ABSTRACT
Friedrich Froebel (1782-1852), a nineteenth-century German educator, was arguably the most significant of the pioneers of early childhood education and care. He created the first kindergarten, a garden or nursery where young children could grow and develop at their own pace, nurtured by knowledgeable and supportive adults. This was at a time when there was almost no provision for young children. Froebel argued that the earliest years of a child’s life are the most important in a child’s education and lay the foundation for all later learning. Young children, he argued, learn best through self-activity, talk and play. These ideas, although widely accepted today, were radical concepts in Froebel’s time.
