Froebel, however, attached great importance to education in the child’s early life. He thought that if the education of pre-school years was not properly reformed, no tangible improvement could be made in school education. This led him to establish a school for small children between the ages of three and seven. The chief characteristics of the kindergarten are:
Self Activity
Self-activity is spontaneous in which the child carries out his own impulses and motives. Such activity directs the growth of the child along the lines of racial development. So it merges the individual spirit with the spirit of humanity. Self-activity, in fact, is self-realization through which the child comes to know of his own nature as well as the life around him. Thus, self-activity not only fills the gap between knowledge and action but also gives joy, freedom, contentment and peace of mind. Self-activity is promoted through song, movements and construction.
Creativeness
Child is creative by nature. If he is given some material, he will at once try to create new forms and combinations with that material. Froebel also believes that every man’s mind, soul and hand are inseparable, although they are independent parts of him. Mind and soul express themselves through physical activity and expression. It is, therefore, that thinking must express itself in doing, otherwise education will remain unproductive.
Social Participation
Froebel believes that man is essentially a social animal by nature. It is the primary instinct of man to live in the company of other persons. So unlike Rousseau, he emphasized the social aspect of education and advocated that home, school, church, vocation and the state, should all provide opportunities to children for social participation. By participating in co-operative activities, the child not only receives physical training but also intellectual, social and moral education.
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