Part of the richness of homeschooling with Waldorf is the philosophy of teaching the whole person - head, heart, and hands. One of the subjects which is taught every year from kindergarten all the way through high school is handwork. Handwork is a key subject, and not just an extra, because it is so

I have 4 children in the 1st grade who are about to start their 6th project...fast knitters!!!!! we will be making a rainbow ball 14 stitches 3 ribs/6 rows per color. put yarn needle through the top and pull. this will gather it. sew it up, stuff it and put a bell in the middle...DONE!

Here is a fun way to help children how to do hand embroidery. Have them make their own pencil case with their name on it. The tutorial comes to us from Jacks & Kate and is fun project for any…

As many of you know, the afternoons in my kindergarten classroom are a very special time for us. During what we call “Exploratory Centers” my students get the opportunity to play, explore, build, crea

There are a lot of different reasons why people think children should learn hot to do handwork, like knitting or crocheting. Some believe that handwork teaches children to be more creative, others believe it has a positive effect on the development...

Mother’s Day is just around the corner and I have been working on these felted flowers with some of the children I work with. This is a simple activity that even the littlest of children can …

I found a very interesting blog with a wonderful teacher who is very artistic.....my favorite type of teacher! Check him out! You should also check out his wife's blog...she is a handwork teacher. http://thewaldorfway.blogspot.com/2010/02/divine-proportion.html

This tutorial is a perfect first loom building and weaving experience for young children, typically around age 6, who are ready to be introduced to handwork or for an older child/adult who is new to weaving.

In my last post I discussed handwork in kindergarten . Like with most subjects, there’s a big shift as you enter the grades. The seven-year-old still mostly learns through imitation, but it’s time for teaching skills and regular practice. One of the major milestones in first gr

Teach kids to sew using burlap and yarn for an easy first lesson in the mechanics of sewing. Learning to sew is a fun way to practice fine motor skills.

Here's a clever way to help children to think about nothing being impossible to God. It's quite a good illustration for an assembly and, if you practise, you will be able to cut while talking! It's especially good for times of transition when children are worried about going into a new situation. Ask some children to come out to the front give each of them a sheet of A5 sized paper and some scissors. Ask them to cut a hole in the paper that they will be able to fit their whole body through. Some of the children will immediately decide that this is not possible, while some may have an attempt! Sometimes we are faced with problems that really worry us and that we don't know how to solve! Now take a piece of the A5 paper and follow these instructions... 1. Fold the paper in half lengthways 2 Cut alternating 'up' and 'down' slits in the paper as shown 3.Cut through the fold of the paper, leaving the fold of the end slit pieces in tact 4. Open the paper out into a big circle that you can pass your whole body through! You may need to try this a few times before you actually do it for real so that you know roughly how many slits you need to make for your body to get through. Talk about the fact that sometimes we are faced with problems that we don't know how to solve- things that seem impossible to us. Ask children if they've ever felt like that in their lives. Talk about times when you've faced a problem like this yourself and how trusting in God has helped you. What amazing ways has God shown you that he cares and is helping you? Tell the children that the Bible says that all things are possible to God (Matthew 19:26, Mark 10:27) and that, knowing this, can give us hope that if we trust in Him he will do amazing things.

Teach kids how to sew running stitch by hand using burlap and yarn for an easy beginning sewing lesson for children. Learning how to sew a line using a basic running stitch develops the fine motor muscles of the hand to prepare the hand for writing and more detailed handwork projects.

Use the The Call of Ezekiel Coloring Page as a fun activity for your next children's sermon.

Size knitted Monkey of about 23 cm (9 inches). Materials - cotton/acrilyc yarn, plastic granules, hollofayber, beads.

