The American Academy of Pediatrics has recently released a new set of recommendations involving iron supplementation for infants. My colleague Melissa Vickers has raised a number of points to look at this issue in a prudent manner here: http://www.babygooroo.com/index.php/2010/10/21/aap-releases-new-guidelines-for-preventing-iron-deficiency-anemia/
Many blessings to you all,
Carrie
I have been at the La Leche League of Georgia conference listening to the very talented Diane Wiessinger speak (see her informative website here: www.normalfed.com). She was speaking about the fact that breastfeeding is something that we have turned into a sometimes complicated act that undermines a mother’s feeling that she can own this experience without a professional telling her what to do. One example she gave was about the times mothers call her and want her to help them learn to nurse lying down, when really mothers could lay down on their bed with some pillows and experiment! Some things in life are really just up to you to figure out!
Sometimes it is easy to forget that you really are the expert on your own family and children. Many of you know I come from a background of working in Neonatal Intensive Care Units. I have worked with some very fragile premature infants and their families, and the families often felt as if the medical team knew their infant and what their infant needed better than they did. They often felt the medical team could read their infant’s stress signs better than they did, and the team, not them, knew what their infant needed. How discouraging and challenging! I always tried to encourage the families I was working with, that whilst they didn’t have a medical background, that their infants certainly knew THEM and their smell and the taste of thier mothers’ milk and how no one in the world could mother this baby the way that family could.
Here is a different sort of scenario, but with similarities: how about the family with their first child, and then when that child hits about three or four years and is so “challenging” and different from before? The child’s own will is emerging, and it can be so difficult to support that child where they are. Every book may hold an answer, every expert may know better than the parent. But at the end of the day, the family knows that child best. It may take trial and error, it may take experimentation, but instead of viewing this as a failure and that an ‘expert’ could have figured ‘it’ out faster, perhaps a more productive attitude toward this would be to note that the journey is in the striving, and this striving must come from within.
It is popular to say these days that, “Well, this works for that family and this works for that family” and almost everything is deemed okay if it works for that family. I am here to say that there are essential truths to work with in childhood, (you can see this blog post for some of the things I consider essential in parenting: https://theparentingpassageway.com/2009/07/23/carries-laws-of-childhood/ ) but thankfully one of the essential truths is that you learn to trust your own intuition, if you can remain calm long enough to discover what your intuition is telling you. Build up your confidence and surround yourself with people who will encourage you!
You are the best mother for your child, your child loves you and you are doing your best. Even if you are making different choices now than what you made in the past, you made the best decisions you could at the time with the information you had.
Mothering is also a process of growing and developing and maturing. Your own inner work to be a calm parent, your own ordering of your home, your own rhythm to the day, and most of all, your own love for your child is there.
Many blessings to you today!
Carrie
I am getting ready to give a talk next Saturday regarding a peaceful family life as supported by rhythm, and today I wanted to highlight this portion for all of my readers near and far to meditate upon:
What Are The Benefits of Rhythm In The Home?
· Gives children a sense of security
· Rhythm can calm a high-needs, anxious, nervous or difficult child
· Children can see the tasks of daily life as process from beginning to end
· Once children have external rhythms, they then develop internal rhythms for eating, sleeping
· Helps the child focus their energy on play and growth and balance as opposed to wondering when the next snack time will be or when bedtime is
· Rhythm helps maintain a person or child’s strength for daily tasks
· Connects a child to nature
· Provides a structure for a child that is neither boring nor over-stimulating; provides a balance
· A True Help in Loving Guidance – because children are so centered in their physical bodies and in imitation, rhythm becomes a real help in avoiding arguments
· Helps children become helpers in the home and in life by building in times for setting up and cleaning up activities within the rhythm; this helps calm nervous and difficult children
· Rhythm helps the adults of the family build up their own self-discipline so we can model this to our children
· A rhythm helps a child feel certain that their needs will be met
· A rhythm is a vital piece in establishing for young children that there is a time for all things
· Rhythm helps parents not only with self-discipline but with enabling the energy of the house to flow smoothly and to support the needs of everyone in the entire family, not just one child or the children
· A disorganized life is not truly free!
I encourage you all to think and meditate on this; start small! The day starts with the night before, so perhaps thinking about bedtime would be a good place to begin.
