Historical
Foundation of
Early
Childhood
Education
CLASSICAL PERIOD
Childhood was thought to be a stage in the process of
becoming human during the Classical Period. And
education aims to refine fundamental aspects of human
nature.
Athenian
• women were forced to
stay at home and receive
an informal education.
• men were permitted to
attend school.
Spartan
• Both men and
women received an
education.
Plato
recognized for the
educational value of
play as a method of
instruction during this
time period.
Aristotle
Believed that Early
Education should foster the
development of the mind
and the body as well as then
establishment of good
behavior.
Quintilian
observed that the years
preceding the age of
seven were formative
and impressionable.
The Middle Ages
• known as the Dark Ages
• Monks in the monasteries were eager to hand-reproduce the
written materials and eventually left the monastery to live with the
villagers, mostly in the countryside.
• Seven-year-old boys from wealthy and/or noble families were
typically sent home to be trained as knights or pageants in another
household.
• The girls stayed at home to learn the intricacies of running a
household.
RENAISSANCE AND
REFORMATION
• brought greater ease and liberty to the common
man. Children were regarded as pure and good.
Thomas More
believed that children are
gifts of God and children
should be well educated
and raised by their parents,
the government, and the
church.
Martin Luther
• Urged parents to educate their
children by instilling morals
and catechism.
• Believed that education
should be universal and
emphasized
John Amos Comenius
• created the first picture book
for children.
• urged parents to allow their
children to play with other
children their own age.
THE ENLIGHTENMENT
Individualism and
Rational humanity’s
intellectual reason
goals were
expanded
knowledge, freedom
dramatically during
and happiness.
the Age of Reason
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John Locke
• father of modern
educational philosophy.
• He developed the
“Tabula Rasa” or “Blank
Slate” theory
• “nurture” over “nature”.
Jean Jacques
Rousseau
• Believed that children are inherently evil but
naturally good.
• Education should reflect this goodness and
allow for children’s spontaneous interests
and activities.
• Education should begin at birth and continue
until adulthood, emphasizing the differences
between children’s and adults’ minds and
adjusting educational methods accordingly.
ROMANTIC PERIOD
• late 1700s and early 1800s, a movement known as
Romanticism flourished as a result of the Enlightenment’s
wealth, stability, and sense of progress.
• Childhood was idealized at this time
• “The Age of Revolution”
Johann Heinrich
Pestalozzi
• Emphasized the concept of an
integrated curriculum that would
develop the entire child.
• Pestalozzi’s contributions are
strongest in curriculum integration
and group teaching.
• He pioneered sensory education and
limits in his work with children.
Robert Owen
• Established the first workplace-
based early childhood care
program.
• He believes that children would
thrive if adults modeled respect and
kindness as they nurtured, raised,
and educated them.
• He advocated for children’s health
and well-being by encouraging
interaction with the environment
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Friedrich
Wilhelm
Froebel
• “Father of the Kindergarten”
• He created his famous educational
toys, which he called gifts, which
included a graded series of wooden
blocks as well as a sphere and a
cylinder.
• He added occupations, or learning
activities, such as paper folding and
cutting, weaving, and clay modeling.
Maria Montessori
• Italy’s first female physician.
• Made significant contributions to
everything we do in early childhood
programs today.
• Her work results in a prepared
environment, self-correcting and
sequential materials, observational
teaching, and faith in children’s
innate desire to learn.
