For Choice in Education
Parent and Child Groups
Ash Tree Parent and Child Group provides a warm and homely environment where families with young children, from birth to four years old, spend time together in a session led by a Parent and Child Group leader. We aim to nurture healthy child development through opportunities for free movement, imaginative child-led play, gentle sensory exploration and secure connections. Our two hour sessions run Monday to Friday during term time, and we would be delighted to welcome you!
About the Parent and Child Groups
Daily rhythm
Each Parent and Child Group session flows with a strong daily rhythm similar to a simplified Waldorf Kindergarten morning, with periods of breathing in and out, alternating between free movement and play, and adult led activities. The changing months and seasons are reflected in the yearly rhythm, incorporating seasonal songs and festivals in a simple way. Our mixed-age indoor session includes baking bread or scones, space and time for free play, ring time songs and rhymes, a healthy shared snack, and a story. Once a week we offer an outdoor Forest Walk group, and a baby group from birth to walking. We hope that parents and carers will find support, make connections with others and feel part of our vibrant community at Ringwood Waldorf School. For many families, Parent and Child Groups are a first introduction to Waldorf education, and the groups support a smooth transition into Kindergarten when a child is ready.
Gentle on the senses
We see the benefits of providing simple, beautiful and open-ended toys, which allow for versatility and imagination. There is an undeniable beauty and timelessness in these simple objects and materials, and they make a deep impression on the child. Just pause and observe the wonder experienced when a young child explores a basket of tactile knitted animals, inspects the details of a pine cone, breathes in the smell of dried lavender, or holds a large shell up to their ear.
Free play and movement
From birth throughout the first seven years, and most rapidly in the first three years, young children build foundations for their lives ahead. Play naturally brings such joy, as well as opportunities for developing movement, balance, memory, strength, problem solving, and understanding the world around them. At Ash Tree Parent and Child Group, you will find different areas of the room for children to explore alongside others, as children shape their social connections.
Circle time
As the period of free play draws to a close, the group leader brings everyone together in a circle to share songs, rhymes and finger games. Babies and young children delight in repetition, and everyone soon becomes familiar with the rhythm, melodies and lyrics, and develop confidence to join in. Circle time is kept short and fun, with simple gestures appropriate for the age of the children, and elements included which reflect the changing seasons and festivals. Children learn naturally through imitation, and circle time supports their developing senses, vocabulary, attentiveness, memory and social awareness.
Sharing food and company
Snack time provides a wonderful opportunity to sit together around a beautifully laid table, sharing wholesome food, good company and conversation. Firstly everyone washes hands along with a simple song, and parents and carers help to prepare the table. When everyone is ready and sitting quietly, the group leader lights a candle at the table to begin the meal. At our mixed-age indoor sessions, we enjoy freshly baked spelt bread or scones with fresh fruit, herbal tea and water to drink. Our ourdoor group includes oatcakes, fresh fruit and herbal tea. Time sitting together as a group provides a rich social experience, with babies and young children experiencing relationships, conversation and customs.
Storytelling
In our mixed-age groups, after the snack table has been cleared away, it’s time to cosy up for a story. Handmade puppets and figures are used to tell a short and simple story, reflecting day to day life at home and in nature throughout the seasons. The same story may be told for several weeks as children of this age love repetition. Characters may reappear in various stories through the seasons, and the group leader may include rhymes or songs from circle time to increase repetition and enhance the narrative.
Enjoying the outdoors
After the story indoors, our group heads outside for a short walk to visit the chickens and ducks, or for outdoor free play. Time outdoors is very enriching and we aim to go outside all year round so that the children may breathe in the fresh air, feel the sunshine or rain, notice the birds, and run in the grass. In the gardens, the children can observe and experience the cycle of the year, helping to bring to life songs and stories included during the session. At the end of the session, we stand in a circle and say goodbye to one another with poems and songs, hopefully feeling enlivened and ready to meet the coming week!
Friday Forest Walks
On Fridays we offer a popular outdoor group, Friday Forest Walks. The mornings are a wonderful chance to explore the woods and gardens around our school at a child’s pace. The sessions flow with a regular pattern, resting on the three R’s of Waldorf Early Years education – rhythm, repetition and reverence. On arrival, families meet and greet, and children may wish to explore the Parent and Child Group garden and play with the toys and mud kitchen. We take a gentle walk along the forest track and gather in the school’s large eco-garden for some seasonal songs, shared snacks and warm chamomile tea. The gardens are full of wildlife and provide a beautiful backdrop for natural play, free movement and sensory exploration. Roly-poly down horseshoe hill, splash in the puddles, or spot a little lizard sunbathing. Our walk takes us back to our Parent and Child room for a period of play and relaxation, and we finish with a seasonal story and goodbye song. Friday Forest Walks are most suited to young children who are walking by themselves, but can also suit younger children in carriers or sturdy buggies.
Baby Group
Our NEW baby group started in the summer 2024.
On Tuesdays we now offer a gentle baby group, for parents and carers with babies from birth to walking. These sessions provide a welcoming and supportive space for adults to make new connections while babies are free to move and explore our natural toys and materials in a calm and loving environment.
Application Form and Terms and Conditions
Please read the following before applying.
Group times
Ash Tree Parent and Child Group offers sessions Monday to Friday during term time.
Mondays to Thursdays 10am – 12pm
Wednesdays 1:10pm – 3:10pm
Tuesdays 1:30pm - 3pm - Baby Group
Fridays 9:30am – 11:30am - Forest Walk sessions
The cost
Once you join the group, your place is secure until the end of the half term following your notice to leave. We ask for payment in advance each half term, in blocks 5-7 weeks long. A place for 1 adult and 1 child cost £12.00 per session for the Parent and Child Group, and £10.00 for the Baby Group and Forest Walk sessions. Invoices will be sent via email each half term and payment can be made online to Ringwood Waldorf School via the school’s secure online payment system. Baby siblings under 1 year old are welcome for free, and we offer a discount for siblings over 1 year old and for bookings of two sessions per week. Payment is non-refundable.
What we ask of the adults
Please let us know of any dietary requirements or other needs you may have. All our food is vegetarian with vegan options. Families are welcome to bring special food to share on a child’s birthday; please arrange this with your group leader, who can advise about allergies in the group. The school is strictly a peanut free zone.
Please respect and care for the Parent and Child Group space, and set a good example for the young children around us. Parents are encouraged to help maintain the rhythm of the group by joining in with ring time and other songs, and helping to lay and clear the snack table. Children at this age learn primarily through imitation and will be more likely to follow your example rather than your instructions.
Please remember that you are responsible for your own child at all times, and need to keep visual contact with them, even when enjoying the activities or deep conversation. We also ask you to be aware that some subjects of conversation are inappropriate for young children, even if not intended for their ears.
Please ensure that mobile phones and digital devices are switched off/silent and kept in bags during the session.
Please ensure that your child is appropriately dressed for the weather with sun hats or warm and waterproof winter clothes and hat.
After playing outside, and at the end of the session, we recommend that you brush down clothing in case of ticks, and wash hands thoroughly.
Once you have decided to join a group, please try to attend regularly. This is quite important for all the children as the group becomes a familiar and secure place for them. If you or your child is feeling unwell and are unable to attend, especially for any length of time, please let the group leader know.
Families are also invited to attend various festivals and events during the course of the year. Information will be given at the Parent and Child Group sessions and by email.
We aim to make the Parent and Child Group relaxing and enjoyable for everyone, and look forward to meeting you!