Many blessings,
Carrie
I was searching more and found this on the website of the Center For Disease Control, based here in Atlanta: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5434a2.htm You can click here to read the full report, and I think EVERY parent should read this whether their own children have ADD/ADHD or not. This is part of what this report says:
Prevalence and national population estimates of parent-reported ADHD diagnosis were calculated and compared by selected sociodemographic characteristics (Table). In 2003, approximately 7.8% (4,418,000; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 4,234,000–4,602,000) of U.S. children aged 4–17 years had ever had ADHD diagnosed. ADHD diagnosis was reported approximately 2.5 times more frequently among males than females (Figure 1). Prevalence of reported ADHD increased with age and was significantly lower among children aged 4–8 years compared with children aged >9 years (Table). The greatest prevalence was noted among males aged 16 years (14.9%) and females aged 11 years (6.1%). The prevalence of reported ADHD diagnosis was significantly higher among non-Hispanic, primarily English-speaking, and insured children. Moreover, prevalence rates were significantly higher for children in families in which the most highly educated adult was a high school graduate (or had completed 12 years of education), compared with children in families in which the most highly educated adult had a higher or lower level of education. ADHD diagnosis among males was reported significantly more often in families with incomes below the poverty threshold (<100%) than in families with incomes at or above the poverty threshold. Rates of reported diagnosis among females were not significantly different across the three levels of poverty. Prevalence varied substantially by state, from a low of 5.0% in Colorado to a high of 11.1% in Alabama (Figure 2).
So let’s look at what we can gleam from above, maybe I am reading too much in between the lines, but you all can leave me a comment and tell me what you think! So, from above it appears:
Obviously, ADD/ADHD has been around for a long time. I think the etiology of something like this would obviously be multi- factorial. No, I don’t think ADD/ADHD is anyone’s “fault” per say, although I do think a society that starts children so early in academics and expects children to sit still and write, a society that is taking away recess and children learning experientially, a society where children’s free play is disappearing, is headed for trouble.
So do I think parents, teachers, concerned neighbors and friends could do things to help?
Why yes, yes I do.
1. I think all concerned adults, whether we have children or not, should take a hard look at an educational system that pushes academics before age six and a half or seven. In many countries around the world, including China and Japan and Finland and other countries whose children do much better in later testing than our children, school may “start” at any early age but no academics are touched. Why do we have the model we have today? When in the 1940’s first grade was a half day and six-year-olds napped, how did we get to where we are?
Here are some lecture notes from a lecture regarding boys that Kim John Payne gave: http://www.thechildtoday.com/files/Boy_O_Boy_Calgary
A NY Times article on taking play seriously: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/17/magazine/17play.html?_r=2&pagewanted=2&oref=slogin
Ideas for different difficulties with the twelve senses/movement: http://www.movementforchildhood.com/keys.pdf
We should be lobbying our lawmakers and policymakers to take a good look at this, and we should be supporting organizations that are looking at this such as Alliance for Childhood (http://www.allianceforchildhood.org/)
2. I think we should be pushing our children to spend time in nature. You can read Richard Louv’s book, “Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature Deficit Disorder.” Here is his website: http://richardlouv.com/
3. We should be helping parents make critical choices surrounding the usage of media and computers for small children. Here is the “Media and Children” section from the Alliance for Childhood website: http://www.allianceforchildhood.org/media
4. We should be helping children eat a health diet with foods as close to a natural state as possible.
5. We should be helping parents to not over-schedule and rush children with extra classes and lessons. For those of you who have read “Simplicity Parenting”, you can join The Circle or find a group here: http://www.simplicityparenting.com/forsimplicityparents.html
From a Waldorf perspective:
Just some ideas; please,please, take what resonates with you. YOU are the expert on your own family! I am sorry this has turned into a small novel!
Please leave me your comments below and help other mothers out!
Many blessings,
Carrie
So, continuing on with our look at studies published and available through PubMed regarding ADD/ADHD and outcomes, we are looking at a few studies today regarding more “natural” treatment methods (from the medical/research perspective).
Here is the first one, for the younger crowd: “Treatment of Preschoolers with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder” out of Duke University Medical Center. The thing I found most intriguing about the results of this article, which was a review of the current treatment literature for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in preschoolers, is that “ Parent training studies show consistent behavioral improvements reported by teachers and observers as well as parents, with evidence of clinically significant improvement in ADHD symptoms for up to 2 years.” The other interesting quote I found was the author’s statement that: “There is evidence to support the benefit of immediate-release stimulant medication for up to 1 year; however, effects do not seem to be as large, and some of the side effects may be greater than for school-age children. With regard to nonstimulants such as atomoxetine, there are literally no controlled outcome data for children with ADHD who are younger than 5 years of age. Overall, a great deal remains to be learned about the safety and efficacy of pharmacotherapy in this age group.”
