Waldorf Inspired Games for 5 Year Olds

Winter Inspired Games for 5-Year-Olds that Support Learning and Development

Often the 5 year olds will set out looking for  fun, imaginative opportunities that involve skill building. Here are some indoor games and activities we invite into our home and rhythm. I recommend making these types of games and opportunities available, but refrain from pressuring or expecting your child to perform. Rather, try creating opportunities for your 5 year old to explore these possibilities by making them available and providing them with the time and freedom to explore them when they choose to. 

Music Practice ~ 5 year olds love to be challenged with an instrument like a recorder, violin or a harmonica. Singing with 5 year olds is often well received. Learning about the Suzuki Method was a wonderful adventure for our family with positive outcomes. 

Hammock Swing ~ An indoor hammock swing can be a wondering indoor movement activities for the 5 year old child looking to exert energy 

Search and Find Books – I Spy, Where’s Waldo and The Wonders of Nature

Finger Games ~ Cats Cradle, Finger Knitting and Yo-Yoing 

Here is a simple little finger game my 5 Year Old loves:

Two Little Blackbirds

Two little blackbirds (Hands on shoulders)

standing on a hill 

this one is Jack (show hand)

and this one is Jill (show other hand)

 fly away Jack (hand behind back)

fly away Jill (other hand behind back)

come back Jack (hand on shoulder)

come back Jill (other hand on shoulder)

standing on a hill.

Our Favorite Board Games

These board games are beloved by our 5 year old. They are educational, provide purpose and encourage them to complete simple missions.

Wildcraft

Shadows in The Woods Board Game 

Memory Games ~ Try this one from Bella Luna Toys

Chutes and Laddars 

These indoor board games are ideal for rainy days, slow weekends, or after-school downtime.

Puppet Play and a Knitting Pattern 

In the Waldorf school and home, puppetry is valued and honored as a beloved game. First, the caregiver would “perform” or tell the story that goes with the puppet show. In our home, we have a knit bear, and a small doll, which are used for this puppet play, but any teddy bear and doll would work. The caregiver can start by telling this story, and then encourage their 5 year old to re-tell the story, using the puppets. 

Story retelling is deeply supportive for a five year old’s development. When children retell a story, they practice holding images in their imagination which is an important foundation for later reading and writing. This strengthens memory, sequencing, and language skills as they recall what happened first, next, and last. Retelling also invites them to find their own voice, building confidence and expressive language in a gentle, natural way.

Knitting 

Handwork and knitting hold a central place in Waldorf education because they engage the whole child~ hands, heart, and mind, in a deeply integrated way. For young children, the rhythmic, repetitive movements of knitting support the development of fine-motor skills, coordination, and concentration while also fostering patience and perseverance. Pedagogically, these activities strengthen cognitive foundations by building pathways between the left and right hemispheres of the brain, supporting later abilities in reading, writing, and mathematical thinking. 

In the Waldorf approach, creating something useful and beautiful with one’s own hands also nurtures a sense of competence, warmth, and purpose. Through handwork, children experience the quiet satisfaction of transforming raw materials into something meaningful which is an experience that nourishes both their developing will and their growing confidence in themselves.

Though children typically learn finger knitting in Kinder and knitting with needles in 1st grade within the school, many children learn knitting at home first. Here is a Waldorf Handwork pattern for a simple Teddy Bear. I use a chunky, wool yarn in a soft brown for this pattern. This bear makes a lovely gift for a birthday or holiday. 

Simple Knit Teddy Bear Pattern 

Teddy Bear Pattern: 

Cast on 20 stitches

Knit until there are 13 ridges (two knit rows make a ridge) 

Knit across ten stitches and place a marker.

You will knit one leg at a time. Knit back and forth on the first set of ten stitches until there are 6 ridges. 

Cast off (CO) the first leg. Tie on the yarn to knit the second leg, making it the same size. CO

Cast on 9 stitches from the first arm. Knit 5 ridges. CO. Knit the second arm the same as the first. 

Knit ears:

Cast on 5 work 3 rows garter – decrease last 2 rows CO.

Sewing Up: Fold the Legs in from the sides towards the middle . The seam wil be on the inside of the legs. Sew each leg up and then continue sewing the back seam which will be up the center back of the bear. Stop at the top and stuff the teddy bear firmly, starting with each leg then filling the body up. Once the teddy bear is full and firm, a strong bear, sew across the top of the head. Determine a good size for the head to body proportion and starting at the back seam run a gathering stitch around the bear, pulley in slightly and returning to the beginning to form the neck. Weave in all the ends, tucking in the tails. 

Sew on the arms with ridges perpendicular to the seams. Stuff them and sew onto each side of the body with the top arm meeting the neck. Stitch on the ears. 

5 Year Old Outdoor Play Games

Unstructured outdoor play is essential for the 5 year old child. This freedom nourishes healthy development, allowing them to climb, balance, dig, and explore. When your child needs a bit more direction, here are some simple ideas and games we love in our home. 

