or Friedrich Wilhelm Fröbel
born April 21, 1782, Oberweissbach, Thuringia, Ernestine Saxony
died June 21, 1852, Marienthal, near Bad Liebenstein, Thuringia
German educator and founder of the kindergarten .
Influenced by the theories of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi , he founded an infant school in 1837 that he later called the Kindergarten , or "garden of children." He believed in "self-activity" and play as essential factors in child education, the teacher's role being not to drill or indoctrinate but rather to encourage self-expression through play. He greatly influenced modern techniques in preschool education , including the ideas of John Dewey .