“I feel strongly that we don’t need another authority or set of rules by which to raise children, and I remind parents that Steiner himself never had any children. But if we can enlarge our understanding of child and adult development to encompass the whole human being—body, mind, emotions, and spirit—then we will be better equipped to make our own decisions based on a combination of cognitive and intuitive knowledge.” (preface)

This classic of early childhood education and parenting, the first book in America to popularize the insights of Rudolf Steiner regarding the developmental needs of young children, is now available in a newly revised and updated fourth edition.

Some of the most important learning years happen before a child reaches school age. But children are not little adults—they learn and grow in radically different ways at different ages, especially in the tender early years of life.

In You Are Your Child’s First Teacher, Rahima Baldwin Dancy explains the different stages of learning that children go through from birth to age six, giving parents and caregivers the wisdom and understanding to enrich the natural development of all children, in the right way at the right time.

A trusted classic for over twenty years, this revised and updated fourth edition contains resources and additional information on discipline, early childhood programs, toilet training, using home life as curriculum, and more. From language and cognitive development to appropriate toys and nourishing your child’s artistic abilities, Dancy speaks up for a rational approach to childrearing, one that helps children be children while we fulfill our important role as parents and first teachers.