Obstacle Course ~ Use chalk, fallen branches, logs, stones and natural items to create wonderful outdoor obstacle courses.

Nature Scavenger Hunt ~ I highly recommend this wonderful Autumn inspired Scavenger Hunt our family did this year ~ Twelve Little Tales

Giant Bubbles ~ These giant bubble wands make wonderful holiday gifts and can be hand-made using a rope and two sticks. 

Caring for Birds and Animals ~ Caring for animals gently awakens empathy in young children as they learn to sense the needs and feelings of another living being. Through daily tending, they form a heartfelt connection to the natural world, discovering themselves as part of a larger, living whole. One way we do this in the Autumn months is by making home-made peanut butter bird seed balls and hanging them outdoors for the animals in the woods. 

These outdoor games invite children to breathe in the crisp autumn air, awaken their lively will, and strengthen their growing bodies as they play within the magic of the season.

Autumn Circle Game

Parents often need quick games that require no preparation or cost. Inviting your 5 year old to do a circle game is a wonderful way to create connection and invite movement. This is a simple Autumn Circle Game that is often done in the Waldorf Kinder. 

This circle game is done by singing the song in a circle, and performing hand movements for your child to repeat. This is a simple game and the gestures can be intuitive. Try doing what comes naturally, (for instance, for “champing”, try skipping around. For “loading up the wagon” try pretending to gather things from the ground and placing them into your arms.)

“Come and let us reap the barley into sheaves. We bind it. Fetch the horses and cart. We’re champing, we champ. We champ and we champ. To bring in the barley, as well as the hay. Load it up the wagon, take it home to thrush it there. We’re thrashing, a – thrashing, a – thrashing the corn. Just see the grain flying for none is forlorn. The little gnome is also thrashing (with small gestures). We’re thrashing… Now gather the grain into the sack and load it onto the donkey’s back – repeat. Go on donkey go! Take us to the Miller’s mill standing high up upon the hill – go on donkey go -repeat.” 

Another Autumn Song ~ 

Oats and corn, oats, and corn. All that dies shall be reborn. Vine and grain, vine and grain, all that falls shall rise again.

Bread Making

Breadmaking with children in a Waldorf setting is a warm, sensory-rich activity that engages their whole being. As they scoop flour, knead dough, and watch it rise, they experience purposeful movement, strengthen fine-motor skills, and feel the quiet magic of transformation.

Beyond the task itself, breadmaking nurtures gratitude, patience, and a sense of community. The shared rhythm of working, waiting, and finally tasting the warm loaf helps children feel connected, capable, and held within a comforting daily rhythm.

I have been a Kinder Waldorf Teacher for many years and I would love to share my personal recipe with you. I will note that I have found that all teachers have their own version of this. One teacher I know uses The Waldorf Kinder Snack Book by Lisa Hildreth for recipes, another The Tassajara Bread Book by Edward Espe Brown, so there really are so many variations to this. This is the recipe that works best for me ~

Kinder Bread Recipe 

2 cups warm water

1 heaping tablespoon of yeast

spoonful of raw honey

Mix well and let sit, until foaming, about 20 – 30 minutes.

Add 1/4 cup cornmeal (or leftover cooked millet), 2 tsp of salt, 1/4 butter/or olive oil, 2 – 3 cups of bread flour and stir. Let the dough sit in a warm place, covered with a wet towel, for about 1 hour until it has risen. Knead the dough, let sit again for about 20 mins.

Now it is time to invite the children to help. Knead the dough and add flour if necessary so it’s not too sticky. I usually break off small round rolls for each child, while singing their name. You can swirl a bit of flour in front of the child, and then place their roll in front of them. When all the rolls, (or loaf) are well kneaded and formed, let them rise again on the greased pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F for about 20 – 30 minutes until golden.

This recipe is not fussy. I like to add a spoonful of golden flaxmeal, or a handful of chia seeds occasionally. 1/8 cup of blackstrap molasses can also be added which adds flavor and depth. We eat our rolls with butter, honey and home-made jam.

Another option if you can still get local apples or have some stored is to bake my simple, healthy Apple Cake!

A Few More Autumn Activities for the 5 Year Old Child

Gather natural items and create a nature table

Make a leaf crown

Make salt dough cookies and string them

Indoor Purposeful work- folding laundry, matching socks, doing dishes

Outdoor Autumn Purposeful work- raking leaves, planting bulbs, tipping boughs for wreath making

Listen to a book as an audio book

Watercolor paper orange, red and yellow and cut into strips to make a seasonal paper chain

Go to a cranberry bog~ make cranberry sauce and string cranberries for the holiday season ahead

Explore Jordan’s other Waldorf Inspired Activities for Kids!

Fall baking recipes with apples

Children’s books for Autumn

Coloring activities for children

Critical Thinking activities for kids