Froebel's Kindergarten System

1. Froebel’s kindergarten system
Introduction
Friedrich Wilhelm august Froebel (1782-1852) The German educator,
psychologist, best known founder of the kindergarten system and one of the greatest
contributors of the 19th century to the science of education. Froebel’s first kindergarten
was started in 1837 in Blakenburg, Germany.
Educational views of Froebel
He was an absolute idealist and his ideas about education were related to
concept of religion and god. According to Froebel, the real purpose of education is to
expand the life of an individual until it comprehends the existence through participation
in all pervading spiritual activity. To him education is a stage in the evolution of the
child. Education helps to elevate child to a higher level and be a useful member of the
society.
He introduces a new method of teaching related to the interest and inborn
tendencies of children, which emphasizes natural development through self activities
and experience.
Froebel’s educational ideals
1. The whole universe is simply a unity. It demonstrates unity of substance,
unity of origin and unity of purpose.
2. There is one eternal law-the law of unity-that governs all things, men and
nature.
3. Education is a growth from within. Every one develops according to some
universal law.
4. Education is a development by which and individual realizes that he is one
unit of the all encompassing unity (God).
5. Development is possible only through activity and practice.
6. The purpose of educationis to unfold the child’s innate power and awaken his
spiritual nature so that he may have a spiritual union with god.
7. There is similarity between the growth of a plant and that of a child.
8. Play is the highest expression of human development inchildhood for it alone
is the free expression of what is in a child’s soul.
9. Play is the spontaneous activity of the child.Therefore it is the test to for their
education.
10. Self activity is the greatest teacher. The teacher is only a guide. He should
have full sympathy for the child.
Froebel’s kindergarten
Kindergarten is the system of pre-school in which children are taught through creative
play, social interaction and natural expressions. He called this school as kindergarten
which means in German language as ‘Garden of children’. He aimed children in his
school to grow as freely as flowers in a garden.

2. To him a child is repository of all good qualities and each child carries with in itself the
seeds of its fullest development. Hence, He compared a school with a garden, a child
with a seedling and a teacher with a gardener. The name kindergarten signifies both a
garden ‘for’ children and also a garden ‘of’ children.
Garden for Children: A garden for children means a location where they can observe
and interact with nature.
Garden of Children: A Garden of children means where they themselves can grow and
develop in freedom from arbitrary political and social imperatives.
Features of Kindergarten
1. Free self Activity-Kindergarten system gives opportunity to carries out his
impulses and motives. It provides for the free self activity.
2. Creativity- Child is in creative in nature. The kindergarten fosters creativity
by process materials (gifts) for the child self directed activity.
3. Social Participation- It provides opportunities for participation in social
activities and co- operative activities and which will encourage the child to
discover himself and his world. As a result he can build social relationships.
4. Motor expression-Children are impulsive andphysically active by nature. The
kindergarten system promotes learning by doing.
5. Gifts and occupations as materials and method of education – Froebel design
special materials known as gifts and a series of recommended activities
known as occupations for use in kindergarten. The gifts are a set of geometric
shapes such as balls, cubes, cut papers etc. Occupations such as folding paper,
clay modeling etc.
6. Teaching through play- Play is the characteristics activity of childhood.
Kindergarten system makes use of this play behavior for providing learning
experiences to the child. So the child will learn many things easily and
eagerly.
7. Teaching through songs, gestures and construction- Froebel says that singing,
gestures and constructing something are the general nature of children.
Hence, proper organization of these activities is the best means of their
developments.
Froebel’s Gifts
The Froebel’s Gifts are play materials for young children designed by Froebel for the
original Kindergarten. The sonntagsblatt published (1838-1840) by Froebel explained
the meaning and described the use of each of his gifts.
Gift-I
The 1st gift is a soft ball or yarn ball insolidcolour,which is the right size for the hand of
a small child. These soft balls can be squashed in the hand, they revert to their original
shapes. His intention was that through holding, dropping, rolling, swinging, hiding and
revealing the balls, the child may acquire knowledge of objects and spatial relationship,
movements speed and time, colour and contrast, weights and gravity.

3. Gift-II
The 2nd gift originally consisted of two wooden objects, a sphere and a cube. Froebel
called this gift “the child’s delight” since observed the joy of each child discovering the
differences between the sphere and cube. This gift was developed by Froebel to enable
a child to explore and enjoy the differences between shapes.
Gift-III
The cube is divided into 8 identical beech wood cubes, about one inch long each edge,
which is a convenient size for the handoff small child.A child delights in rearranging the
8 cubes in many ways, and reassembling them in the form of a cube. This is the 1st
building task.
Gift-IV
It is the 2nd building gift and it appears similar to the first. Each of these 8 identical
beech wood blocks is twice as long and half the width of the cubes of the previous gift.
Many new possibilities for play and construction arise due to these differences.
Gift-V
Considered by many too complex for a young child, this building gift consists of more
cubes, some of which are divided in halves or quarters.
Merit of Kindergarten System
 It laid emphasis on early childhood education.
 It gave importance to the principle of learning by play.
 It develops imagination and creative capacities of children.
 It develops mental, emotional, social, and spiritual qualities of children.
 This is very simple, interesting and attractive method.
 This system broadened the concept and scope of the school as an essential social
institution.
Demerits
 The over emphasis on play is likely to distract the child from serious learning.
 The method requires a number of materials and specialized teachers which
cannot be provided at all times.
 Children of early age do not comprehend the principle emphasized by Froebel.
 There is only limited scope for correlation in the teaching of various subjects in
Kindergarten system.
Conclusion
Froebel was the first person who gave attention to early childhood education. To him
educationis a necessary condition for the complete development of child. He envisaged
the gifts will teach the child to use his/her environment as an educational aid.