Like the Fall Tales List for Waldorf Kindergarten, this is NOT an all-inclusive list, these are just some tales I have enjoyed or I know other mothers have used at these ages…..Happy finding the tales that speak to you and to your family!
January (Okay, still Winter!)
Four Year Olds: Shingebiss (Winter Wynstones)
Five Year Olds: The Snow Maiden (Plays for Puppets)
Six Year Olds: The Twelve Months (www.mainlesson.com);
February
Four Year Olds: “Pussy Willow Spring” from Suzanne Down’s “Spring Tales” or a story about how the snowdrop got its color
Five Year Olds: “The Rabbit and the Carrot” a Chinese Tale found in the Spring Wynstones and also in “An Overview of the Waldorf Kindergarten”
Six Year Olds: “The Three Brothers” by the Brothers Grimm
There are also a few Saint Valentine’s Day stories on mainlesson.com
March
For ages three and a half or so and up for Saint Patrick’s Day: “Lucky Patrick” from “Spring Tales” by Suzanne Down
There is also a great “leprechuan” circle adventure/movement journey in the book, “Movement Journeys and Circle Adventures” based upon “Tippery Tim” the leprechaun in “Spring Tales” by Suzanne Down
Four Year Olds: The Billy Goats Gruff
Five Year Olds: “Little Brown Bulb” from “Spring Tales” from Suzanne Down or “Little Red Cap” from Brothers Grimm
Six Year Olds: “ Bremen Town Musicians” from the Brothers Grimm; or “An Easter Story” from “All Year Round” or “The Donkey” by The Brothers Grimm
April:
Four Year Olds: Goldilocks and The Three Bears
Five Year Olds: “Mama Bird’s Song” from “Spring Tales” by Suzanne Down or”Rumpelstiltskin” by the Brothers Grimm
Six Year Olds: “Frog Prince” from the Brothers Grimm
May
Four Year Olds: “Chicken Licken” or “The Pancake” with Spring details
Five Year Olds: For Ascensiontide, the story “Forgetful Sammy” from “All Year Round” or “Twiggy” from “Plays for Puppets”
Six Year Olds: “The Magic Lake at the End of the World” (from Ecuador, found in “Your’re Not The Boss of Me! Understanding the Six/Seven Year Transformation) or “Queen Bee” from the Brothers Grimm or “Forgetful Sammy” or “Twiggy” as listed for the five-year-old.
June
Four Year Olds: “The Pancake” with spring/summer details
Five Year Olds: “Goldener” (Plays for Puppets)
Six Year Olds: “Snow White and Rose Red” or “A Midsummer Tale” from the book “An Overview of the Waldorf Kindergarten”, also in “Plays for Puppets”
What are your favorite stories? Please add them below!
Many blessings,
Carrie
The Parenting Passageway 
Carrie
Do you know of a source for Suzanne Down’s book. I can’t seem to find it available anywhere but would love to have it!
@ Apple – it used to be that Rudolf Steiner Bookstore carried it, you may have to contact Suzanne directly through her website of Juniper Tree Puppets if RSC bookstore is out..
@Bonnie – i think Chicken Licken is many places, my favorite Pancake story can be found in book format through Bob and Nancy’s bookshop http://www.waldorfbooks.com. I have some very, very, very old fairy tale books that have so many of these stories in them….
you could probably also look up http://www.mainlesson.com and see if any of those stories are there as well, I bet they are!
Also, there is a back post somewhere ??? with read alouds for the under 7 children and so many of those books would be cute stories for telling and making puppets 🙂
Cheers,
Carrie 🙂
This is great! I’m printing this out for future reference. Where can I find “Chicken Licken” or “The Pancake”?
Thanks!
The Magic Pot was a favourite at our Steiner playgroup.
Yes, I think that was under the Fall/Autumn Tales list but that is certainly a nice one for age four or up for anytime 🙂
Carrie
Thank you thank you thank you!
Do you have a list of stories to tell for 2 1/2-3 year olds?
I ordered Suzanne Down’s books from her website.
Thank you!
Hiking Mama, usually at that age very simple little stories that you make up from what you see outside are best…do you have rabbits, chipmunks, etc around? For that age I would suggest you get a storytelling book and practice stories from your soul. SImple things, a little boy went down to the lake and saw a beautiful swan. There was a boat, he got in the boat and the swan followed him around the lake. The boy came back to where he started, and he went home and his mother made him a nice warm supper and tucked him into bed….One resource too is Suzanne Down’s “Around the World With Finger Puppet Animals” because it has instructions for making these simple finger puppets for these types of little stories and verses…Don’t be afraid to still use Mother Goose rhymes and such as well. Your child is very, very little. 🙂
Blessings,
Carrie
FYI– I think Suzanne Down’s books are only available through her website now. You have to email her and it sometimes takes her a few weeks to get back to you because she is often traveling for workshops.
Carrie,
I am curious about your storytelling rhythm with your under 7’s. I haven’t quite figured out my rhythm yet. Do you tend to pick a story and tell if for about a week or two? Do you usually tell a nature story and a fairy tale in the same time period or just pick and chose and alternate? Do you memorize most of your stories or maybe one story a month? When you memorize, do you try to loosely memorize a story and then tell it from your own imagination?
I just love the idea of telling my children a wealth of stories as they grow, but I am trying to find a good balance. Right now I usually have a fairy tale and a nature story picked out for each month. I try to memorize both of them during the month before. I have worked into our weekly rhythm that I tell the fairy tale twice, on Monday and Tuesday morning, and maybe once more during the week if I find a good time. Then I tell the nature story once or twice a week, whenever it seems a good time. I am so curious as to what you do at your house!
I have noticed I am getting better at memorizing– yay! I would imagine that when you get into the grades and you have lots of fables, folktalkes, and other stories, that you couldn’t possibly memorize most of them, but I don’t know.
Yes it’s in my head for this time of year. Being in Australia, Autumn is here :).
Great list, Carrie! Thank you so much for sharing it!
Thanks so much for the list! I’ll have to go check out the books 🙂
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