Children in early years care have two main needs, care and education. This is called a combined holistic approach to children’s care and educational needs. Many theorists have influenced the way young children are educated today. The three most influential being Froebel, Montessori and Steiner, their ideas are still used in the education of children today throughout schools, nursery’s and creches. Learning through play is one of the key points all of the above theorists shared.
Froeble introduced the idea of Kindergarten meaning children’s garden. He likened a developing child to a seed growing and unfolding into a flower, hence the name kindergarten. He believed in structured learning, providing children with gifts to play with such as balls, cubes cylinders of different shapes, colours and sizes. The trained practitioner would teach the child understanding of shape size and colour while the child handled the gifts.
Froeble also believed in allowing children to use various materials to fold, cut and sew enhancing the child’s developing motor skills. Through Freoble it is widely recognised Early Years staff need training, governments today are using his theory and funding training so all EY staff get trained to understand how a child learns. Maria Montessori originally from a medical background, recognised children needed guiding rather than over directing.
Many children in the past were taught while rigidly sitting at table listening to the adult teach. This would often last too long and the children’s concentration would wander and learning could not take place. Montessori saw the necessity for a stimulating environment as a tool to help children take responsibility for their own learning. She, like Freoble would carefully organise activities that would create an interest to the child thus engaging the child in learning through play.
Rudolph Steiner is a theorist still spoken of today. His influence has helped create over 800 schools in many countries, that follow Steiner’s principles as an alternative to mainstream education. His approaches are also used within mainstream education. Steiner thought of a person as spirit, body and soul with three developmental stages. These stages being early childhood, middle childhood and adolescence. These three stages are mirrored today in schools as nursery, primary and secondary education.