This classic of early childhood education and parenting, the first book in America to popularize the insights of Rudolf Steiner regarding the developmental needs of young children, is now available in a newly revised and updated fourth edition.
Some of the most important learning years happen before a child reaches school age. But children are not little adults - they learn and grow in radically different ways at different ages, especially in the tender early years of life.
In You Are Your Child’s First Teacher, Rahima Baldwin Dancy explains the different stages of learning that children go through from birth to age six, giving parents and caregivers the wisdom and understanding to enrich the natural development of all children, in the right way at the right time.
A trusted classic for over twenty years, this revised and updated fourth edition contains resources and additional information on discipline, early childhood programs, toilet training, using home life as curriculum, and more. From language and cognitive development to appropriate toys and nourishing your child’s artistic abilities, Dancy speaks up for a rational approach to childrearing, one that helps children be children while we fulfill our important role as parents and first teachers.
Rahima Baldwin Dancy warns against rushing children through childhood. She advocates a “slow parenting”revolution which will allow children to develop at their own pace, and crucially, will help parents discover confidence in their own ability to parent and enjoy the magical first years of raising a child.
“Our children need us for the heart connection, but they don”t need constant adult input and intellectual stimulation,” says Baldwin Dancy. “Allowing children to be children today means recognising their need for creative play, which is the work of childhood.”
Rahima Baldwin Dancy’s practical, down-to-earth advice will help parents to:
Understand their child’s unique personal, mental, soul and physical needs at each stage of development
Nourish their child’s imagination with simple, home-made toys and materials from the garden and kitchen cupboard
Enjoy storytelling, arts, crafts and musical activities with their child
Create their own family rituals to ease the daily routine
Use imitation, repetition and setting limits to promote positive discipline
Value their own ability to understand and care for their child
Rahima Baldwin Dancy is a Steiner/Waldorf early childhood educator and a professional mid-wife. She is mother of four children and lives in Colorado, USA.
“An essential addition to the family bookshelf. Children will thank their parents for having read it!”
– Sally Jenkinson, author of The Genius of Play
“Here is an extraordinary work for those who want to develop a truly intelligent child, and, in the process, unlock new levels of their own intelligence and spirit.”
– Joseph Chilton Pearce, author of Magical Child
“One of the most readable and accessible books on parenting … Rahima shows a way of understanding child development that encourages respect and love for the natural unfolding of emotional life, intelligence and creativity in the young child.”
– Kindling
Rahima Baldwin Dancy is internationally known as a Waldorf early childhood and parenting educator, following a career as a midwife and childbirth activist. She was a Waldorf kindergarten teacher, a founding board member of LifeWays North America and co-director of Rainbow Bridge LifeWays Program. Rahima and her husband, Agaf, have raised four adult children and enjoy five grandchildren; they live in a cohousing community in Boulder, Colorado. She currently provides online courses for parents and childcare providers through LifeWaysNorthAmerica.org.