Translated from Angelika Wiehl and Wolfgang-M. Auel's Kindheit, this book is the result of the editors' many years of experience as Waldorf educators and leaders in teacher training. Understanding Child Development presents a selection of Rudolf Steiner's source texts on childhood, scholarly commentary, supplemental essays on sensory development and imitation, suggestions for studying the texts, and a discussion of the future of childhood. Includes a selection of Steiner's source texts on early childhood collected in English for the first time.