The Froebelian ApproachCourse

The Froebelian Approach Course maps out Friedrich Froebel’s philosophy of education, the elements that make up the Froebelian model and how his influence can be seen in today’s world.

Friedrich Froebel was a German educator who laid the groundwork for modern education and created the first kindergartens, by recognising that children have unique needs and capabilities. The course provides some background to his thoughts and philosophies on education by providing you with insight into his life history, the challenges he faced, and his work in early childhood education.

There are numerous approaches to early childhood education with each one focusing on different aspects of children’s intellectual, cognitive, and social development. Akin to Froebel, Montessori advocates that young children learn best through play and self-discovery. You’ll learn the similarities between these two models and where they differ.

Before Froebel’s theories, a child at play was seen as trivial but he saw the connection between play and development, and the value in it. Through the Froebelian Approach Course, you will explore the elements that make up Froebel’s theory of play and how to apply the Froebelian approach to early years learning.

An important part of the Froebelian approach to learning, is the environments in which the children are taught. This course explores both indoor and outdoor (including nursery gardens and Forest school) environments. While no two environments will be the same, this will give you a sense of what they would look like and how each aids a child’s learning.

Frobel used the idea of ‘gifts’ and ‘occupations’ when it came to play-lead learning in early years education. The ‘gifts’ were arguably the first educational toys, allowing children to create, talk about their creations, ask questions, see other people’s creations and listen to them talk about them.

Similarly, Frobel’s ‘occupations’ provide a wide range of materials and activities that help children understand to 2 and 3 dimensional materials, improve physical skills, problem solve, communicate and be creative. The Froebelian Approach Course guides you through the first 10 ‘gifts’ and the purpose of each and how Froebelian ‘gifts’ and ‘occupations’ are used today.

The course highlights the incredible benefits block play has on childhood development and how music and movement with parents and other children are not just inconsequential amusements but an avenue for key learning experiences, such as movement, rhythm, rhyme, intimacy, joy, unity, and a sense of belonging.

A large part of the Froebelian approach is the role that teachers play in the learning process. You will learn the ways that both teachers and parents can be involved in the development of a child using the theories put forward by Froebel.