MOVEMENT ED/GAMES Movement Education and Games in the Waldorf curriculum springs from the same understanding of a child's development that underlies the academic curriculum in a Waldorf school. This deeper understanding of a child's development is taken into account in a Movement Education and Games class in the activities that are chosen, the shapes that are used in the group games, and the emphasis of the class (for instance whether games are played with an emphasis on fun or with an emphasis on playing by the rules). Each class contains a rhythm of joining together and moving apart, highly active games balanced with quieter games, working together as a group and taking a few moments to reflect on one's own body and movement. Games in grades one and two are relatively unstructured and have the gesture of the circle, keeping the children protected and as part of the whole. As we move up the grades, the children are slowly coming into their individuality and the games curriculum reflects this by, for instance, adding line games in the third grade to the now familiar circle games. In fifth grade there is a focus on beauty and form and in the spring, the fifth graders participate in the Greek Games, a gathering of fifth grade classes from several regional Waldorf schools. In grades 6, 7 and 8 the more conventional sports are brought into the curriculum because only now can the children have a real respect for the law of rules and understand how a team works together while at the same time developing their own self-discipline and competitive nature. They are aspiring upwards in terms of exactness, technique, timing and the spirit of the law, while also becoming more aware of the world around them. In a culture where organized team sports hold such high status, children can sometimes think of movement only in these terms. The Movement Education curriculum tries to give the children basic coordination and movement skills that will help them when they decide to play organized sports. Depending on the grade, the children will play games or do relay races that serve to develop a skill that is also required for a conventional sport such as basketball. String games, jump rope and a balloon relay are all activities that develop skills that can be used in many different sports. Not only does a movement class provide the opportunity for the children to play games and have fun, it also works with their social interaction by teaching them to play with each other before they play against each other, to acknowledge each other, to play safely, and to gain an appreciation for all kinds of movement.