The most basic idea in Rousseau's educational theory system is to treat children as children and treat children as positive factors in education. Education should adapt to the development of children's nature and safeguard children's nature. Rousseau's pre-school education thought includes the following aspects:

(1) Nature education thought.

Rousseau put forward the idea of natural education from the perspective of good nature. He demanded that education adapt to the inherent natural development of human beings, promote the natural development of human body and mind, respect and study children, and decide the procedures, contents and methods of education on this basis. The training goal of nature education is to train "natural persons", which is essentially the new bourgeoisie.

(2) The stage and content of children's education.

Rousseau divided children's education into four age stages. In infancy (from birth to 2 years old), physical maintenance is the main thing; Childhood (2- 12 years old) is dominated by physical exercise and sensory training; Young people (12- 16 years old) are mainly intellectually educated; Puberty (16-20 years old) is dominated by moral education.

(3) the methods of preschool education.

Rousseau believes that the methods of preschool education mainly include: giving children freedom of action, reasonable maintenance and exercise, attaching importance to the development of language, being good at using sensory education and imitating instinct, and opposing corporal punishment in moral education.