Froebel Gifts
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Froebel Gifts (German: Fröbelgaben) are a range of educational materials designed by Friedrich Froebel. They were first used in the original Kindergarten at Bad Blankenburg.
Froebel advocated the importance of free play in childhood. Each gift (Gabe) was designed to be given to a child to provide material for the child's self-directed activity.
Ottilie de Liagre in a letter to Froebel in 1844 observed that playing with the Froebel Gifts empowers children to be lively and free, but people can degrade it into a mechanical routine.
"Realising how the Gifts were eventually misused by Kindergarten teachers who followed after Froebel, it is important to consider what Froebel expected the Gifts to achieve. He envisaged that the Gifts will teach the child to use his (or her) environment as an educational aid; secondly, that they will give the child an indication of the connection between human life and life in nature; and finally that they will create a bond between the adult and the child who play with them" Joachim Liebschner on page 82 in his book, A Child's Work: Freedom and Guidance in Froebel's Educational Theory and Practice
Froebel Gifts remain popular today in Korea and Japan in early childhood education.
