Who coined the educational term “kindergarten”?

German educator Friedrich Fröbel coined the educational term “kindergarten.”

Fröbel opened a play-and-activity institute for young children in Bad Blankenburg in 1837. On June 28, 1840, he renamed the institution Kindergarten, a German word meaning “children’s garden” or “garden of children.” The metaphor expressed his belief that children should be nurtured like growing plants.

Fröbel’s approach emphasized play, songs, stories, practical activities, and self-directed expression. He also developed structured educational materials called gifts, which encouraged children to explore shapes, patterns, movement, and construction.

Kindergarten is often associated with a school year or age group today, but Fröbel’s original idea was a broader early-childhood educational environment. His influence spread internationally through teachers and students, including Margarethe Meyer-Schurz, who founded the first kindergarten in the United States in Watertown, Wisconsin, in 1856.