It's here that I realized the young child (between 0-7) is not meant to passively learn about the world, they are meant to become a part of it actively. This lived experience typically consists of natural activities—done by real people who bring clear purpose and meaning. And, for very young children, these sorts of experiences are best given through natural rhythm, warmth, movement, and stories (both oral and read aloud).

The young child is a being of imitation. Whatever lives around them enters into their whole being.  —study from The Education of the Child

​When we place a puppet into a child's hands, something magical happens. It becomes vessel of imagination as the child lends it movement and voice. Through play, the child begins to imitate life as they see it and feel it. In this way, the child is rehearsing life itself in their own symbolic form.

The need for imagination, a sense of truth, and a sense of responsibility — these are the three forces which are the very nerve of education.  —study from The Education of the Child

When I first encountered this thought, I realized teaching is more of an awakening—drawing forth what already lives in the child. Steiner reminds us that the child cannot be understood by the body alone. Yes, there is growth in the limbs and lungs (and in all the measurable milestones of development). But behind these physical changes, something more is taking place: the unfolding of the soul and spirit—the threefold human being.