What Is the Best Waldorf Kindergarten Curriculum for Homeschooling?

For most homeschooling families, the best Waldorf kindergarten curriculum is Lavender's Blue Kindergarten or no paid curriculum at all. Lavender's Blue gives you 36 weeks, each with a story, circle time with audio, a watercolor painting, a beeswax modeling idea and a seasonal craft, for $327 a year. Waldorf Essentials suits parents who want a mentor, Live Education! suits those who want the most traditional path, and Enki suits families drawn to a blend of Waldorf and Montessori. Starpath doesn't sell a kindergarten curriculum, and that's said plainly below.

What a Waldorf kindergarten year is for

A Waldorf kindergarten doesn't teach reading, phonics or sums. The day is a rhythm: a short circle of songs and verses, then long free play. The same fairy tale is told for several days. There's painting, baking or modeling, time outside, and the festivals to mark the turn of the year. Letters and numbers wait until grade 1, which usually begins around the time of the 7-year change.

That's why kindergarten is the year a paid curriculum adds the least. What it gives you is a collection of stories, songs and crafts already chosen and put in order. For a parent new to Waldorf, that can take a lot of worry off the table. For a parent who already sings, tells stories and keeps the seasons, it may be more than you need.

The kindergarten options, one by one

Lavender's Blue Kindergarten

lavendersbluehomeschool.com | $327 a year, or $117 per season (autumn, winter, spring) | Ages 3 to 6

Written by Kelly, a former kindergarten teacher with a background in developmental neuropsychology. The home page calls it a secular Waldorf-inspired curriculum, and the kindergarten page welcomes families of all faiths.

What you get: 36 weeks in a 464-page PDF with 75 MP3 tracks. Each week has a story, circle time with audio, a watercolor painting with a colour story, a beeswax modeling idea and a seasonal craft. Video tutorials cover painting, modeling and storytelling. There are no academics. A private online community comes with every purchase.

The season option lets you try autumn for $117 before committing to the year. All sales are final and non-refundable.

Good fit if you want each week decided for you, like having the songs recorded, and are happy with digital materials.

Waldorf Essentials

waldorfessentials.com | Kindergarten 1 or 2: $150 digital, $225 print (US), $525 with Live Support | Foundations of Early Childhood: $99 digital

Founded by Melisa Nielsen. Waldorf Essentials sells two kindergarten years, Kindergarten 1 and Kindergarten 2, and a Foundations of Early Childhood course for the years before. The Live Support package adds a year of mentoring, twice-monthly coaching calls and live planning help. Every buyer can join the free twice-monthly Zoom office hours and a free Facebook group. The site says the curriculum covers festivals and spiritual content but is "NOT religious in content". All sales are final.

Good fit if you'd like a person to talk to while you find your feet, or you have two kindergarten years ahead. Our Waldorf Essentials kindergarten review goes into more detail.

Live Education!

live-education.com | $425, plus $65 shipping in the US | Kindergarten to grade 8

Written by Waldorf-trained teachers who taught in Waldorf schools. Each package comes with an initial consultation, phone and email support, membership of its online Community Center (a member directory and forum) and a second consultation later in the year. First orders go through by phone, new customers pay a $35 consultation fee (refunded if you order within a month), and there's no return policy.

Good fit if you want to stay close to what a Waldorf school kindergarten does, and like the idea of talking your plans through with the company before you begin.

Oak Meadow

oakmeadow.com | $315 digital, about $449 print | PreK to grade 12

Founded in 1975, secular, and Waldorf-inspired by its own description. The print kindergarten package is a coursebook and resource book. The digital version is a 4-year ebook subscription that can't be printed. Oak Meadow also runs an accredited distance school, where a full kindergarten year is about $3,509 with materials.

The main difference from a traditional Waldorf kindergarten is that Oak Meadow brings in letters and numbers gently in K, as a child shows readiness. Each letter comes first through a story, then through play, art and song. It's a warm approach, but it isn't what a Waldorf kindergarten does.

Good fit if you want a long runway to grade 12, may want the accredited distance school later, and are comfortable with a gentle start on letters.

Earthschooling

earthschooling.info | Kindergarten Living Lessons: $350 at the current sale price (listed at $650) | Preschool to grade 12

Secular and digital only, with lifetime access that covers all the children in your immediate family. The kindergarten package includes monthly planners, music and circle time lessons and eurythmy videos. The site lists an automatic 30% discount for families in Australia, Canada and New Zealand, among other countries. There are no refunds on electronic materials, but free samples are offered.

Good fit if you want music and movement built in, and a single company from preschool to high school.

Enki Education

enkieducation.org | Kindergarten Program $300 a year; Early Childhood Guide Set $175 a year

Founded by Beth Sutton, M.Ed., Enki blends Waldorf, Montessori and cooperative learning. It's a digital subscription with live online group Q&A sessions. Right now Enki sells only its early childhood and kindergarten programs. Grades 1 to 5 are "coming soon", to be released one grade a year.

Good fit if a mix of Waldorf and Montessori appeals to you, and you're ready to choose something else for grade 1 if Enki's isn't out in time.

Many families use no paid curriculum at all

You can give a child a full Waldorf kindergarten year with a steady rhythm, a basket of good stories and plenty of time to play. One verse to open the morning, said the same way each day. One fairy tale, told three or four days running. Wet-on-wet painting on Mondays, bread on Wednesdays, a walk every afternoon. A nature table that changes with the seasons. Waldorf kindergarten at home walks through a day, a week and a year, and the Waldorf daily rhythm shows how to shape the day.

You don't have to do it alone. Waldorf kindergartens and schools near you often welcome homeschooling families to fairs, festivals and parent-and-child groups. Find them on the Waldorf Map:

• Waldorf kindergartens in the United States
• Steiner kindergartens in the United Kingdom
• Steiner kindergartens in Australia
• Steiner kindergartens in New Zealand

Where Starpath fits

Starpath Learning doesn't sell a kindergarten curriculum. Its Waldorf-inspired lessons, written by Sophie, a Waldorf class teacher with more than 10 years' experience, begin at grade 1. Grades 1 to 3 are complete, and grade 4 is being added.

What a kindergarten family can use now is the free tier: the planner, the portfolio, the homeschool legal requirements tool and compliance report export. They work with any curriculum, or with none. There's no curriculum content in the free tier.

Thinking ahead to grade 1

Kindergarten is short, and grade 1 is a bigger decision. It's worth knowing now where each option goes next:

• Lavender's Blue continues to grade 3, with grade 4 in development.
• Waldorf Essentials continues to Class 8 (Classes 7 and 8 aren't full curricula).
• Live Education! continues to grade 8.
• Oak Meadow and Earthschooling continue to grade 12.
• Enki's grade 1 isn't on sale yet.
• Starpath starts at grade 1 and runs to grade 3, with grade 4 being added.

Staying with one company is simple, but you don't have to. Grade 1 is a natural moment to choose again. A grade 1 curriculum brings form drawing, letters that grow out of pictures, and main lesson blocks, which is quite different from a year of songs and stories. The best Waldorf curriculum for grade 1 compares the grade 1 options, and the full curriculum comparison covers every grade.

If you're wondering whether your child is ready to move on, the grade 1 readiness quiz can help you see where your child is.