Froebel introduced the concept of "evolution" in natural philosophy into human life and education for the first time in the history of education. In his view, everything in the universe is infinitely developing, and human life and education are also "things that grow, develop and exist forever" and "things that advance from one stage to another". Therefore, he opposed to regard people's life and education as "fixed things". Froebel also stressed that education must adapt to nature and conform to children's nature. Advocating children's education, teaching and training should also adapt to children's interests and aspirations, based on children's personal abilities, rather than being imposed by external factors. In his view, "all arbitrary, indicative, absolute and intervening training, education and teaching inevitably play a destructive, obstructive and destructive role". Advocating development and adapting to nature is an important content of Froebel's educational thought and the basis of his preschool education theory.

Froebel attaches great importance to preschool education. He pointed out that kindergarten is a very important stage of life development, and even thought that people's whole future life "is rooted in this stage of life". If a child is injured at this age, "he must pay the greatest hardships and efforts to grow into a strong person." Formally based on this understanding, he attaches importance to the family education of preschool children, especially the role of mothers in early education. However, he agrees that family education alone is not enough, and special children's education institutions should be established to help families better carry out preschool education. Therefore, in Froebel's view, the main body of preschool education is family education, and kindergarten is only the continuation and expansion of family education, and it is a "supplement" rather than a "substitute" for family education. The kindergarten founded by Floppel adopts half-day system, which embodies his philosophy.

Froebel expounded the task of kindergarten. He believes that the main task of kindergarten is to organize various appropriate games and activities, so that children can gain perceptual knowledge in nature and life, strengthen their systems, train their senses, promote the development of their awakened hearts, and prepare them for entering primary school and future life. In addition, kindergartens also have the task of training early childhood educators and popularizing early childhood education experience.

In his later years, Froebel devoted himself to kindergarten curriculum development, and established a kindergarten curriculum system including games and ballads, good games, manual work, sports games, natural research, singing, performance and storytelling. Froebel attaches importance to the value of games in preschool education. In his view, the game is the spontaneous expression of children's inner essence outward, and it is the purest spiritual product of people in the early stage of development. It gives children happiness, freedom, satisfaction, etc. And it can also cultivate children's willpower and self-sacrifice spirit. Moreover, it is in games that children can best show their creativity and initiative. Therefore, he suggested setting up a children's public playground in every township, which is of positive significance for enriching community life, cultivating common consciousness and feelings, developing common laws and requirements of society, inspiring and cultivating citizens' morality and quality, and developing national virtues in society.

The so-called "gifts" are eight sets of movable toys designed and manufactured by Floppel for children to play games and other activities, which means that they are gifts given by God. As a symbol of nature, the educational value of Froebel's mission lies in that it is an important tool to help children understand nature and its laws step by step from easy to difficult, from simple to complex. In the history of education, Froebel first proposed that manual labor should be listed as a school curriculum. By 1866, the rate of manual education in Finnish school curriculum was advanced, and Froebel's thought became a reality.

Froebel has made great contributions to preschool education and the development of preschool education theory. His educational thoughts have profoundly influenced preschool education in Europe, America, Japan and other countries. In the late Qing Dynasty, Froebel's educational thoughts began to be introduced into China, which also had a great influence on China's preschool education practice and theory.