Waldorf education is built on the idea of children developing through stages of seven years each and experiencing the world differently at each stage. The idea of developmental stages is also shared by several other theorists of child development in the twentieth century, such as Sigmund Freud, Jean Piaget and Erik Erikson. In Waldorf education, Steiner’s developmental scheme informs the curriculum at each stage. During the first years, the curriculum addresses children primarily through their senses, their imaginations, and their bodies. Writing is taught through storytelling and the drawing of pictures, and the early mathematics education uses rhythm and movement. In Waldorf schools the direct stimulation of the intellect is deliberately postponed until adolescence.