Humanism education thought formed and developed during the Renaissance, which had far-reaching influence. It is an idea that emphasizes respect for children and pays attention to their all-round physical and mental development. Its development has gone through the following two stages.

Early humanistic education

The humanistic education thought in the early Renaissance paid more attention to the educational activities centered on classical languages and disciplines, and regarded religious education as an important content of humanistic education. For example, Vitorino advocated generalist education, taking classical subjects as the center of the curriculum, and emphasized the importance of classical ideas in cultivating students' moral quality. Erasmus advocated both Christianity and humanism, emphasizing the Christianization of humanism and the humanization of Christianity.

Late humanistic education

The humanistic education thought in the late Renaissance pays more attention to the secularity of education and the closeness to real life, and emphasizes that education should cultivate new people. For example, rabelais advocated a new concept of individual education freedom; Advocate the parallel development of body and mind; Asking to know everything and so on. Montaigne advocates that education should cultivate a new person with profound practical knowledge, good judgment, moral quality and good physique.