"Come, let us live with our children!": The Kindergarten's arrival in Japan

Abstract

"Come, let us live with our children!" is the well-known motto of Friedrich Froebel. Froebel was the 'Father of the Kindergarten' and is still seen today as a heroic figure in early childhood education. Some may think that Froebel is old-fashioned; however, the current important ideas of early childhood education such as play, imagination, creativity, mathematics, music, aesthetics, science, socialisation, morality and culture, all are to be found in Froebel's theory and practice. Froebel's theory and the idea of the kindergarten travelled in the nineteenth century from Germany to the countries of Western Europe, England, and the USA before eventually arriving in Japan. Froebel's theory was adopted by many ambassadors, the so-called 'Froebelians', around the world and to a large extent laid the foundation for the current practice of early childhood education in many countries. Froebel's theory was translated and transformed by Froebelians to fit in with local ideas, culture, values and politics. Although authentic Froebel's Gifts (play materials - such as shaped wooden bricks and balls) and Occupations (a series of hands-on activities) are currently not often seen in early childhood settings, the spirit of "Come, let us live with our children!" is still alive in the hearts of early childhood educators around the world. Therefore, the everyday experience of Froebelians in the past may, in many ways, be similar to ours today. I would like to relate a Froebelian's experience of creating a kindergarten in Japan through the story of Annie L. Howe (1852-1943) and depict Howe's beliefs and values concerning the education of young children.