Theme and Activity Characteristics of Project Works in German Early Childhood Education: A Case Study on Natural Sciences

Abstract

An early childhood education reform with emphasis on intellectual education is currently underway in Germany, and project works pertaining to this reform are attracting attention as an approach to promote children’s competencies and as a way of implementing appropriate learning for early childhood. In this paper, the themes and activities of 53 project works related to natural sciences were analyzed, and the following findings were obtained.

Approximately 60% of the themes were biological and about 40% were physical, chemical, and geological. The project works can be classified into 13 categories, such as “water,” “fire,” “energy,” “soil,” etc. Additionally, while children’s interests were the basis of the project themes, those regarding education for sustainable development (ESD) and Mathematik, Informatik, Naturwissenschaft, Technik (MINT) were set after support by teachers. The project works are characterized first by experiential activities that involve thoughts, feelings, and the five senses; second, they include free expressive activities; and finally, they develop activities that advocate personal lifestyles and social change. Given that the “process itself is the goal” of project works, there is value in participating in a certain situation or process, and this could be one way of “learning” in early childhood.