The Waldorf Approach to Writing

I just had someone ask me this question and, while putting together some notes for her, I thought to myself, "This is a good topic for a blog post!"

So here we go:

FREE RESOURCES

• MYTH BUSTING: HOW READING IS TAUGHT IN A WALDORF SCHOOL
  blog post, written by Sarah Baldwin of Bella Luna Toys
• Teaching Our Children to Write, Read, and Spell: A Developmental Approach Looking at the Relationship of Children's Foundational Neurological Pathways to their Higher Capacities for Learning
  essential article - do not skip this - by Susan R. Johnson MD, FAAP

• Teaching Language Arts in the Waldorf School
  eBook available to download free as a PDF, edited by Roberto Trostli

• Soul Development through Handwriting: The Waldorf Approach to the Vimala Alphabet
  sample pages from SteinerBooks - this book is by Jennifer Crebbin
• I previously wrote an extensive blog post about the Vimala alphabet,
  including a list of the animals Susan Govorko chooses for every letter
• I also recommend visiting the Capital Letters page on my website, which contains a link to my Pinterest page for this topic. (My curated collection of visuals! Browse sample main lesson book pages, watercolor paintings, chalkboard drawings, etc. for Capital Letters. EXCELLENT source for LOTS of illustrations!) It also contains a full list of suggested words and illustrations for each letter of the alphabet, with links to picture book sources for each if you prefer to use stories which are not Grimm's.




BOOKS TO BUY

Once you know how it's done, it is time to pick your stories.

There are lots of book possibilities; I've tried to list what each one is good for. Feel free to ask a question if you want clarification or, if you're a Lending Library client, contact me to borrow something!

• Teaching Children Handwriting by Audrey McAllen
  This is the best overall book on this subject.
• Looking for a Waldorf-y image for each letter? L M N O P and All the Letters A to Z is by one of the authors of the Live Education! homeschool curriculum series. This simple book contains illustrations and a poem for each letter of the alphabet. These images and poems are also available as a nice set of laminated free standing wall cards.



• The Waldorf Alphabet Book takes a different approach from L M N O P. Instead of just one image per letter, this book has one main image with lots of other pictures forming a border around it. A bit of I Spy.

  

• If you prefer to use the traditional fairy tale for each letter and you want someone to tell you what that is, and the exact page number in Grimm's Pantheon edition, you want Barbara Dewey's Waldorf Reading for Homeschoolers. She now delivers her books as PDFs.
• The Wise Enchanter: A Journey through the Alphabet is by Shelley Davidow and Krystyna Kurzyca. This chapter book is really helpful if you want one narrative which connects all the letters and presents them from A to Z. Makes a great bedtime story! Use the illustrations for each letter for your chalkboard drawing or main lesson book.



• If you're interested in the Vimala alphabet in particular, I suggest pairing Soul Development Through Handwriting: The Waldorf Approach by Jennifer Crebbin with Animals, pen, and ink: The Letters of our Alphabet and how we write and think! by Susan Govorko.

  

• The Write Approach, books 1 & 2 by Joen Gladich and Paula A. Sassi
  Do you want to focus on traditional cursive? Subtitled Form Drawing for Better Handwriting, this book series has a volume of running forms for Form Drawing in grade 2 and then a volume transitioning the child into writing cursive letters. The pages are presented in a workbook format, with plenty of room for the child to practice.

If you want picture books for each letter/image, visit my webpage. If you want traditional Grimm's, go to Barbara Dewey at Waldorf Without Walls. If you want gorgeous images and accompanying poems, use L M N O P. If you want a narrative which connects all of the letters, use The Wise Enchanter. Decide what works best for you!

This post contains affiliate links to the materials I actually use for homeschooling. I hope you find them helpful. Thank you for your support!