Kindy & Bridge
updated September 20, 2023
I would define Preschool as roughly age 2-5, whereas Kindergarten I see as more age 5-6.
Bridge is for 6 year olds preparing to enter First Grade.
Signs of First Grade Readiness (PDF)
As there are so many years in Early Childhood, and there is
so much important information to share about this time period (not
to mention that this is my fourth child),
the webpages are getting very full.
I decided to move Kindy over to the Bridge page,
and will begin to make notes about what I did with my son when he was
older but still in Early Childhood. There's lots of useful information
for this time period on the age 3-4 page
and on the Online
Curriculum Project: Early Childhood page
so check them out.
Kindergarten
Notes from beginning Kindergarten with Zac when he turned 5, in May 2020
Bridge curriculum (PDF):
A homeschool program for 6 year olds preparing to enter First Grade.
Link is to the document which I wrote in 2005.
This short curriculum fills the gap between kindergarten and first grade and introduces your child to new challenges, while
still delaying academic content. Lists of many specific signs of first grade readiness are also included to help you assess your child.
First Grade Readiness - Resources, Insights and Tools for Waldorf Educators
ed. by Nancy Blanning
available as a free download from the Online Waldorf Library website!
Here is a fantastic MUST-READ article about all of the brain strengthening that needs to happen for a child to learn to read
successfully and in a healthy way:
Two Ways to Do Finger Knitting old blog post
(includes one more sign of
first grade readiness)
It is said that there is nothing that ISN'T Waldorf, it's just a question of WHEN. The Reggio Emilia philosophy is too academic for Waldorf early childhood, but this is a great time to explore it!
 
Beautiful Stuff!: Learning with Found Materials
by Cathy Weisman Topal and Lella Gandini
~ ~ see the rest of my Reggio booklist here ~ ~
Another educational philosophy which works really well for a Bridge year is Charlotte Mason. I highly recommend
using Exploring Nature with Children ($18)
either standing alone as a Bridge year curriculum or as your 1st/2nd grade Nature Study. It goes along with Anna Botsford Comstock's
Handbook of Nature Study. It can be
used for multiple years and with multiple ages.
Handbook of Nature Study
by Anna Botsford Comstock
Bridge
Notes from beginning Bridge with Zac nine months later, in February 2021
I decided (Feb 2021) to start using Exploring Nature with Children for Bridge
and my notes as we went through this curriculum are all organized here in great detail.
Nature Study - February Notes
Candlemas
Earthworms
Evergreens
A Field Trip
Nature Study - March Notes
Nature Study - April Notes
Spring Tree Study
Plant Life Cycle
Wildflowers
Grasses
Nature Study - Current Month - May Notes
For this age and stage I would also suggest the following resources, if you don't already own them:
 
Movement for the Young Child:
A Handbook for Eurythmists and Kindergarten Teachers
by Estelle Bryer
now available as a FREE eBook at the Online Waldorf Library -- download it here
 
Games Children Play:
How Games and Sport Help Children Develop
by Kim John Payne
 
The Waldorf Book of Animal Poetry
edited by David Kennedy
 
Festivals Together:
A Guide to Multi-Cultural Celebration
by Sue Fitzjohn, Minda Weston, and Judy Large
Nature Activities for Children Series by Irmgard Kutsch and Brigitte Walden
 
 
 
 
Bedtime Chapter Books
At age 3 I started doing the Tiptoes Lightly series by Reg Down as Zac's first bedtime chapter book read aloud stories. At
age 4 we switched to the Old Mother West Wind series by Thornton Burgess.
When Zac was 5 1/2 we read Winnie-the-Pooh
and The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne.
October 13 - December 6
2020
Winne-the-Pooh is available online for free at Project Gutenberg
There are soooo many wonderful chapter books for children, and everyone has their favorites! Just for fun, and because I want to remember them
when he grows up,
I will keep track of our read aloud list here as Zac continues through Kindergarten and beyond. In December 2020 we read Christmas books, then...
Kindergarten - age 5
Bridge - age 5
Summer Before First Grade - age 6
During the Summer of 2021, we are reading the Tales of Limindoor Woods series:
 
 
 
 
 
First Grade - age 6
Second Grade - age 7
Third Grade - age 8
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