Has anyone out there had experience with parent training for dealing with children with ADD/ADHD? What did that look like, and how did it work for you and your family? Please do leave a comment below and get the word out to other families if this was helpful to you.
Moving on to study number two, out of the University of British Columbia : “Nutritional status of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a pilot study”. This study with a small sample number essentially showed that children with ADHD showed a predisposition for low zinc and copper status in ADHD. I also found another preliminary study that talked about the need for a randomized clinical trial of “micronutrients” as a way to improve mood and impulsivity in ADHD, but I cannot find which study that was to quote it verbatim for you all.
Study number three: “Children with Attention Deficits Concentrate Better After Walk in the Park.” This study is from the University of Illinois in Urbana and looked at 17 children diagnosed with ADHD. The children, ages 7-12, walked in a park, downtown, and in a neighborhood. The study found that “twenty minutes in a park setting was sufficient to elevate attention performance relative to the same amount of time in other settings. These findings indicate that environments can enhance attention not only in the general population but also in ADHD populations. “Doses of nature” might serve as a safe, inexpensive, widely accessible new tool in the tool kit for managing ADHD symptoms.”
These studies may at least provide a starting point for parents to dialogue with their health care providers and discuss treatment options that can assist their children from a holistic perspective.
On another holistic note, I recently saw this book for sale by Aviva Jill Romm and Tracy Romm entitled: “ADHD Alternatives: A Natural Approach To Treating Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder”. Here is a link to it on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/ADHD-Alternatives-Approach-Attention-Hyperactivity/dp/1580172482/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1284851852&sr=8-1. I was wondering if anyone out there had read this book, and if so, what did you think? Please leave a comment below!
Many blessings,
Carrie
Today my sweet little five- and- a –half -year old looked up at me through a tear-stained face and wailed, “Why does it always have to be me? Why can’t it ever be big sister?”
Poor little thing; she has so far fractured a finger, nearly garnered a concussion yesterday falling off a swing, cut open two other fingers in a bicycle accident, and knocked the bonding off her front tooth this afternoon. Needless to say, it has been a rough week for her!
How many times have we said this sort of sentiment in our lives, in our own parenting, in our own homeschooling? That wrestling with God when we ask burdens to be lifted, burdens that we know we don’t feel confident enough to rise up to face. “Why me? I don’t want this path. I don’t want this journey. Please just take it away from me, and give it to someone else.”
You all know this scenario of parenting:
We are gliding, and then we trip.
We are rising and succeeding and then we fail. Perhaps we fail miserably.
We so often forget that the gift of parenting and of homeschooling is in the striving. There is no perfection, just the journey. I saw a bumper sticker the other day that said, “Change is inevitable, growth is optional.”
Isn’t that so true?
How are you going to grow today as a parent, as a wife or partner, as a neighbor, as a friend?
How are you going to set the tone in your home to include peacefulness, reverence, awe? How are you going to handle your children and meet them not only where they are but uplift them to the next level? How are you going to love your spouse, your children and most of all, yourself?
What is your plan for parenting? Do you have a Family Mission Statement? It is that time of year to review, renew, strengthen our inner reserves as we head into this time of Michaelmas. It is one of my favorite times of the year.
That question of “Why Me” really can become one of your favorite questions if you can focus on the striving and the progress. “Why Me?” can become “Of course it is you, my Beloved. Who else would it be? Who else has these lessons to learn and this journey to make?”
Love your children and live big today,
Carrie
Many of you know one of my favorite things to do in my free time (uh, hah!) is to go to PubMed and look up medical studies on whatever catches my fancy of the moment. Lately, I have been trying to understand even more about ADD/ADHD. Even though I have treated many children with this challenge from a physical therapy perspective, even though I have had adult friends diagnosed with this condition, I really wanted to understand what was going on in the medical research world about it all.
Here are some studies that caught my eye, and I wanted to share them with you all.
Here is the first one, entitled “The Delinquency Outcomes of Boys with ADHD with and Without Comorbidity”.
