Learn about Daily Wonder's sophisticated curriculum, how to learn at home, and how to support your child to meet the world with purpose.

Frequently Asked Questions

What grades and subjects do you cover?
Kindergarten and Grades 1-7: Lesson plans specifically connect Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies learning standards to activities.  Lessons also cover Arts Education, Applied Design, Skills & Technology, Career Education, Physical & Health Education and can be linked to your ministry learning standards if required.  Each unit will indicate both a focus for Social Emotional Learning and First Peoples' Principles of Learning.

Learn more about our curriculum.

Purchase our curriculum.
Is Daily Wonder Canadian?
Daily Wonder Home Learning Hub can be accessed anywhere in the world!  Our curriculum is guided by the developing child's needs and created by licensed teachers which makes it transferable to wherever you are.  The learning standards and concepts attached to the activities in the lesson plans will give you the confidence that your child is covering curriculum in age appropriate ways.  The Daily Wonder wording for concepts is taken from western Canada's Ministry of Education curriculum since that is the location of Daily Wonder Headquarters. Curriculum is transferable to any location since children develop in the same way wherever they are. 

Here is an example:

Daily Wonder Concept for Grade 2 Language Arts:  Through listening and speaking, we connect with others and share our world.
Texas, USA Concept for Grade 2 Language Arts:  The student develops oral language through listening, speaking, and discussion
Ireland, Concept for Primary grades Language Arts:  Communicating as a listener, speaker, reader, writer forms the curriculum.

​Regarding teaching about the continents, Grade 6 covers North America and Europe, and Grade 7 covers Africa and Asia. If you live on a continent not covered in the Daily Wonder curriculum, you can take ideas from any of the continental studies and adapt them to your needs.

As mentioned, Daily Wonder has students all around the world, so when it comes to learning about your specific province/state in Grade 4, and country, in Grade 5, we provide step-by-step guidance as to what aspects of history and geography you'll bring to your child each week of the unit. You, the parent, or teacher, will then research and gather the information necessary to share with your child or learning pod students. And with Daily Wonder, each week is laid out so you can prepare with ease. 

Since Daily Wonder typically does all the planning for you, in these three units (local, provincial/state and country geography units), we've included a comprehensive breakdown of topics to cover along with website links to help you find suitable material. In the preceding units there are reminders about these upcoming history/geography units and what work needs to be done. It may take 1-2 weeks to prepare for a history/geography unit, and we suggest using the built-in flex week to finish much of this work.

Read more about our approach to history and geography here.
What about grades and report cards?
​We are not a school; we do not submit any records to the province/state for anyone. We provide parent-led homeschool curriculum that you can download and use to teach your children at home. You, the parent, are responsible for knowing and meeting the requirements for homeschooling in your area. Although we have aligned our curriculum to meet learning standards, we are not responsible for ensuring that your family covers them.

Tests are not part of the Daily Wonder lesson plans or resources. There are suggestions for assessing your child's learning through observations embedded in some of the lesson plans.  You can determine where your child is at based on the daily review and their written output.  If you are with a Provincial Online Learning school, they will assign you a teacher who will have meetings throughout the school year with you and your child.  During those meetings, they will assess where your child is, based on the work you show them and then issue a report card. ​
How do I use Daily Wonder Homeschool Curriculum?
  • You need to register as a homeschooler wherever you live in the world. Once your child is registered as a homeschooler, you can use Daily Wonder's secular curriculum as your entire educational program as you learn at home. 
  • In BC, if your child is enrolled as a home learner at a Provincial Online School (POLS), Daily Wonder can be used as part of their Student Learning Plan (SLP) in consultation with your assigned teacher at their POLS school.  See this page for more information about homeschooling.
  • Purchase your Daily Wonder curriculum in 3 easy ways:
    • Full Grade: One full school grade of daily lesson plans delivered to your inbox.
    • Monthly: Purchase a ten-month subscription. Receive access to one unit of daily lesson plans every 4 weeks.  Billed monthly, cancel anytime. 
    • Unit Studies: Pick and choose any unit of any grade based on your family's unique needs.
  • All of our daily lesson plans are digital .pdfs and can either be downloaded and/or printed off by you at home, or you can have them open on your laptop while your morning lesson is taking place - it's up to you.  
  • Our curriculum includes your Daily Wonder membership and access to the Wonder Hub with supporting documents, instructional videos, resources and community.​
What does "practically" open-and-go mean?
Although we have done all of the lesson planning for you, you will still need to prepare for each unit by reading the unit overview beforehand and gathering any materials and books required for the unit.
 
