Great approach, encouraging, do read critically though.

books:

	• You Are Your Child's First Teacher: What Parents Can Do With and For Their Chlldren from Birth to Age Six Rahima Baldwin Dancy Celestial Arts, 2000 - 384 pages average customer review:based on 24 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Very helpful and informative

This is a great book for any new parent. Informative and helpful for issues from infant to six years old. Easy to read and use as a reference. The recommended reading sections have led to many other excellent resources.

Great Book

This is a great book and I am so glad that I bought it. My only regret is that I didn't buy it sooner. If you are expecting or a new parent I would definitely recommend this book to you.

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Inspiring, grounding

There is so much info out there bombarding moms on toys and games to push there kids to "parrot" information back to parents so the parents are acknowledged for their kids "intelligence". I loved the down to earth, child friendly info in this book. I do not believe in pushing children to learn beyond their developmental readiness. Kids need to be running and jumping and singing, there is plenty of time for them to sit and be still and learn... As a teaching I believe one of the most important things for children is internal self confidence and a love a learning. This book lays out the 1st 7 years. Get it!

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Great approach, encouraging, do read critically though.

Very interesting book. Great to reinforce things we already know and suggest ways to enact our ideals as parents. I especially liked the specific suggestions for kinds of toys and for activities. Gentle, realistic, and encouraging suggestions regarding discipline. Good citations of studies to back up concepts. Those new to Steiner, Waldorf, and Anthroposophy should be aware it is very "Stainer oriented" and the realities within this "spiritual science" are considered a given, though not pushed aggresively. For example, the ideas about the incarnation process and life forces are used as part of explainations. Read carefully and critically and accept only what you like, study the rest objectively. Spiritual ideas aside, it's a good look at interacting with children in developmentally appropriate ways and nurturing their holistic (all around) growth.

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A Review

Dancy's book provides a good introduction to Waldorf and Steiner child-raising. I think it is helpful and valuable in that respect. But it is important to bear in mind that it is really just an opinion book, without much science or studies to back it up. Her two main sources of information are Rudolf Steiner and Barry L. White. Steiner got all of his ideas from his spiritual insights. Barry L. White is a researcher with Harvard associates who wrote two books about early childhood development. I googled White, and could not find a web page about him, nor a Wikipedia entry. I found out nothing more about him.

I think this book is a good way to learn more about the Waldorf and Steiner perspective, but do not expect much in the way of factual evidence. Instead she relies on anecdote, and sometimes her own perception of what she has seen.

Example: Dancy says that children should be given natural and unfinished toys like dolls without finished faces and gives a couple reasons. I agree that these toys are more attractive and interesting to children and toddlers, but it's her backup examples that were purely speculative. One reason was that she once saw a photopgraph of a child holding a finished toy with a smile, and she thought the child was blindly imitating the toy's expression. Her second reason was that she heard a story about a girl who was droopy and listless and always carried around a doll that was droopy and listless. When the girl was given a new toy that was more natural, then the girl perked right up.

Overall, this book provides an interesting perspective, but it is suffused with Steiner's spiritual insights (which sometimes sound a bit wierd). Dancy offers her reader a very loving and caring approach to child raising that make one more aware. The book allows for some thoughtful reflection on the part of her audience. But do not read this book expecting much in the way of research. She makes a lot of statements and contentions that do not have any citation or evidence to back them up. Thankfully, she does refer to the work of David Elkind, professor at Tufts, a few times and his research into child development.

I read this book with thoughtful interest and brought along a grain of salt.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Details what parents can do with and for their children, from birth to age six. This resource book offers new ways for parents to understand their children and provide opportunities to increase their confidence in what they are doing while making the most of the early years. 384 pages.

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