The harmony of physical and mental well-being, healthy living and development played an important role in Emmi Pikler’s thinking and her work as a paediatrician. She recognised that a child, under the loving care of an adult, is able to develop at its own pace, through its own efforts, and to learn about the world.
Pikler’s pedagogy
A unique approach to infant and toddler education based on free play, movement and tactful thinking, developed in detail by Emmi Pikler, a paediatrician, and her followers, which takes into account and adapts to the individual needs of the child.
The Pikler approach is constantly evolving and has been used in Hungary and around the world for 70 years.
Emmi Pikler‘s pedagogical system offers specific furniture and gross motor equipment for young children from very young ages (6-12 months), offering new opportunities for all levels of motion development.
Pikler tools can be used by children without direct adult intervention. They can move freely, discovering their own abilities at their own pace, if they are introduced to these tools gradually and if they are carefully supervised by sensitive adults.
In a space designed according to the principles of Pikler‘s pedagogy, the playground floor is hard, making it easier for children to lean and move. In order to avoid dangerous situations, care must be taken to ensure that no sharp edges or sharp objects are placed nearby when placing gross motor equipment. The use of gross motor equipment is most effective when young children can be barefoot so that they can directly feel the surfaces they are moving on.