The “Father of Kindergarten”
By: Hannah J. Anderson
In the early years of education Friedrich Froebel once
stated:
“The longer we consider and examine the
present day methods of education, the more
clearly we recognise that children lack the
care and consideration which would be in
accord with their present and future needs, a
care which considers equally the child's
mental and physical needs and capacities. We
notice that if children are not given the care
which takes their stage of human
development into consideration, they will lack
the foundation for the task ahead in school
and for their later lives in general.”
Translated by J. Liebschner in 1844
(“Friedrich froebel,” 2002)
Let’s Start From the Beginning…
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Was born in 1782 in Oberweisbach, Germany as the third son in his
family
After a short study at the University of Jena, Froebel became a
teacher, and found it a natural fit
After teaching for a bit, Froebel studied architect at a local
University and served in the Prussian Army fighting against
Napolean
Froebel got back into education in 1816 and continued to teach until
1837
Froebel published his first book, The Education of Man in 1826
From his ideas from teaching, his education, and working
experience Froebel developed the idea of Kindergarten in 1837 and
continued to devote his life to it until he passed away in 1852 at the
age of 70.
What Was Kindergarten?
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To Froebel, Kindergarten was intended to be a “garden of
children, a place where each child could be fully developed
according to his true potential .”
When Froebel instituted Kindergarten it was originally for
three to four year olds.
Whereas typical education was teacher directed and
memorization, Froebel included songs, stories and activities
for the children
Children were to be pointed in the right direction through
self-activity
By the end of the nineteenth century Kindergartens were
established throughout North America and Europe
Froebel the Idealist:
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Froebel built his concept of Kindergarten upon idealistic principles such as:
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All existence originates in and with God
Humans possess an inherent spiritual essence that is the vitalizing life force that causes
development
All beings and ideas are interconnected parts of a grand, ordered, and systematic universe
(Froebel, 2005)
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Froebel based his work according to these idealistic principles, believing
that each child at birth has an internal spiritual essence, or a life force, that
can externalized through self-activity.
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Kindergarten was to be a place that this self-active development could
occur.
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Froebel used ideas such as kindergarten’s gifts, occupations, and play to
promote this self-active development
Froebel’s Curriculum
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Froebel developed what he called “gifts” and “occupations” for the children
to use in Kindergarten. These gifts were to stimulate the children to
understand fundamental concepts.
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These gifts were things such as:
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Six soft, colored balls
A wooden sphere, cube and cylinder
A large cube divided into eight oblong blocks
A large cube divided into twenty-one whole, six half, and twelve quarter cubes
A large cube divided into eighteen whole oblongs: three lengthwise and three breadth wise
Quadrangular and triangular tablets used for arranging figures
Sticks for outlining figures
Whole and half wire rings for outlining figures
Various materials for drawing, perforating, embroidering, paper cutting, weaving or braiding,
paper folding, modeling, and interlacing.
("Friedrich froebel (1782–1852)," 1999)
What did these “gifts” mean?
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The gifts began with simple objects such as spheres or
circles and then became more complex.
The various cubes were to allow the children to create
geometrical designs
When the students used the sticks and wires to trace
designs they were inadvertently developing small motor skills
and improving their hand-eye coordination
The supplies such as straw, paper, pencils, wood, or clay
was used for constructive activities.
By tracing and constructing Froebel believed the children
were taking their first steps towards drawing and writing.
("Friedrich froebel (1782–1852)," 1999)
What else was in Froebel’s Kindergarten?
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Froebel also used songs and dance often in his
Kindergarten and published a collection of
Kindergarten songs in 1843 titled Mutter-undKose-lieder, which, translated, means Mother’s
songs, games, and stories.
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Stories were also used to assist in sensory and
physical development and socialization.
So Now What?
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In the United States, it was the German immigrants that introduced the idea
of Kindergarten.
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In 1856 in Watertown, Wisconsin, Margarethe Meyer Schurz established a
kindergarten for German-speaking children.
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A woman by the name of Elizabeth Palmer Peabody established a
kindergarten in Boston, organized an educational organization called the
Froebel Union, and created an institute to train kindergarten teachers.
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Kindergarten was first incorporated into the St. Louis, Missouri public school
system in 1873.
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Kindergarten teachers today continue to incorporate socialization and early
writing readiness into their instruction, as well as setting up self-discovery
opportunities for their students to develop their own self-actualization.
("Friedrich froebel (1782–1852)," 1999)
Resources
About friedrich froebel. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2010 from
http://www.froebel.com/about-froebel.htm
Freidrich froebel. (2002). Retrieved February 22, 2010, from
http://www.friedrichfroebel.com/
Friedrich froebel (1782–1852) - biography, froebel's kindergarten
philosophy, the kindergarten curriculum, diffusion of the
kindergarten. (1999). Retrieved March 1, 2010, from
http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/1999/Froebel-Friedrich1782-1852.html
Froebel, F. (2005). The education of man. Mineola, NY: Dover
Publications.