion, acids and bases (phenomenological)
• Physics: Mechanics, electricity, magnetism
• Physiology: Nutrition and health
• Astronomy: Solar system, planetary movements
• Geography: World geography, Africa, Asia
• Handwork: Machine sewing, hand-stitching garments, woodwork (joinery)

Grade 8 (Age 13-14)

Continuous Subjects

• Language Arts: Revolutions (American, French, Industrial), modern literature
• Mathematics: Algebra, graphing, geometry theorems, trigonometry (intro)
• Music: Orchestra, four-part singing
• Movement: Eurythmy, drama
• Foreign Languages: Literature analysis, essay writing, presentations

Modular/Block Subjects

• Revolutions: Main lesson block (American, French, Industrial)
• Modern History: World War I through present
• Chemistry: Organic chemistry, biochemistry, metabolism
• Physics: Hydraulics, aerodynamics, meteorology
• Anatomy: Human body systems (detailed)
• Geography: Regional geography studies
• Drama: Class play (major production)
• Handwork: Tailoring, complex garments, woodwork (furniture making)

Grade 9 (Age 14-15) - High School

Continuous Subjects

• Literature: World literature, poetry analysis
• Mathematics: Algebra II, geometry
• Sciences: Integrated approach continues
• Music: Orchestra, choir, music history
• Movement: Eurythmy
• Foreign Languages: Advanced grammar, classical literature

Modular/Block Subjects

• History: Ancient civilizations revisited with new depth
• Biology: Cell biology, evolution, genetics
• Chemistry: Inorganic chemistry, chemical equations
• Physics: Mechanics revisited, kinematics
• Geography: Plate tectonics, biomes
• Art History: Ancient through medieval
• Handwork/Practical Arts: Metalwork, bookbinding

Grade 10 (Age 15-16)

Continuous Subjects

• Literature: Greek drama, Shakespeare, European literature
• Mathematics: Trigonometry, advanced algebra
• Music: Orchestra, ensemble work
• Movement: Eurythmy, Bothmer gymnastics
• Foreign Languages: Literature, drama, presentations

Modular/Block Subjects

• History: Medieval history through Renaissance (in-depth)
• Chemistry: Organic chemistry deepens
• Biology: Human biology, embryology
• Physics: Optics, sound, electricity
• Surveying: Practical land measurement project
• Poetry and Meter: Main lesson block
• Drama: Class play
• Practical Arts: Stone carving, sculpture

Grade 11 (Age 16-17)

Continuous Subjects

• Literature: Modern literature, world literature
• Mathematics: Pre-calculus, analytical geometry
• Music: Advanced ensemble
• Movement: Eurythmy
• Foreign Languages: Contemporary literature, media analysis

Modular/Block Subjects

• History: Modern history (17th-20th century)
• Chemistry: Biochemistry, nutrition
• Biology: Botany and zoology revisited
• Physics: Electricity and magnetism, modern physics intro
• Astronomy: Celestial mechanics
• Music History: Classical through Romantic
• Drama: Class play
• Practical Arts: Copper work, advanced crafts

Grade 12 (Age 17-18)

Continuous Subjects

• Literature: Transcendentalism, contemporary authors
• Mathematics: Calculus, statistics
• Music: Senior ensemble
• Movement: Eurythmy (culminating performance)
• Foreign Languages: Advanced conversation, contemporary culture

Modular/Block Subjects

• History: 20th century history, contemporary issues
• Architecture: History and styles
• Biology: Ecology, environmental science
• Chemistry: Nuclear chemistry, industrial chemistry
• Physics: Quantum mechanics introduction, relativity
• Art History: Impressionism through contemporary
• Senior Project: Independent research and presentation
• Drama: Senior class play

Notes on Waldorf Pedagogy

Main Lesson Structure

• Each school day begins with a 2-hour main lesson block
• Main lessons run for 3-4 weeks, allowing deep immersion
• Subjects rotate throughout the year

Rhythm and Repetition

• Daily, weekly, and seasonal rhythms structure learning
• Material is introduced, practiced, and returned to in spiral fashion

Arts Integration

• All subjects incorporate artistic elements
• Art is not separate but integral to learning

Head, Heart, and Hands

• Thinking, feeling, and willing developed harmonically
• Practical skills valued equally with academic learning