This study was done out of the Center for Children and Families at Florida International University. It essentially examined the “the association between childhood ADHD and juvenile delinquency by examining data from the Pittsburgh ADHD Longitudinal Study (PALS), a follow-up study of individuals diagnosed with ADHD in childhood (ages 5-12) and re-contacted in adolescence and young adulthood for yearly follow-up .” There were 288 participants with childhood ADHD and 209 control subjects. The study’s findings suggested that “ boys with ADHD-only and ADHD + ODD also appear at a higher risk for later offending.”
The second study I found was entitled “Bipolar disorder co-morbidity in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.” and came out of the neuropsychiatry department of La Scarpetta Hospital in Rome, Italy. The study of 173 participants plus 100 healthy control subjects found that children with ADHD present a higher risk for developing a “superimposed bipolar disorder.”
The third study I found was this one: “Self-Regulation of Emotion, Functional Impairment, and Comorbidity Among Children With ADHD” out of the University of North Caroline Greensboro. According to the authors of this study, this study “investigated the role of self-regulation of emotion in relation to functional impairment and comorbidity among children with and without ADD/HD.” This study found that nearly half of the children “affected by AD/HD displayed significantly elevated levels of emotional lability versus 15% of those without this disorder.” The authors stated that these findings “lent support to the notion that deficits in the self-regulation of emotion are evident in a substantial number of children with AD/HD and that these deficits play an important role in determining functional impairment and comorbidity outcomes.”
So, whilst these studies are dire-sounding, I think the medical community is researching some important links between ADD/ADHD and the challenges these children face in social interaction and in dealing with emotions and mental health. These could be things that parents of children with ADD/ADHD would want to be aware of in order to discuss them further with their health care team.
But, I certainly couldn’t just this topic with these studies without remarking on any possible hope……In my next post, I want to share some of the studies I found regarding more natural treatments of ADD/ADHD.
Do any of you out there have children that have been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD? Would you like to share any comments in the comment boxes below?
Hold those children close and love them,
Carrie
I told a dear friend the other day that I don’t want to be perfect; I want to be ME! There really is no perfection in parenting, in life, in homemaking; there is only the journey. I am so tired of seeing wonderful mothers beat themselves up day in and day out over not being perfect. Not only do we not have to be perfect, but why do we WANT to be perfect and pass this striving for “perfection only” onto our children, especially onto our daughters?
Yes, there are certain truths in parenting and in life to work with. I believe that. Some of you have asked if I am perfect! Hah! No! The people who know me in real life can only attest to my utter lack of perfection! And, if you look at the “About” section you will see I started this blog because there were so many things I needed to learn regarding parenting that I didn’t want anyone else to also feel like they had to re-create the parenting wheel. So I share what I have learned, what I think, what I value here and you can decide if it resonates with you or not. Decide if it fits with your family or not. Be mindful and make your choices wisely, but please do not punish yourself for the learning process that the journey holds.
This blog entails the journeys of so many different families. I have said this before, that honestly this blog is about less than my own personal parenting journey; it is about the journeys of the thousands of families I have worked with , observed, counseled, assisted and loved. I love children. All of them. I have worked with so many as a neonatal physical therapist, as a pediatric physical therapist, as a lactation consultant, as a homeschooling consultant, as a worker in church programs, as a friend, a neighbor. I have worked in the inner city, I have worked in the suburbs. Those difficult children no one else likes? Those are the ones I like. The ones no one wants to deal with because of their special needs, their challenges, their attitudes? I love those children the best. I can tell you what I have seen work for so many different families with so many different types of children from birth through age twenty-one. And yes, those teenagers were also some of my favorites! I see the precious gift that all of them are.
So why, as parents, as mothers, as the people who set the tone in our homes, do we waste precious time with these beautiful children feeling guilty, feeling inadequate and stewing about things gone? I have literally seen wonderful mothers who have taken the one “wrong” thing they think they did and let it color their past parenting history, ruin the present moment and tarnish the future that has not even arrived. One bad moment does not a terrible mother make!
I am not suggesting you throw peaceful parenting out the window – not at all! I am suggesting you have ideals, I am suggesting you continually strive and work to be the best parent you can be! But most of all, I am suggesting that you accept yourself as human. I am suggesting that you have more fun in your family and worry a whole lot less.
Sometimes I feel as if I am running; so much to do and not enough time here on earth to do it all…… If I could do one thing in my life outside of my own journey with my husband and children, it would be to change on a major scale across this country HOW families view their children. I want to help mothers especially. I want to help mothers create a mindful family life, to convince them to have realistic expectations for their children and to help them understand what those might be, to help them in their striving to be gentle parents, to help them understand the preciousness of this time and how to really connect with their children. I want them to understand how to set the tone in their own homes, how to hold the space for these tiny beings who are learning, and how to do it with joy!
