Following the morning circle, there is a period of free playtime. Our rather undefined toys leave lots of room for stimulating the child's imagination. A wooden tree house and a castle stimulate interactive play among the children. They begin to develop social skills like learning to share or having to wait for a toy someone else is playing with. This can be hard at this age, and sometimes teachers need to help.
Parents then experience how teachers resolve such discipline issues.
Meanwhile the parents settle into their work-learning how to make Waldorf toys, doing simple crafts, and preparing the morning snack, all in sight of their children. Soft conversation among the parents creates a happy mood in the room. We know that young children learn primarily through imitation, so they are absorbing this mood in the room as well as the gestures and concentration of the adults on their tasks. This inspires the children for their work which we call play. One of the artistic or practical tasks mentioned earlier may also take place during playtime.