Takeshi Arai (1964) said, F. Frobel [1782-1852] dedicated his life to “research and practice of education” and “kept working until he died without rest to spread kindergarten education and establish an institution to train nursery-school teachers while devoting himself to kindergarten education by facing several challenges especially late in life. ‘Kindergarten’ is a creative work that he presented to human. His name became famous by this and will be immortal with this”.
“Human Education” written by Frobel (1826) is a classic book of early childhood education read in succession among people involved to childcare still present, 193 years later after published. At the beginning, Frobel defines such as “Study of Life”, “Pedagogy”, “Theory of Education”, “Educational Technology”, and “Purpose of Education” by very simple, appropriate, and close sentences. We can reconfirm universality of Frobel’s writing capturing the education nature by reading such sentences.
It could be highly significant to consider his writing created by his extraordinary and intuitive insight approaching the nature of early childhood education by projecting it on early childhood education in the modern Japanese society. This paper was subject to “Chapter 1 Foundations of the Whole”, extracted writing concerning “body”, and considered in relevance with childcare details, “Health” field. The results showed an issue to require reconsideration of close relationship between physicality and spirituality or modern childcare. Of particularly interest is firstly a point in which we can confirm spirituality of “responsive engagement” or “affective bond” that Japanese infant childcare focuses in “Childcare Guidelines” and consistency with writing by Frobel. It can indicate that ideas or philosophies by Frobel are underlying childcare ideas in Japan. Secondary, “initial smile” by Frobel probably means “social smile” and it emphasizes spirituality in mother-child and brother-sister relationship by a term, “high level of sympathy”. Thirdly, Frobel suggests the significance of sense education including sensory organs or physical activities in infancy. Also, “initial formation impulse” such as “play”, “building blocks”, and “molding” can be restated as being aware of self-expression activities. A practical site of childcare tends to focus on sensory learning as the age of children becomes younger. Fourthly, Frobel always focuses on consistency of physicality and spirituality. “Healthy mind and body” and “health of mind and body” are described in “Kindergarten Education Guidelines” and “Childcare Guidelines” in Japan and Frobel’s ideas to unity of spirit and body could come down to childcare in modern Japan.
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