Nothing connects hands, heart, and head quite like the Waldorf practice of handwork. Its importance is woven into the very fabric of the Waldorf curriculum and is a practice that nurtures not just skills, but the development of well-rounded individuals. The fact that through making beautiful and enduring objects, children are at the same time learning math skills, spatial understanding, developing their dexterity, all while problem solving, makes handwork one of the most important parts of Waldorf education and one that children will use for their entire lives. Benefits of Waldorf Handwork Through knitting a scarf or crafting a wooden toy, students learn to channel their creativity into tangible forms. This hands-on approach allows them to explore colors, textures, and shapes, developing a keen aesthetic sense while gaining confidence in their ability to bring their visions to life. In a world filled with distractions, Waldorf handwork instills the values of focus and patience. The rhythmic movements involved in crafting require a child's full attention, teaching them the art of concentration. Whether it's threading a needle or carving a piece of wood, the process itself fosters a sense of calm and mindfulness. Children also learn to correct their mistakes, value hard work and develop patience. As children complete increasingly difficult tasks following small steps, they begin to feel the joy of accomplishment which creates the self-confidence needed to tackle much bigger and more complicated tasks as they progress through life. As if those overarching benefits weren’t enough, there are still more! Handwork allows a connection to the environment and helps children develop a sense of gratitude for the earth as they craft with natural materials like wool, plant dyes, wood, and cotton. Children also develop appreciation and an understanding of how to care for and use tools safely, from knitting needles to tapestry frames to early woodworking tools. And finally the big ones in the Waldorf philosophy, handwork helps children develop a sense of reverence and wonder and builds their “sense of life,” an inherent component of becoming a whole-hearted and integrated human being. Simple Ways to Introduce Handwork to Young Children With all of those big benefits, handwork is surprisingly simple to introduce at home. For young children, handwork encompasses a wide range of simple everyday activities that get children working with their hands, both through doing practical activities and more artistic ones. Examples include: kneading bread, playing in sand or mud, modeling with beeswax, drawing, wet on wet watercolor painting, and introducing seasonal crafts. Adding fiber work into handwork play, also called “soft handwork” is another way to engage little hands while promoting sensory learning. Simple ways to introduce soft handwork to young children are helping them learn how to roll balls of wool, making pompoms, learning how to finger knit, and rolling beeswax candles. As they grow and develop more dexterity you can introduce simple sewing projects, nature weaving and simple potholder loom weaving, and wet felting. Keeping a variety of handwork materials available will allow children to incorporate them into their play and continue to develop their skills. As they begin to master these early handwork skills, they are then introduced to more advanced and complicated crafts like knitting, woodworking, crochet, and candle making. Why Knitting is More Important than Handwork Every child learns to knit in a Waldorf school and they are taught to knit even before they learn the alphabet. Knitting perfects fine motor skills, has been said to improve memory, works both sides of the brain, and prepares children to be better readers when they are ready for that important step. The rhythmic repetition of knitting and crocheting enhances a child’s concentration and develops hand-eye coordination. Knitting can also help enhance math skills through counting rows and stitches, measuring out patterns, and through making three-dimensional items. As children pick out their yarn and plan their knitting projects, they develop a relationship to each color and they learn to “play” with each color and learn about contrast, tone, and shades. And when they have finished their first hat, scarf, or mittens, nothing is more joyful than the feeling of accomplishment and knowing they can work through hard things to get to the end. This simple act gives children the confidence to achieve even more challenging projects as they grow up. At Bella Luna Toys, we celebrate the deep impact that handwork makes on children. Our curated selection of handcrafting materials and kits reflects our commitment to providing tools that inspire creativity and support the holistic development of every child. From all of us at the Bella Luna Toys Team, we hope you have many days filled with crafts, love, and fresh cups of tea! Tag us in your handwork adventures @bellalunatoys for a chance to be featured!

Crossword puzzles aren't only fun – they can make kids put on their thinking caps and have to figure things out. Here are some printable crossword puzzles to challenge your little ones. When they're done, get out the crayons and color them! To print the coloring pages from your computer, simply...

Unleash creativity with Kids Academy's Great Hornbill coloring by numbers. Perfect for kids to learn colors & numbers while having fun with this majestic bird!

Selon le monde du 30 mars 2016 : « Une vingtaine d’espèces de libellules, sur 89, sont aujourd’hui menacées ou quasi menacées de disparition en France métropolitaine. Deux ont même déjà …

For whatever reason, we have this notion that read aloud time should look like a Norman Rockwell painting, with all the little cherub-faced children gathered around the fire sipping cups of cocoa while "Ma" reads from some leather-bound classic. But, that's just a spotted unicorn fantasy, folks. You hear about that kind of read aloud time in legend, but it never actually exists. Simple handwork projects dial back the chaos so that the story can be heard and enjoyed by all.

Use the Greedy Farmer Coloring Page as a fun activity for your next children's sermon.

This is one of my “free” sweaters. I used scraps of machine washable DK weight wool from my stash and a lovely, free pattern! I made 4 rows stripes. Give a two year old a cookie and you will hav...

Amigurumi free patterns and step-by-step crochet tutorials... One of the free amigurumi crochet patterns we will share today is the amigurumi Pikachu. You can learn how to crochet these Pikachu using the free amigurumi pattern.

Practical tips and tricks to Teaching Kids to Sew. It isn't as hard as it sounds and kids will love to learn to sew with these great teaching kids to sew

The Lucy Top Pattern is here! I have been hard at work on my next patterns. As always I worked with some great pattern testers and the Lucy Top is finally here! If you follow along on Facebook which by the way is how we find our fabulous testers. Spots fill up pretty quick, but […]

Does your child want to learn to crochet? Here are 12 things I've learned as I've taught my own children how to crochet.