What does a screen-free day actually look like?
This is hands-down the No. 1 question we’re asked at Waldorf. The question underscores a deep and rising anxiety about whether screens belong in our children’s classrooms, with many parents and educators—most recently a major teacher’s union—coming down on “no.” The research continuously shows what Waldorf educators have understood for more than 100 years: Children learn best through experience and observation.
So what do they do all day if they’re not on screens?
A Waldorf student’s day begins with morning circle, where children gather for coordinated movement and seasonal songs, mental math and recitation. Children experience it as play. Teachers know they are priming their students’ brains for learning.
They move on to main lesson, a long block of time scheduled when kids’ minds are freshest and most ready to learn. They spend three to four weeks on a single academic subject, allowing for deep, focused learning. You won’t see any kids using “educational” apps on tablets while the teacher works in small groups with others; just steady, hands-on engagement from the whole class.
Children have two daily recesses in our leafy, expansive playgrounds, one after snack, one after lunch. Their play is unstructured by design, and lets them not only integrate the day’s learning, but build deep relationships with their classmates.
Arts and movement are integrated into every subject, but in the afternoon, children enjoy a deep-dive into practical arts, using their hands and real tools to sculpt, carve, knit and weave.
But the biggest difference might be what parents notice when their kids arrive home after a day on our screen-free campus. One parent recalls his children coming home enlivened and ready for more imaginative play rather than ready to crash on the couch. Another parent recalls her children coming home “properly dirty” after spending both recesses digging holes and building wooden bridges with their friends, and recalls their night of deep sleep that evening.