Froebel's Thoughts on Early Childhood Education

(A) Pay attention to early education

Froebel attaches great importance to early education. He believes that childhood is a very important stage in the process of human development. "A person's whole future life, until the moment he is about to leave this world again, is rooted in this stage of life, no matter whether this future life is pure or dirty, gentle or rude ... mainly depends on his lifestyle at this age." In Froebel's view, the importance of early childhood education is above all else. Therefore, he said that "the education of real people begins in childhood".

(2) Attach importance to the principle that education conforms to nature.

Froebel advocates that education should conform to the laws of children's natural development as much as possible, attach importance to children's self-activity and free development, and aim at educating "free, conscious and thoughtful people". He believes that children are born with an instinct, that is, they are born with the possibility of development. In view of this nature, education should conform to this nature, provide conditions for its full development, and do not interfere too much, so as not to destroy the original beautiful nature.

(C) Pay attention to the role of kindergartens

He compared kindergartens to gardens, children to flowers and trees, kindergarten teachers to gardeners, and children's development to the process of cultivating flowers and trees. This series of metaphors fully shows Froebel's concern and love for young children. Kindergartens organize children to carry out various appropriate activities, especially game activities, to develop children's strength in all aspects, to ensure children's physical health, to develop children's feelings, to expand children's understanding of the surrounding life, to develop children's language and creativity, to carry out preliminary moral education, and to prepare for primary school and future life.

(D) Pay attention to the role of games

He believes that games are the source of children's happiness, a part of children's life, conducive to the development of children's understanding, imagination and creativity, and will directly affect children's life and education. In order to let children carry out games and other activities, Floppel has designed a set of games and homework systems that are from simple to complex, from unified to diverse, step by step and logically linked, and a set of movable toys as teaching AIDS, that is, "kindness", to help children understand nature and its inherent laws and develop their intelligence, imagination and creativity.