Fröbel’s Pedagogy of Kindergarten and Play

Helge Wasmuth is Associate Professor in the Department of Childhood Education at Mercy College, USA.

"With Fröbel’s Pedagogy of Kindergarten and Play Helge Wasmuth, based on own new translations of original German texts, opens a window into a complex, multifaceted and fascinating world. [...] The book is an invaluable resource for any scholar or educator interested in roots and legacy of Fröbel’s life and work – which are more relevant than ever for orienting our thoughts and practice in early childhood education in our troubled times."Mathias Urban, Desmond Chair of Early Childhood Education, Dublin City University, Ireland, and past President of the International Froebel Society."Fröbel’s Pedagogy of Kindergarten and Play is a readable ‘go-to’ book for us on nineteenth century kindergarten peoples and pedagogies across Germany and the US, both key staging posts for the international export of kindergarten. Such a book is long overdue; weaving a pathway through a complex story, sifting through myriads of archival trails and revealing new insights into the way Fröbel’s original kindergarten pedagogy was modified and indeed forgotten or lost."Helen May, Professor Emerita, University of Otago, New Zealand, past President of the International Froebel Society, and Co-Editor of Kindergarten Narratives on Froebelian Education: Transnational Investigations"Helge Wasmuth’s Fröbel’s Pedagogy of Kindergarten and Play offers an enlightening and fittingly ‘all-sided’ analysis of the Kindergarten as philosophical-pedagogical entity. [...] This book is a must-read for students of the Kindergarten, for the many who consider themselves twenty-first-century Fröbelians, and for those interested in the spread and evolution of educational innovations more generally."Dr. Kristen Nawrotzki, Vice President of the International Froebel Society, Co-Editor of Kindergarten Narratives on Froebelian Education: Transnational Investigations; and Co-Editor of The Development of Early Childhood Education in Europe and North America, Historical and Comparative Perspectives"At a time when play is under threat in American kindergartens, Fröbel’s Pedagogy of Kindergarten Play is a must-read for understanding how ideas about play developed and evolved. [...] As public support for preschool education rapidly grows, we need to take a close look at what types of play-based pedagogy are being promoted and implemented. This well-written book will help us do just that."Barbara Beatty, Professor Emerita of Education at Wellesey College, US, and author of Preschool Education in America: The Culture of Young Children from the Colonial Era to the Present."Helge Wasmuth provides a profound history of Fröbelian pedagogy in Germany and the United States. His historical study shows, like no other, the changes Fröbel’s authentic ideas have undergone as a result of the work of kindergarten teachers in both countries."Ulf Sauerbrey, Co-author of Friedrich Fröbel und seine Spielpädagogik: Eine Einführung, and Executive Board Member of the International Froebel Society Section in Germany."Helge Wasmuth shows how Froebel's complex ideas laid the foundation of the kindergarten, an approach to early childhood education that rapidly gained world-wide acceptance and popularity. Wasmuth sheds light on an important chapter in educational history."Ann Taylor Allen, Professor Emerita of German history at the University of Louisville, US and author of The Transatlantic Kindergarten: Education and Women's Movements in Germany and the United States."The study makes an important contribution to the history of ideas of the kindergarten; Fröbel's pedagogy is presented in detail and the first receptions are described.[...]Following this further analysis of the father figure and the first recipients, it is to be hoped that further work on the diverse national, regional and denominational-cultural kindergarten movements and their motives for the reception of Fröbel will follow."Christina Rothen, University of Teacher Education Bern, H-Soz-Kult

• Acknowledgments IntroductionPart I: Friedrich Fröbel and his pedagogy of kindergarten and playChapter 1: Friedrich Fröbel on his way of becoming an educator of young childrenChapter 2: The Invention of KindergartenChapter 3: The Challenge of Finding the "Authentic" Fröbel and Translating his WorkChapter 4: Fröbel’s worldview and his pedagogy of kindergarten and playPart II: The Fröbelianer and their modification of Fröbel’s pedagogy of kindergarten and play Chapter 5: The organizational development of the Fröbel movementChapter 6: The evolution of Fröbel’s pedagogy of kindergarten and playPart III: How kindergarten came to the United StatesChapter 7: The kindergarten movement in the US and the openness to Fröbel Chapter 8: The transfer of Fröbel’s pedagogy of kindergarten and play to the USChapter 9: Conclusion: The history of Fröbel’s pedagogy of kindergarten and play and its modificationBibliography