Waldorf teachers introduce the letters, beginning with the consonants in first grade by deriving them from pictures. We introduce the children to certain visual language forms. We have them draw simple round and angular shapes for the sake of the forms.  Through that we are able to introduce the children to writing.  Here is the first grade learning this style in Language Arts. 

 



 First graders hear stories, draw pictures, and discover the letter in the gesture of the picture.  One of our students spells the word "gum" and has been working on three letter words, sounding them out and is very happy that she feels that she can read and write just about anything. 



“Where is the book in which the teacher can read about what teaching is? The children themselves are this book. We should not learn to teach out of any book other than the one lying open before us and consisting of the children themselves.”
― Rudolf Steiner, Rhythms of Learning