Lesson Plans for Waldorf Kindergarten | Vlog
Our fourth day, Thursday, September 1, 2026, together centered around one of my favorite parts of kindergarten: working together in the kitchen. Every class includes some kind of cooking or baking because kindergarten is really about participating in the work of the home. Alongside those everyday tasks, we're also doing projects that strengthen fine and gross motor skills, develop the imagination, and meet the children where they are developmentally.
This week we made cinnamon rolls. I had already prepared the dough ahead of time, but before the morning was over the children also made another batch of dough that we would use the following day to make homemade pizza. I love when one lesson naturally flows into the next and the children can see that the work they're doing today becomes part of tomorrow's activity.
One of the things I've been focusing on during these first few weeks is simply observing. I'm watching my triplet nephews, as well as their 11-year-old brother, to see how they approach each project, how they solve problems, how they move, and how their individual personalities and temperaments begin to reveal themselves. Rather than giving long explanations, I try to demonstrate the activity and allow the children to imitate. Often my older nephew naturally becomes the example for the younger boys, and it's been wonderful to watch them learn from one another.
The cinnamon rolls became one of those moments where every child's personality really shined through. One nephew placed his butter vertically instead of horizontally, and we all wondered what would happen when he rolled it up. To our surprise, the butter ended up beautifully distributed throughout the cinnamon roll. Another nephew was incredibly generous with both the butter and the cinnamon sugar, and everyone immediately wanted to taste the center of his cinnamon roll because it was absolutely packed with butter. Watching each child interpret the same activity in a completely different way reminded me how valuable open-ended projects really are.
Each child carefully placed their own cinnamon rolls into the baking tray so they could taste the one they had made themselves. While they baked, we enjoyed our now familiar organic decaf cold brew coffee, mostly milk with just a little coffee, and began making another batch of dough. I don't spend much time worrying about exact measurements with the younger children. Instead, I'm looking for the feel and consistency of the dough. We generally use about two parts flour to one part water, are generous with the sugar, lighter with the salt, and adjust the yeast depending on how quickly we want the dough to rise. The complete recipe is available in the blog post for anyone who would like more exact proportions.
Just as important as baking is cleaning up afterward. We don't send the children off to play while the adults clean the kitchen. We all work together. Washing, wiping, putting things away, and caring for our space is simply part of the lesson. These everyday tasks are just as valuable as the baking itself.
The cinnamon rolls turned out beautifully. Even though some of the butter melted out onto the tray, you could simply scoop it back onto the cinnamon roll, and they were absolutely delicious. It was another reminder that perfection isn't really the goal. The experience of making something together is what matters most.
We finished our morning the way we've begun ending every lesson, with circle time and a few more pages from The Hedgehog Leaves Home. For now, I'm reading the story, but eventually I'd like to transition into telling it from memory. I already have many of the little props from projects we've done over the years, and the children love seeing each new prop appear as the story unfolds.
It was another beautiful morning of baking, observing, working together, and continuing to build the rhythm of our kindergarten. Every lesson teaches me something new, not only about the children, but also about myself, and I'm enjoying watching our little homeschool grow into exactly what it needs to become.
This was Day 4 September 3, 2026 Thursday, Kindergarten Homeschool
