Exercise books & Period books

What is the difference between exercise books and period books?

Why do we have a category called exercise books & period books? Aren't they one and the same? Basically: Yes!

Exercise books allow students to make and keep notes on a subject in a bundle rather than on loose sheets of paper. The pages are stapled together, nothing gets lost. One exercise book is used for each subject. In this sense, exercise books and notebooks are similar.

The main difference is whether the notebook is used in a Waldorf school or in a regular school.

Functions and advantages of exercise books

• What has been learned is preserved and can be accessed again and again.

• Pupils are trained in fine motor and cognitive skills while writing.

• The use and care of exercise books is an important preparation for later education.

• The pupils learn to work independently and on their own responsibility when designing exercise books.

• There is no chaos, but everything is in order.

Exercise books at regular schools

In regular schools, children learn to write in exercise books with usually four lines per line. They provide defined space for the ascenders, descenders and descenders of letters and numbers. In addition to the lined exercise books, chequered exercise books are also used for arithmetic from grade 1 onwards. At the beginning of the school year or before the first day of school, the teachers usually give the parents a list of school supplies and thus also information about which exercise books the children will need.

Exercise books at Waldorf schools

In the Waldorf School founded by Rudolf Steiner and Emil Molt, exercise books are used from the first lesson through to the upper school in the so-called period lessons. The children make their own books, so to speak, and no ready-made textbooks are used. Instead, they keep their period books with texts and pictures written on the blackboard by the teacher, or painted or created by themselves. In this way, each pupil receives his or her own individual textbook.

It is most beautiful when the exercise book can become a truly individual, artistic expression of the pupils' being, "a place that reflects one's own interests, priorities and insights"(Gabriele Hiller).

In the first years of school, the children work with blank notebooks, i.e. without rulings or boxes. Drawing and writing without lines and margins enables and demands that the pupils take hold of the space and gradually learn to divide and shape it themselves. This has to do with the concept of the human being in Waldorf education, on which the entire curriculum of Waldorf schools is based. In these first years of school, the children do not yet write in the notebooks with a fountain pen, but with coloured pencils and wax crayons and pads. From the third grade onwards, the fountain pen is used in lessons.

In the later grades, lined and squared exercise books with margins are added, as well as vocabulary exercise books, exercise books for homework, and exercise books with a grade ruler.

Particularly in the first grade, especially large exercise books are used from time to time. To ensure that these do not bend in the school bag, you will find the school backpack "Waldorf", which was developed by Deuter and our own brand waldorfkind especially for the needs of pupils in Waldorf schools.

Exercise books in Waldorfshop

In Waldorfshop you will find a large selection of period and exercise books online.

Whether for arithmetic or writing, for drawing shapes or for religious education, for writing notes or for astronomy lessons, DIN A4 or DIN A5 - you will find the right exercise book for every lesson at the Waldorf school in our online shop.

Exercise books for every age according to the modular principle

Sedulus exercise books are produced in workshops by people with special needs. The paper used comes from certified and sustainable forestry, is bleached without chlorine, acid-free and therefore very resistant to ageing. 100% of the covers and some of the inside pages are made from recycled paper.

The exercise books can be put together like a modular system according to cover colours, strength and formats, i.e. DIN A3, A4 etc., rulings, i.e. squared, lined etc. and unprinted sheets, portrait and landscape formats as well as different numbers of pages. In this way, a handmade, beautiful and purpose-built exercise book can be created for the pupils.

School supplies for your children!

For further school material for the Waldorf School, such as school bags and backpacks, erasers, pencil cases, notebooks, pens and colours and much more, please browse through our online shop!

For information for you as parents on the subject of starting school, Waldorf school, Waldorf education and more, please also take a look at our blog.