As experienced teachers, we know what students need to learn for each grade. We’ve curated those subjects into a meaningful rhythm for optimal learning. We’ve done all the research on the topics of each unit and compiled engaging lessons, games and activities., We’ve chosen music, poetry, stories and intentional movement to accompany each unit’s theme. We’ve linked each unit to learning standards, numeracy and literacy extensions, social-emotional learning, and first peoples’ principles of learning and offer parent reflection opportunities. Drawing from our professional background, we ensure that each unit’s theme is aligned with the appropriate developmental content.

So yes, we're "practically" open-and-go, which is more like, "open-read over-gather materials-and-go" - but that's quite the mouthful!
 
See the tabs below for further information about math and geography which require more personalized planning.
What about math? Do I still need to buy a math book?
​Yes, you need to buy a grade-level math book and here's why...

In Waldorf education, important new math concepts are brought in immersive units that allow the child to experience this topic from many angles. Once this concept has been taught, it rests for one month and then goes into a rotation of skill practice. In other words, every time your child learns a new concept in an immersive way, it still needs to be practiced regularly over the years to strengthen their understanding. Daily Wonder covers important new math concepts for each grade and we also provide the rollout of skills practice required throughout the year.

So, what does that look like?
In each unit, you will be advised to cover a particular math concept for your grade. Daily Wonder is aware of all the math concepts and skills that need to be practiced in every grade and has created a rotating schedule to ensure all skills are practiced.

So, what do I have to do?
All you need to do is choose a math workbook or an online resource for printable math worksheets that suit your aesthetic taste and budget. Then, follow Daily Wonder’s guidance for what to practice each month.

What if my child resists daily practice?
Every child approaches math differently. This means that you, as their teacher, will be sensitive to their work style and lessen or increase the amount of practice suggested each day. We want every child to feel successful and enjoy learning. Sometimes, this means lowering the bar to make math more digestible. For example, instead of expecting 15-30 minutes of math practice each day, you might try 5 minutes and build up from there. The main point is that there should be some math practice every day.

I thought Waldorf education didn’t use math worksheets.
When teaching a new concept, yes, that is true! Waldorf teachers ideally deliver new math concepts in immersive month-long units without relying on math worksheets. However, when it comes to skills practice, that’s a different story. In a Waldorf classroom, a teacher might copy questions from a math worksheet on the blackboard for the children to copy into their books. In another example, a teacher might give worksheets directly to their students. You can decide if your child has the capacity to write down questions and then complete them or if you skip this and hand them the worksheet directly.

How do I make sure math stays fun?
Through math games and activities which are included in Daily Wonder units. These are generally enjoyable and playful ways to learn this challenging subject.
 
In a typical Waldorf classroom, a teacher uses all of these methods: immersive lessons, math worksheets, games, and activities to bring math to their students, and so does Daily Wonder.
What about Geography? Does that require more Parent prep?
Daily Wonder has students all around the world, so when it comes to learning about your specific province/state in Grade 4, and your specific country in grade 5, we provide step-by-step guidance as to what aspects of history and geography you'll bring to your child each week of the unit. You, the parent or teacher, will then research and gather the information necessary to share with your child or learning pod students. And with Daily Wonder, each week is laid out so you can prepare with ease. 

For geography units, please ensure you have read the unit overview well before you plan to begin the unit and gather the necessary library books, and information about your specific region/country so you can be dive right in on Day 1. 

Read more about Daily Wonder's approach to history and geography.​
will my child be learning online?
No.  Daily Wonder is an online Home Learning Hub for parents to access curriculum, expert guidance and peer support. Our mission is to empower parents to provide integrated, creative, hands -on curriculum for their home learners that meet grade level learning standards.
is daily wonder curriculum Secular?
Daily Wonder curriculum explores many significant religions from around the world and across time within the context of history and geography. For example, Grade 6 explores Christianity and its impact on the world related to Roman and Medieval Times. Daily Wonder does not guide parents to bring Christianity as a religious practice, rather a historical understanding.

