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The Work Cycle

The work cycle begins with the child choosing work and ends with the child returning the work to the shelf. The work cycle differs for each child. A very concentrated child may stay with the same activity for up to an hour while another child may only work with a material for five minutes. However long, the trained adult knows the child is in the process of constructing the adult he will become.

Freedom Within Limits

The children are free to choose whatever materials attract them. There are guidelines that the children have to follow when using the materials:

1. The child may choose only materials already shown to him by the teacher.
2. The child may only use the materials in a creative and purposeful fashion.
3. When finished working with a material the child must return it to its home on the shelf.

If a child cannot decide what to choose the teacher will help by offering choices. For a young child who cannot cope with too many choices he may be limited to only two e.g. “Would you like to work with the Pink Tower or the Brown Stair?”. As the child matures, the choices broaden until he is able to make choices independently from all the materials available.

Work Space