Nurturing Potential in the Kindergarten Years

Nurturing Potential in the Kindergarten Years: A Guide for Teachers, Carers and Parents

The kindergarten years, when children are aged between about three and seven years, can be some of the most formative in their development. At the heart of early years Steiner-Waldorf education is the concept of ‘life forces’, or an ‘ether body’. For a child to grow into a healthy adult, fulfilling their potential, these forces must be recognised and properly nurtured. Teachers in particular must understand and work with their own ether bodies, to best help the children develop.

This book, which is essential reading for any teacher, and equally insightful for parents, offers accessible ways to understand and visualize the difficult concept of the ‘ether body’. It also provides practical examples of how to nurture them at different educational stages, through particular issues faced by Waldorf kindergartens.

Although it addresses challenging ideas, this book will be both inspiring and empowering for anyone involved with young children.

About the Author

Cornelis Boogerd was born in 1952 in the Netherlands, and studied social sciences at Driebergen. Since 1990 he has helped establish Steiner-Waldorf schools and teacher training in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.