The life and times of Friedrich Froebel - Essay Example

Such an approach would make it impossible for a child to learn bad habits (Tasssoni & Hucker 2005, 19). Therefore, Froebel observed the entire education system as a moral system that has to shape a child morally in the society, impacting not only education, but also the right personality in children. With these thoughts, Froebel worked with three to seven year old children and later opened a kindergarten (literally meaning garden) in Prussia in 1837. Therefore, Froebel ideas about imparting the right education and quality in young children in form of a kindergarten spread to the entire world, making it necessary to train and give the right foundation to a child in moulding them to responsible adults.

Froebel main ideas Froebel is best recognized as the inventor of the kindergarten system of education that is based on strong affinity for nature and strong Christian values were all included in his thinking and shaped his education theory (Smith, 2012). His main principle in education was that education has to guide man as a conscious, perceiving, and thinking being to make him a pure representation of their inner divine law in accordance with their own choice; thus education is the main way and means through which man has to attain this goal (Froebel 1826, 2).

Froebel main school system was based along the Pestalozzian principles, and mainly emphasized on play and holistic use of gifts in play materials and occupations (activities). Froebel believed that humans are by principle creative and productive; fulfillment of this may only be achieved by developing such ideas in harmony with God and the world in general (Smith, 2012). His education theory advocates for an environment that heavily involves direct use of materials and practical work. In his theory of pray as outlined in The Education of Man published in 1896, he noted that play truly fosters, recognizes, and unites the general maturing life of a child with the ripe life and experiences of an adult, “fostering one through the other” (Curtis & O’Hanagan 2003, 104) In other words, Froebel explained that play has to be developed from within a child, by provision of the appropriate material, in the presence of an adult to nurture such development (Curtis & O’Hanagan 2003, 104).

This made Froebel to devise and collect a rich set of play things for children in the belief that a child’s play is important in education. The popularity of his thoughts spread across Europe and Asia where Japan adopted the Kindergarten system in the late 19th century. Japan wanted to introduce itself as a country with equal structures to the western countries, and did not have enough ideas and systems for early child education (Wollons 2000, 123). Thus, despite being used as a political idea, in fostering uniformity in education systems, Froebel’s ideas were embraced due to their importance in child’ development across Asia, America, and Europe.

Froebel’s ideas mainly influenced the Japanese Education and its curriculum making the country to make major changes in their education system, due his theory that were perceived as instrumental in the growth of a child (Yoneyama 2012, 40). The Froebelian kindergarten movement gained much root and in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, more women started home based kindergartens to look after their children or a group of children in the neighborhood. They were attending classes on locally organized Froebel