Progressive kindergarten movement is a part of American progressive education movement. Based on Dewey's pragmatic education theory, it emphasizes that education is child-centered, advocates "learning by doing", and advocates that children gain direct experience through activities. School education focuses on cultivating children's ability to adapt to social life. Dewey's theory is the guiding ideology of progressive kindergarten movement.

The main viewpoints of progressive education are children-centered student view, life-centered curriculum view, problem-solving teaching view, teacher view that weakens authority consciousness and school view that emphasizes cooperative spirit.

Progressive education is an educational philosophy prevailing in the United States in the first half of the 20th century, which had a considerable impact on American school education at that time. Originated from formalism against traditional education. Representative figures are Pucker and Dewey. The main theories and methods include Parker's Quincy teaching method in the early stage, Johnson's organic education school, Walter's Gray system, parkhurst's Dalton system with child-centered orientation in the later stage, China's Winnat Card Plan and social center education theory and experiment.