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You Are Your Child's First Teacher: What Parents Can Do With and For Their Chlldren from Birth to Age Six [Paperback]

Rahima Baldwin Dancy , Rahima Baldwin
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)


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You Are Your Child's First Teacher, Third Edition: Encouraging Your Child's Natural Development from Birth to Age Six You Are Your Child's First Teacher, Third Edition: Encouraging Your Child's Natural Development from Birth to Age Six 4.4 out of 5 stars (11)
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Book Description

August 1, 2000
Nowadays parents are bombarded by any number of approaches about how to be with their children. YOU ARE YOUR CHILD'S FIRST TEACHER introduces a new way of understanding the human being so that parents can be best equipped to serve as their own children's best teachers. Chapters include: Caring for the Newborn, Helping Your Toddler's Development, The Development of Fantasy and Creative Play, Nourishing Your Child's Imagination, Rhythm and Discipline in Home Life, Readiness for School, and more.


Product Details

  • Paperback: 400 pages
  • Publisher: Celestial Arts; Revised edition (August 1, 2000)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0890879672
  • ISBN-13: 978-0890879672
  • Product Dimensions: 6 x 1 x 9.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #160,859 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
79 of 80 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Refined my perspective on what is best for my children December 4, 2002
Format:Paperback
This book is one of the few books on parenting and early childhood education that is based on the child's true needs. This book truly allowed my inner parenting philosophy to blossom. Other readers should note that this isn't another book on what to do with your child to "make them smarter" or "advance their development", and such conceptual paradigms are actually inappropriate for promoting our children's internal developmental timetables and learning processes. It is also important to note that the foundation of this book is based on Rudolph Steiner's approach to parenting and early childhood education, known as the Waldorf method. My twins are soon approaching toddlerhood and we are researching different educational styles before they reach their preschool years. Even though I am not sure if my husband and I will choose a Waldorf education for our children, I believe the arguments in this book made sense in terms of creative and explorative play being the critical foundations of learning for small children, and that drilling them with academic lessons too soon may be harmful to their ability to truly learn once they reach their school age years in terms of developing critical thinking and problem solving skills as well as giving small children the impression that learning is a chore rather than something that is fun and exciting. As a new parent I was so tempted to fall into the media-based hype of how to make my babies "smarter" or "advance their development" and buy various advertised products that make those claims. I now undestand how miseducated I was on early childhood development and my children's true needs during their first year in spite of the many books and magazine articles I've read. I think that so many parents feel the pressure to feed into that hype because we are made to feel that our competence as parents is based on how much our children fit into our socially conditioned definition of success which involves placing a high value on attributes that will allow one to have power and financial wealth, thus the temptation to mold our children into whiz kids and star athletes when some kids just aren't meant to be whiz kids and star athletes. This book gave me a reference point as a new parent on the kind of learning foundation and home environment I want to provide for my children, and assured me of the benefits of seeing my children as whole people -mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally.
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72 of 76 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars The Book That Changed My Life December 30, 2003
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is the book that not only profoundly changed my parenting style, but led to a career change and major lifestyle change for my family. This was the book that introduced me to Waldorf education and led me to pursue Waldorf teacher training. As a result of this introduction, my husband and I were led to re-evaluate our values and our lifestyle, and we ultimately made the transition from a fast-paced life in the show-business world of Los Angeles, to a quiet life living on a small farm in rural Maine. As a Waldorf early childhood teacher, I have recommended this book to countless families as an introduction to Waldorf education. I always give it as a gift to friends and family with new babies. It is the book I wish I'd had before the birth of my first child. I don't expect most families would experience such a dramatic lifestyle change as a result of this book as ours did, but it may help you relax into your role as a parent, realize that less is indeed more, and make your journey as a parent more meaningful and satisfying.
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29 of 30 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars A Review July 27, 2008
By Henry
Format:Paperback
Dancy's book provides a good introduction to Waldorf and Steiner child-raising. I think it is helpful and valuable in that respect. But it is important to bear in mind that it is really just an opinion book, without much science or studies to back it up. Her two main sources of information are Rudolf Steiner and Barry L. White. Steiner got all of his ideas from his spiritual insights. Barry L. White is a researcher with Harvard associates who wrote two books about early childhood development. I googled White, and could not find a web page about him, nor a Wikipedia entry. I found out nothing more about him.

I think this book is a good way to learn more about the Waldorf and Steiner perspective, but do not expect much in the way of factual evidence. Instead she relies on anecdote, and sometimes her own perception of what she has seen.

Example: Dancy says that children should be given natural and unfinished toys like dolls without finished faces and gives a couple reasons. I agree that these toys are more attractive and interesting to children and toddlers, but it's her backup examples that were purely speculative. One reason was that she once saw a photopgraph of a child holding a finished toy with a smile, and she thought the child was blindly imitating the toy's expression. Her second reason was that she heard a story about a girl who was droopy and listless and always carried around a doll that was droopy and listless. When the girl was given a new toy that was more natural, then the girl perked right up.

Overall, this book provides an interesting perspective, but it is suffused with Steiner's spiritual insights (which sometimes sound a bit wierd). Dancy offers her reader a very loving and caring approach to child raising that make one more aware. The book allows for some thoughtful reflection on the part of her audience. But do not read this book expecting much in the way of research. She makes a lot of statements and contentions that do not have any citation or evidence to back them up. Thankfully, she does refer to the work of David Elkind, professor at Tufts, a few times and his research into child development.

I read this book with thoughtful interest and brought along a grain of salt.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Some useful content
I purchased this after reading a number of reviews of the book. Whilst I am not a follower of Steiner, the book has some lovely ideas on things you can do with your child, whether... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Jme
3.0 out of 5 stars Not what I hoped for.
My child is less than 1 year old, and based on the title, I was hoping for more ideas on things to do with an infant. There's not much there. Read more
Published 9 months ago by SheraLynn
4.0 out of 5 stars great book but the information on breastfeeding is not accurate
I have a used older copy of this book so I am not sure if the information has been updated or not. However, in my copy the author states that "once a child is able to eat table... Read more
Published 11 months ago by nanette
5.0 out of 5 stars SO wonderfully clear - easy to reference, easy to read
I would not go so far as to say that this book is groundbreaking, particularly if one is already familiar with the writings of Rudolf Steiner or the theory behind Waldorf... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Lillian Doherty
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome!
I recived more of what I was hopping with this used book, wich resulted as new!... love it. I totally recommed it.
Published 13 months ago by Norma
4.0 out of 5 stars good reference book
A good read, the type of book where you jump from one page to another for a refresher on insightful information. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Cas Z
1.0 out of 5 stars Outdated principles and sexist philosophies
While I appreciate Ms. Dancy's compassion for children and drive to teach others about how best to interact with their little ones, she is not the write person to be delivering... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Kate Miller
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books on parenting
I teach Parent-Child classes with children aged 1.5 to 3.5 years and their parents. I have been using this book for over 10 years with the parents in the class, and I have not... Read more
Published on April 11, 2011 by Barbara DuRocher
5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Book for Parenting
I checked out this book from my library and I am now buying it on Amazon because it's a book that I will refer back to again and again. Read more
Published on January 16, 2011 by Mom2two
5.0 out of 5 stars You are your child's first teacher
Truly a wonderful book for any person who cares for children. I highly recommend this book.
Published on June 22, 2010 by carob
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