Hold an image of yourself in your mind’s eye as being the mother you want to be; imperfections, flaws and all! Those things, all of it, is what makes us who we are! Hold your children close! Tell them you are glad the storm of anger passed and let’s all get our hands busy and nurture each other and our homes! Let’s show compassion for one another when we are just human! Let’s laugh and have joy and have fun together! No wallowing in the weaknesses, just do better next time! Life is so short, it is so fleeting, just love one another!
Many blessings on you all tonight,
Carrie
I often get asked, “How do you find time to read as a homemaker?” Apparently I am not the only one who gets this question! I thought the author of this Christian homemaking blog gave some great tips in response to this question here: http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2010/08/finding-time-to-read-as-a-homemaker.html
I think reading about homemaking and parenting and homeschooling is really important. If you have very young children, I want to encourage you to become your own “Masters of Small Chunks of Time” as I call it. 🙂
Here is a list of books related to gentle discipline by age: https://theparentingpassageway.com/2009/11/27/favorite-books-for-gentle-discipline/
Some mothers have written and asked me what my favorite Christian books are. Here is a list of a few books that I have read recently and liked:
What are your favorite reads? Please leave them below!
Many blessings,
Carrie
MY CAVEAT TO THIS POST: I write these posts from the perspective that the one-year-old, the two-year-old, etc is your OLDEST child in your homeschool, without older siblings to carry things… that may help explain my perspective on wet-on-wet painting and other such animals. You can see the comments below as well…
We talked a bit about planning for fall in a recent post, and I wanted to make sure my mothers with under-7 children didn’t feel left out. We are up to the five-year-old now! I still hold some maverick views compared to much of the Waldorf community, so please take what resonates with you and leave the rest from this post. If you are searching for the other posts in this series, here is the one- and two-year old in the home: https://theparentingpassageway.com/2010/01/06/waldorf-in-the-home-with-the-one-and-two-year-old/ and here is the three- and four-year-old in the home: http://www.theparentingpassageway.com/2010/01/13/waldorf-in-the-home-with-the-three-and-four-year-old/ . If you review those back posts, you can see life is focused on rhythm, bodily care, singing, work around the house, being outside – no curriculums needed, although you may like some sources for verses, Mother Goose rhymes and songs. I did do a review of one Kindergarten source here: https://theparentingpassageway.com/2010/02/13/a-review-kindergarten-with-your-three-to-six-year-old-by-donna-simmons/
So here comes five!
Five can be such an odd age. It is the age that is considered a “golden” age by traditional perspectives, but many mothers of five-year-olds tell me they are pulling their hair out over their child’s behavior. I think this is mainly because some five-year-olds are still in the four-year-old “out of bounds” stage, and some five-year-olds are beginning that six and seven-year transformation. Here are some back posts about the five-year-old in general if you need some developmental help: https://theparentingpassageway.com/2009/02/10/the-fabulous-five-year-old/
Here is what I think a five-year-old should be working on with Waldorf In The Home:
RHYTHM! Here is a lovely article detailing a rhythm in a Waldorf Kindergarten by Ruth Ker: http://www.waldorflibrary.org/Journal_Articles/blessingker.pdf
Meal times. Think unhurried, unrushed, singing, having your child help with preparation and clean-up. Use your meal time now to work on things to develop their movement – kneading bread, using a rolling pin, sweeping the kitchen floor, scrubbing a countertop, etc.
Rest Times. I honestly don’t know many five year olds who still nap, and that is a shame. If your child is not a “napper” at this age, you can still have a quiet time each day. Your child may not be able to do this well on his or her own (although some will happily play with a play scenario you have set up), but this may be a time to read a story, a time to tell a story, a time to sing soft songs whilst massaging their hands or feet, and just dim the lights and be together and rock in the rocking chair for a bit. You may also catch some down time for yourself at this time or during outside time if your child gets engaged.
Bath times. Singing, finger plays and toe plays, gentle rub downs with the towel (those textures again).
