When is National Kindergarten Day?
National Kindergarten Day occurs on April 21st.
What is National Kindergarten Day?
Kindergarten is probably the best year of school. You learn all the basics. Everything after that is commentary on kindergarten. National Kindergarten Day pays tribute to Friedrich Froebel (1782-1852), the founder of the kindergarten system.
Kids love to play. It’s not always useful, and it doesn’t need to be. It’s nice when we can direct that playful energy into something productive though. That’s how the idea of kindergarten began. Froebel devised the kindergarten to organize children’s playfulness into constructive creativity.
The word ‘kindergarten’ is a metaphor. It comes from the German and literally means “garden of children.” It’s the kind of place where a teacher can tend to each child’s unique nature to help them grow. And while that’s a challenge in a large classroom, that’s what our kindergarten teachers aspire to do.
So, three cheers for kindergarten! And take time to be grateful on National Kindergarten Day for the teachers in your life.
Fun facts about National Kindergarten Day!
- Friedrich Froebel opened the first kindergarten in Blankenburg, Germany in 1837.
- The Prussian government outlawed kindergartens in 1851 because of Froebel’s unorthodox theories. They were allowed again in 1860, eight years after his death.
- The first U.S. kindergarten was a German-language school for young kids that opened in 1856 in Watertown, Wisconsin.
- Boston, Massachusetts can claim the first English-language kindergarten, started in 1860.
How to celebrate National Kindergarten Day:
- Spend time as a family sitting cross-legged on the floor and reading to each other. The reader, of course, needs to sit in a chair. (This activity does not require any participants to be kindergarteners.)
- Thank your children’s kindergarten teacher. You may have to reach back a ways to find them, maybe not. You can also send thank you notes to kindergarten teachers at your local schools.
- Thank your OWN kindergarten teacher. He or she prepared you on your way before you even entered grade school.
What’s the hashtag for National Kindergarten Day?
Use #NationalKindergartenDay on social media to share your favorite kindergarten memory.