Froebel’s kindergarten and its movement in Germany and the United States

ABSTRACT

This article examines the life of Friedrich Froebel, the founder of the kindergarten in the 1840s. It describes how the kindergarten and its impact in Germany and the United States. It spread at the international level of education because German kindergarten teachers relocated it to other countries when it was banned in Germany. In the years from 1851 to 1914, kindergarten had much greater success in the United States than in Germany. In 1900, most German school authorities refused to incorporate the kindergarten into public school systems, but many American school systems included kindergarten classes after it was accepted. This paper provides a summary of Froebel’s life and his gifts to children in Germany and the United States.

KEYWORDS:

• Froebel
• kindergarten
• early childhood education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Yoko Shirakawa

Yoko Shirakawa has been a professor of early childhood education at Kobe University for many years. She has studied Froebel and has been active in its international organizations.

Olivia N. Saracho

Olivia N. Saracho is professor at the University of Maryland at College Park.