The Story of the Little Ones

Little Ones are small, gentle friends who come from Mother Earth to be with the children in our TK/K classrooms. Their coming is foretold in story and song until, one morning, a Little One appears, waiting quietly to be discovered by the child it has come for.

One by one, the Little Ones arrive to the TK and Kinder classrooms. Each Little One comes for a specific child, with its own look that make it unique. Within our classroom world, they are alive in the truest sense, taking part in play, stories, and daily rhythms as cherished friends rather than toys. Their gentle coming honors the inner world of imagination where young children live most fully.

They become an integral part of a child’s classroom experience, quietly showing up wherever care and play happen… in block towers, in story circles, or in the arms a child who needs a soft friend to hold.

While the children know the Little Ones as visitors from Mother Earth, behind the scenes they are lovingly handmade by teachers (and a few parent helpers!) using natural materials like wool, cotton, and silk. This quiet, unseen work is intentional. When we protect the imaginative picture of how the Little Ones come to our classrooms, we preserve a sense of wonder that is central to Waldorf early childhood education.

The Little Ones tradition was first developed by Bonnie River, M.Ed., a longtime Waldorf educator and teacher-trainer. She introduced them as a way to nurture comfort, connection, and warmth in young children, and this practice has since spread through many Waldorf kindergartens. Our own Ms. Rebecca River-Teague brought the Little Ones to the Live Oak Charter School community years ago, and the tradition continues to live warmly in our Valley Vista Public Waldorf School classrooms today.

For parents and caregivers, we hold a simple invitation:
Please help us keep this imaginative picture alive by speaking of the Little Ones as dear companions who have come from Mother Earth. When we do, we honor their sense of wonder and protect a sacred part of childhood that lives quietly, but powerfully, in every Waldorf classroom.

Interested in seeing more? Click below to see Little Ones in action both inside and outside of the classroom (and to submit your photos too!)