Opening & Closing Verses

Waldorf Opening & Closing Verses

The first step of the Daily Wonder morning lesson incorporates verses, poetry, songs and intentional movement. It is recommended that you begin the day standing with your child and allow each component to flow together, much like a circle time would.
 
The opening verse acknowledges that the morning lesson is officially beginning. Instead of simply calling your kids to the learning space to begin the day, we build the experience of reverence by using verses, poetry, and songs to signal the start of your lessons. Singing each day enhances connection and offers a lovely balance to individual recitation. By including poems connected to the seasons, your child becomes connected to the cycle of nature through their feelings. Poems and songs connected to the unit theme enliven the topic of study and support our artistically integrated method. Encourage your child to memorize the poems. Recitation builds memory, vocabulary, the strength of individuality, and opportunities to practice oral language features such as intonation, pace, and volume. The goal is that by the end of the unit, your child will share the poem by heart. 
 
The experience of a Daily Wonder lesson is creative and reverent. Just as your opening verse creates a special moment to acknowledge that the morning lesson is beginning, your closing verse marks the closing of this part of the homeschool day. Participating in a closing verse, poem, or song is a meaningful and beautiful way to honour all the work and learning that has just taken place.

All Daily Wonder units include suggested opening and closing verses, unit-themed songs, poetry and intentional movement. As always, Daily Wonder encourages you to teach the child in front of you and change anything that doesn't suit your child's frame of reference. Below are some opening and closing verses to get you started or to use in place of what's suggested.

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Opening Verses

​Welcome the Day
Morning has come,
Night is away,
Rise with the sun,
And welcome the day.
 
All things to know and love
The earth is firm beneath my feet,
The sun shines bright above.
And here I stand,
​So straight and strong,
All things to know and love.

The Sun with Loving Light
(Typical opening verses for Grades 1-4)

​The Sun with loving light
Makes bright for me each day,
The soul with spirit power
Gives strength unto my limbs,
In sunlight shining clear
I do revere, oh world, (or God, up to you…)
The strength of humankind,
Which Thou so graciously
Has planted in my soul,
That I with all my might,
May love to work and learn.
From Thee stream light and strength
To Thee rise love and thanks.

I Look into the World
(Typical Opening Verse for Grades 5-8)
 
I look into the world
Wherein there shines the sun
Wherein there gleam the stars
Wherein there lie the stones
The plants the live and grow
The animals they feel and live
And humans to Spirit give
A dwelling in the soul
 
I look into the soul
That living, dwells in me
Life’s spirit lives and weaves
In light of sun and soul
In heights of worlds without
In depths of soul within
To thee oh Spirit of Earth (or Spirit of God…)
In seeking, turn myself
That strength and grace and skill
For learning and for work
In me may live and grow

I place Myself Steadfastly into existence
(Grade 7 & 8 verse)
 
I place myself steadfastly into existence.
With certainty, I tread the path of life.
Love I nurse in the core of my being.
Hope I lay in all my doing.
Confidence I impress into my thinking.
 
The Golden Sun
(Grades 7 & 8 verse)
 
The golden sun so great and bright
Warms the world with all its might.
It makes the dark earth green and fair,
Attends each thing with ceaseless care.
It shines on blossom, stone and tree,
On bird and beast, on you and me.
Oh, may each deed throughout the day,
May everything we do and say
Be bright and strong and true,
Oh, golden sun, like you.

Closing Verses

​I am Going out into the World
​I am going out into the world
I will watch my ways
I will act from a place of goodness
I will recognize the bad things
Because my heart will tell me

May Wisdom Shine Through Me
​May wisdom shine through me,
May love glow within me,
May strength permeate me,
That in me may arise
A helper of humankind
A server of holy things,
Selfless and true.

Guide Your Way Home
May the long-time sun
Shine upon you,
All love surround you,
And pure light within you,
Guide your way home.
 
Kind Words and Kind Deeds
Kind hearts are gardens,
Kind thoughts are roots.
Kind words are blossoms,
Kind deeds are fruit.
Take care of your garden,
And keep out the weeds.
Fill it with sunshine
Kinds words and kind deeds.
 
To Finish What I Start
Light be in my thought,
Love be in my heart,
Strength be in my will
To finish what I start.
 
Brave and True I Will Be
Brave and true I will be
Each kind word sets me free
Each kind deed makes me strong
I will fight for the right
I will conquer the wrong
 
Of My Thoughts, Words and Deeds
My hands have been busy
My heart is now full;
The garden I planted
Has flourished and grown.
So too in the harvest
Of life may I reap
The well-ripened fruits
Of my thoughts, words and deeds.

Tend with Care
Your mind is a meadow
To plant for your needs;
You are the farmer,
With knowledge for seeds.
Don’t leave your meadow
Unplanted and bare,
Sow it with knowledge
And tend it with care.
 
My Brother, Good Morning: My Sister, Good Night
The moon on the one hand,
The dawn on the other:
The moon is my sister,
The dawn is my brother.
The moon on my left
And the dawn on my right.
My brother, good morning:
My sister, good night.
 
All My Doing Now Has Ended
All my doing now has ended,
What I have learned may rest.
When I have done my very best,
Wisdom, love, and strength may grow,
And I shall bless all those I know.

Poetry

Poetry is a beautiful way to give your child a sense of individuality. It strengthens their speech, develops their memory, and gives them a great feeling of perseverance.
 
Please see The Waldorf Book of Poetry, which contains a free .pdf 110-page book of poems for children. 

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Why Waldorf Education uses the Term, "Verse"

In Waldorf education, the term “verse” is used in a broader and more poetic sense than its common religious connotation. While it can include sacred or scriptural texts, especially from various traditions, in Waldorf, a verse generally refers to a rhythmic, spoken piece—often poetic—that carries a mood, moral, or gesture of reverence.

The word “verse” comes from the Latin versus, meaning “a line, row, or turning”--originally referring to the turning of the plow in a field. This fits beautifully with Waldorf’s emphasis on rhythm, repetition, and form, which support the healthy development of the child’s inner life and physical body. Thus, Verses are recited daily in Waldorf education to establish rhythm and transition.

Though Waldorf is not religious in a doctrinal sense, it is spiritual in tone—honouring the soul and spirit of the child and the natural world. Verses often express gratitude, wonder, reverence, or moral ideals, which can sometimes echo the beauty of sacred texts, including those from Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, or Indigenous sources. However, they are offered not as religious instruction but as universal human expressions.

For young children especially, verses are like soul food: full of repetition, rhyme, and beauty. They help develop memory, speech, inner stillness, and a sense of rhythm. Older students may explore verses from cultural, literary, and philosophical traditions to awaken ethical thinking and deeper feeling.

In short, Waldorf education uses the term “verse” to describe poetic, rhythmic speech that nurtures reverence, imagination, and inner development. Though some verses are drawn from spiritual traditions, they are chosen for their universal qualities and are offered in a way that honours spirit without doctrine.

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