Waldorf Steiner toys

Our new range of Pebble fairtrade cotton crochet toys and the Peruvian hand knitted toys will be arriving over the next couple of weeks

We are very excited because we have had such a positive reaction to the new toys at the trade shows

However one question we were asked repeatedly was why the crochet Pixies did not have faces and so this article is my attempt to explain why

The decision not to have faces stems in part from the Waldorf Steiner concept of education. The Waldorf Steiner schools believe in a more holistic style of education with more emphasis on feeling than thinking. Teaching of reading and writing is delayed until the child is 7 while the child grows in to themselves

I am not going to go in to huge detail about Waldorf Steiner education as we are soft toy wholesalers and not teachers or psychologist, but we do like their idea of nourishing toys

Imagine the sensory experience of a toddler cuddling a rigid, hard plastic doll with synthetic hair, and then cuddling a tactile and soft cotton crochet or knitted doll. Not only is our doll more aesthetically pleasing (well we think so anyway, but then everyone knows my views on Barbie!), but its softness and warmth will also have a calming and soothing effect on a young child.

Rudolf Steiner, the founder of Waldorf education, suggested that children’s playthings should be largely unformed in order to stimulate a child’s imagination so Waldorf toys are often simple, without a lot of detail. The more open ended the toy the more flexible the play can be. If you have a doll with a painted on face then if you want her to be happy, excited, sad, thoughtful or grumpy this is constrained by its pre-existing expression

Waldorf dolls have minimal facial features, and sometimes no faces at all. As is the case with most aspects of Waldorf education, the reason is not arbitrary. Waldorf dolls have minimal or no faces in order to encourage the imagination of the young child—to cultivate her “inner picturing” abilities.

We don't know enough about Waldorf Steiner ethos to make many comments. However as a soft toy wholesaler we do believe in the importance of play, and we believe that knitted and crochet toys which are tactile, robust and machine washable are the perfect soft toy for babies and young children

Heres a list of Waldorf Steiner schools in UK and Ireland. If you have one near you then our knitted and crochet toys would be a perfect range to stock!

http://www.steinerwaldorf.org.uk/_listofsteinerschools.html#South East England

And to quote Plato “the most effective kind of education is that a child should play amongst lovely things.”

Couldn't agree more!

Join the debate on our facebook page