DIY Waldorf Inspired Math Set

If you ask almost anyone I know, they’ll tell you that math and I aren’t exactly the best of friends. That said, I have come to enjoy everyday math, and hope that my children will find joy in math from the beginning. So far, we’re on the right track, thanks to one of my favourite educational philosophies – Waldorf education.

Waldorf math is based on the concept of whole to parts. So, rather than say ‘two times three is six, one times six is six’, we say ‘here is 6. what are some different ways we can make 6?’ The Waldorf math approach incorporates the wonder and gentle approach that makes up the core of Waldorf education itself. Math is often presented using characters such as gnomes, squirrels, fairies, and the like and taught in part through stories of the temperaments of the four processes of math (plus, minus, multiply, divide) rather than rote questions and answers.

So, all of this to explain why on earth we would craft our own math set! I had read of the math gnomes and wanted to make a set for our home, and the PDF attached explains how we did it. We use it along with a wonderful math curriculum by Melisa Nielsen of  Waldorf Essentials.

By nature children analyze everything, they like to look at things from a whole perspective and then break them down. Melisa Nielsen, Waldorf Essentials  Tweet This

Click the image below, to download the printable Tiny Peasant Waldorf Math Set Tutorial. Includes a printable recipe card with recipe for homemade beeswax polish.