“The preschool, including the Kindergarten, is non-academic. At this age, a child’s intellect and understanding of the world resides fully in his or her body, and it is through this physicality that the child apprehends the world. The child’s energies are naturally taken up largely by physical growth.” – Rudolf Steiner Curriculum Guide
Is it developmentally appropriate for four year olds to be reading or writing? I have worked in classrooms where young children were expected to write their names with a pencil by the end of the year in a fours classroom and a little boy I taught went to public school as a kindergarten student and was expected to come early every day to work on reading because he was deemed “behind.” Needless to say he was not a happy little boy at this point and therein developed a lot of resistance to going to school.
“Children learn through play, and that is what your 4- to 5-year-old should be doing. At this age, your child should be running, hopping, throwing and kicking balls, climbing, and swinging with ease.” -- WebMD