Outside time. Being outside is of extreme importance and to provide opportunities for physical movement outside. If your child is a reluctant woodsperson, try the following posts:
https://theparentingpassageway.com/2009/09/25/nature-day-number-8-of-20-days-toward-being-a-more-mindful-mother/ and this one: https://theparentingpassageway.com/2008/11/24/connecting-your-children-to-nature/
I think really three hours a day outside is not too much, and you could do more. It is important. Some homeschooling mothers arrange to hold almost their entire school day
Participation in household life. Your very gesture is so important, it should not be you rushing around trying to get the whole house clean in one day! It really is about taking each article of laundry and smoothing it out, folding it tenderly, putting it in the pile to be put away with love for your family. What is important is not only that the child sees the work being done, but imitates that gesture of love and care. That extends into caring for plants and animals, this is the very first “environmental education” that a child gets with you, right at home.
To this we add the thought that physical work is very important, not only outside, but inside as well. Can your wee one help you wash lettuce? Peel carrots? Peel an apple? Grind wheat? Knead bread? These experiences are the first form of handwork for the young child.
Music – as mentioned many times, music and rhymes and verses should take precedence at this point over any written word.
Inner Work/Personal Parenting Development: The most spiritually mature people should be the ones coming into contact with the youngest children. This is a very important time for your own work and development. If you are anxious, practice being calm. If you are impatient, practice being patient. If you talk in a stream of conscious way, practice being silent. This is a time to develop your spiritual and religious beliefs. It is a time to become more aware of the things unseen.
We continue to work on building up the first four of the twelve senses:
The Sense of Touch: Holding, cuddling, taking baths together, swimming, piggy back rides, games that involve holding hands and singing, wrestling and roughhousing, tickling games if your child likes that, rolling around on the floor together, being outside in nature, natural materials to touch and play with and wear
The Sense of Life: RHYTHM, humor and joy!
The Sense of Movement: crawling, any sustained movement over time such as learning to ride a bike or swim,
The Sense of Balance: RHYTHM again, swinging, rolling, and now working toward more complex gross motor skills – riding a bike, trying the monkey bars and climbing structures, skipping
If you need to know realistic expectations for a five-year-old, please see here:
PLAY. In the imitative phase of the first seven year cycle, your child may very well need some help from you in play without a group around to carry it. You can see the back posts on fostering creative play and the progression of play by age and suggested toys.
People ask about play dates for this age. I think play dates need to be structured with the adults doing something that requires taking turns and modeling the behavior you would like to see, and then moving into free play with the adults really in tune as to what is going on with the children (not off chatting in a corner ignoring the children). I think play dates should be kept short. If you would like to see more about social experiences, here is a post about the four-year-old I like: https://theparentingpassageway.com/2009/09/09/more-about-social-experiences-for-the-four-year-old/ I think much in this post holds true for the five-year-old. Five-year-old boys also may really not be ready for group situations until they around are seven years old.
Preparation for Festivals. This is a great time to help children participate by DOING, not explaining in words. There are lots of posts on this blog about individual festivals.
Art/Creative Experiences
Storytelling and Puppetry – If you have not had a time where you light a candle and tell a story, now is the time to begin. Pick a story, memorize it, and tell it at least three days a week for two weeks to a month.
Here is where you can start bringing in some traditional fairy tales. See here for a list of recommended fairy tales by age, but pick one that that resonates with you: https://theparentingpassageway.com/2010/03/20/fairy-tales-books-and-storytelling-with-the-little-ones/ and here: https://theparentingpassageway.com/2008/11/20/the-importance-of-fairy-tales/
You could also make your five year old year your Nature Tales year (there are many on http://www.mainlesson.com ) and then bring in more fairy tales in your true Kindergarten year (your six year old year). And don’t be afraid to repeat stories from year to year – your children will ask for them! That repetition is wonderful!
My other thought is to create those stories to address challenging behavior. There are several examples here in this article from the “Gateways” Journal: http://www.waldorflibrary.org/Journal_Articles/GW55brooks.pdf
Circle Time is the heart of the Waldorf Kindergarten, but can be a complete flop at home. I love the book “Movement Journeys and Circle Adventures” (see this post for the review: https://theparentingpassageway.com/2009/12/29/favorite-waldorf-resource-5-three-resources-to-help-you-get-more-movement-into-your-homeschool/ ), but at home it can really flop. Still, I think it is worth a try if you can convince your five-year-old to “teach” your younger child, LOL. Still stick to the verses and songs you have in daily life, and add seasonal finger plays and seasonal songs.
Hope this helps you as you plan. Please do take what resonates with you.
What concerns or challenges are you facing with your five-year-old? Please do feel free to leave a comment below.
Many blessings,
Carrie
The Parenting Passageway 