Introduction

Waldorf education is many things, but I edit the philosophy to suit my lifestyle as a Muslim. It is about bringing up the whole child, not emphasizing on just a few aspects. It is gentle. It takes time. It does not rush. It is not about being or making a genius. It is about respecting yourself, people and the world. It is about tying Hands, Heart and Head together insyaAllah. 

The basics - willing, feeling, thinking

Amazingly convenient, Waldorf categories overlap with a saying by the fourth Khalifah, Ali (ra) advised us to play with our children till the age of 7, to discipline and teach them from the age of 7 to 14 and to befriend them at the age of 14+. quote sourced from suhaib we.bb dot com.

This is also the general idea in Waldorf education.

Birth to 7 is when playing is crucial as the whole child is a sensory organ. Anything and everything they experience are engraved deep within them. This is called the Willing phase. (Hands)

7 to 14 is when emotions are most sensitive hence known as the Feeling phase. (Heart)

14+ is when children intellectualise the world, known as the Thinking phase. (Head)

Some key aspects of Waldorf:

Rhythm is a huge, huge thing in Waldorf and it is more than a schedule - it is a slow but definite transition. And of daily repitition. I find this mimics our daily solat perfectly. My understanding of having a young child around is for them to see what daily life is about. No matter where they go or what they end up, home management is something everyone needs. It begins this early to know what is 'normal'.

So let them see you make wudhu', solat, cook, recite the Quran, load the clothes in the washing machine, getting ready, talking to strangers, talking to family, folding laundry, read, sweep, wash dishes, sew, vaccuum, greeting the cat, iron, garden etc etc. If they are old enough and interested to 'help' (they usually are!) let them. It takes ages with them there. but nothing Waldorf -y is about speed, It is about being in the moment, being present. Nothing to do with getting job done quickest.

HOW you do things matter more than what you do in their eyes. If you grumble and zoom through things, they will understand that chores are not prefarable. It is the parent's task to believe and be humbled by blessings around us, as we should as Muslims anyway. That the carrots you cut are lovingly grown and picked, the house is warm/cool because there is enough to pay for electricity, there is enough to buy clothes and there is enough space to lay them out for ironing. Alhamdulillah for living today. Alhamdulillah for life.

Being unrushed helps the child to focus, this includes listening better.

More posts on practical steps that have worked for me so far :)

Harmony with nature - (here is my own interpretation on the Muslim view) I personally believe nature is awesome because Allah swt made it. There is nothing like it no matter how well humans replicate it, something always gives. Thus I'm inclined to say nature is where humans belong, to be in constant reminder that He is Control of all matters. It is definitely okay to be in touch with technology, but there is something tranquil and so serene being on raw, untouched land that energises. Sometimes living in a city makes us overlook, that it is our boss that gives us the bonus and the grocery stores sell all our food, and then one day Allah sent the drought or floods and suddenly we are lost. I believe it is our duty as custodians/khalifah of this Earth to know how to manage our basic needs so it is sustainable. It begins with showing our young the natural world, being open to its infinite wonder.

Freeplay - is a huge component especially in early childhood education. It means the child is engaged with their bodies and the object they interact with is giving them physical feedback. This is where they learn body movements eg spatial, lateral, midline crossing of their bodies, and also law of physics (to me is basically Sunatullah ;D) eg gravity, speed, acceleration, density, weight, force and friction. 

For me, I love freeplay because:

1. They learn about their bodies - the single thing they insyaAllah will be in control of for the rest of their lives. It is best they be comfortable with their physical body.

2. They learn beginner's level of physics - nothing like experiencing it first hand. Touch is a powerful experience.

3. They learn to focus - and this attention span is purely self-directed, not forced

4. Great for parent's to do whatever and still keep an eye on them

5. Especially great for silently watching them from a distance as see how far they have grown

6. Don't get me started on benefits of imagination and play!

In the modern world, sometimes we lose sight of what is truly important too often. InsyaAllah in the next posts to come will touch on many, many more issues.