​Throughout the years, Daily Wonder explores Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Zoroastrianism and Islam, and Christianity as it relates to the human story.  Daily Wonder is integrative, and as such, we aim to immerse the child in the experience of the people they are studying. So, for example, in Grade 5, when learning about Ancient India, it's suggested that children chant Buddhist prayers in Sanskrit. In Grade 3, when studying creation stories, it is suggested that children learn to recite prayers in Hebrew. The Lord's Prayer is recommended as a verse to learn in Grade 6 because it fits with the Roman unit of study. There is an additional opportunity to learn it in Latin, which can be an exciting and challenging experience. This holistic and integrative approach, with a wide lens, promotes cultural appreciation and diversity of perspective. 

Daily Wonder is not a religious curriculum, yet it is spiritually-minded with a foundation that acknowledges the unseen spiritual world. Parents will find verses and songs that refer to spiritual realms and offer terms such as Spirit or God. It is entirely up to parents whether they would like to use these verses or choose others that suit their values. Daily Wonder is a flexible curriculum that you can adjust to suit the needs of your family.
Can I teach daily wonder to multiple children in multiple grades?
Our suggestion is that you start the day together and do opening verses, movement and math practice together. You can support each child with their math workbook practice. Then you begin to focus on one child at a time. Have set activities for the other two children each day. Think ahead of time what they will be doing that can be done independently. Your youngest may have a basket of blocks or beads to string, a picture to draw. Keep it simple and engaging for them. And teach them that each of your children gets this extra special time to work with you alone. Then they each wait their turn . Then you work 1 on 1 with each child for the review and the new material sections. This leads them straight to bookwork. Once they are clear on what to do for book work they go back to independent work and you begin with the next child. Start working 1 on 1 with your oldest child so when they are done they can read or play quietly until everyone is done. Then gather everyone for stories and closing verses. You will have 3 different stories so spread them out. Read one at morning lesson, one in the afternoon and one at bedtime. ​

For more information read our blog post which goes into more depth about homeschooling multiple children in multiple grades.
I want to create a learning pod. Can i use Daily Wonder for that?
Although not a requirement, Daily Wonder curriculum can be very effective when used in the new grassroots idea of learning pods, where a cluster of families come together to educate their children. The morning lesson requires one to two hours and the rest of the day can allow a learning pod to do meaningful activities, household chores and field trips which can all be linked to learning outcomes.

​We offer Learning Pod Consulting. Visit this page to learn more.
Does Daily Wonder Curriculum cover cursive writing?
Daily Wonder introduces cursive writing in Grade 2, Unit 3, The Wonder of Heroes. Suppose you are joining our program later. In that case, we still enthusiastically recommend teaching your child cursive writing as a challenging and engaging activity that brings many opportunities for brain development and improved motor skills. Follow our guided cursive writing instructions here.  You can choose to follow our guidance with 10-minute practice each day during the morning lesson or at a different time of day that suits your child. 
What is the right age to begin grade 1?
The short answer is, 'You know best.' It may not be very helpful, but we mean it. You know your child best; you need to imagine them in either Kindergarten or Grade 1, plus all the years that come after, and how that might look in your context, and decide from there.

The main difference between Kindergarten and Grade 1 is that in Grade 1, your child will need to be able to sit down for formal instruction, have the dexterity to write with a pencil, and use their memory to recall the previous day's lesson material.
 
A helpful guide is to summarize Rudolf Steiner's statement that children are ready for formal learning in their seventh year (age 6). 
 
We empower parents to make that decision based on their own needs, their child's needs, their specific context, what makes sense for their family, their values, and their future plans for their child's education.  It is up to you to decide on your child's readiness.

If you doubt that your child will be capable of meeting Grade 1 expectations, chances are they would be best served with another year of Kindergarten so they can learn through play and imitation. 

From our perspective and experience, it never serves a child to rush them into formal instruction if they are not ready or to hold them back if they are.
Why use the term "verse"
Why Waldorf 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.

See - BLOG POST: Opening & Closing verses.
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