Germany’s meticulousness is well-known, but where does this strong national character come from? The answer is education. Germans place great importance on family education, and Germany is the only country that explicitly writes the obligation of child-rearing into its constitution. Rather than just imparting knowledge, Germans focus more on teaching skills, cultivating lifelong habits, and problem-solving abilities in their children.
Germany’s preschool education: cultivating focus and logical thinking
In German preschools, little time is spent sitting down to learn knowledge formally. For preschool children, kindergartens have 1-2 sessions per week where children sit quietly to prepare for the 45-minute classes in elementary school. Besides this, kindergartens also arrange some preschool preparation courses. Still, most of these courses focus on training concentration and logical thinking through games, such as finding differences between two pictures or sequencing images.
The overall curriculum is designed to let children learn through play, such as counting money, understanding the concept of time by observing hourglasses and clocks, and experiencing length and weight. For example, children might learn their weight by determining how many cartons of milk they are equal or conducting various small scientific experiments. They might create a small water cycle system to understand water’s natural transformation, perform water purification experiments, experience the magic of light, and observe the relationship between burning and oxygen. The curriculum is both scientific and fun.
Organizing various outings: early social exposure and adaptation
German kindergartens frequently organize outings, especially for preschool children. These include visits to fire stations, police stations, and meteorological bureaus. During a visit to the police station, for example, police officers teach children about traffic rules. Because these are field trips, the children find the content novel and memorable.
These special arrangements have practical significance. Since most German elementary schools admit students based on proximity, children can walk to school with parental permission, making it crucial for them to know basic traffic rules. This also significantly enhances their independence.
Kindergartens usually organize an essential visit to an elementary school. Teachers responsible for the transition from kindergarten to elementary school engage the preschool children in activities like drawing, singing, dancing, and crafts in the elementary school classrooms. The main goal is to let children experience the classroom atmosphere and understand the class length.
Apart from these unique activities, kindergarten’s daily life also serves as preschool education. From being role models in activities to helping each other with meals and dressing, children learn to solve problems independently, develop a sense of responsibility, and build self-confidence. This is the benefit of mixed-age classes in German kindergartens. Acquiring knowledge is a small part; gaining abilities is far more critical.
These family rules embody the essence of German parenting
- Abilities over grades: Encourage children to become independent and complete individuals.
- Actions speak louder than words: Lead by example, rather than shouting instructions.
- Respect over authority: Avoid belittling or spoiling children; let them grow naturally.
- Endurance over supplements: Moderate hardships are the best training for children.
- Rules overindulgence: Be tolerant, but not indulgent; establishing rules is more effective than preaching.
- Free-range overprotection: Avoid excessive restrictions to raise well-rounded children.
- Freedom over limitations: Give children independent space to foster unlimited development.
- Self-control over control: Teach children financial management from a young age to save their first pot of gold.
Germany’s educational manifesto once stated: “The purpose of education is not to cultivate people to adapt to the traditional world, nor to focus on practical knowledge and skills, but to awaken children’s strengths, cultivate their initiative for self-learning, abstract reasoning, and comprehension so that they can make meaningful choices in an unpredictable future. The essence of education is not to cultivate talent, but to cultivate people.”
Follow us on X, Facebook, or Pinterest
