Iron & Glass

Nurturing Young Minds Through Play: Pratt's Kindergarten Progam and Alice Fitts’ Unique Approach to Early Childhood Learning

Post submitted by Aditya Narasimhan Tirumalai Srinidhi, Archives and Digital Initiatives Graduate Assistant at Pratt Institute Libraries.

In the early days of Pratt Institute, Charles Pratt was eager to support the development of kindergartens in Brooklyn, at a time when little was being done in most places except for St. Louis. Back then, Mr. Pratt's educational priorities drove the early direction of departments, and staff were accustomed to accommodating his unique interests. It was still unexpected when he asked for someone to be found immediately to start and run a kindergarten in a house across from the current Main Building. After an extensive search, Elizabeth Cushman was selected to lead the initiative, and the first kindergarten was established. This eventually grew into the School for the Training of Kindergartners, also known as the Department of Kindergartens.

Pratt Kindergarten Building, Brooklyn, N.Y. (corner of Willoughby Avenue and Ryerson Street) Pratt Institute Archives Photograph Collection

Alice E. Fitts, who initially started as an instructor, later became the director in 1894, and for the next twenty-five years, the school had a significant impact across the country, providing quality training for kindergarten teachers and upholding high standards in early childhood education. 

Miss Alice E. Fitts (Front Row and Center) with Students of the School of Kindergarten Training, Class of 1913. Pratt Institute Archives Prattonia Collection

The Pratt Institute Archives holds a variety of materials related to Miss Fitts’ work at the Department of Kindergartens, including correspondence, lesson plans, and teaching notes dating back to the 1890s. As part of my role in cataloging digitized materials from the collection, I not only contributed to their preservation and accessibility for future research, but also gained valuable insights into Miss Fitts’ pedagogical methods.

Miss Fitts grounded her teaching philosophy in Friedrich Froebel's educational theories. Froebel, a nineteenth century German educator, is widely regarded as one of the most influential pioneers in early childhood education and care. Froebel envisioned a child-centered learning environment where children could actively explore and learn through play, with the guidance of supportive adults. He believed that the early years are crucial for development and that children flourish most when their natural curiosity and creativity are encouraged through activities and self-reflection, rather than passive absorption of knowledge from a teacher. His ideas were revolutionary for their time, emphasizing the importance of play and emotional well-being in a child's education.

A resource that Miss Fitts often referred to, was Froebel’s Mother Play (Mutter-und Koselieder in German) - a collection of songs, verses, and illustrations created in 1844 to guide mothers in early childhood education. It was designed as a tool for fostering the development of young children, based on Froebel’s belief that early childhood is a formative period for growth and learning. The book emphasizes the importance of the mother-child relationship and uses play, song, and simple activities to help children explore their world. Each song or poem is accompanied by illustrations and guidance for the mother on how to engage her child physically and emotionally. Froebel believed that through these activities, children would not only bond with their caregivers, but also develop foundational skills in observation, language, and motor coordination. The core idea behind Mother Play was to encourage learning through play, a principle central to Froebel’s educational philosophy, which also laid the groundwork for the modern kindergarten system.

Left: play with the Limbs from Mother Play Pictures (E. Steiger & Co., New York), ca. 1850-1902. Right: page from a lesson plan by Miss Fitts on Play with the Limbs (from Mother Play) emphasizing the importance of play, October 4, 1897. Alice E. Fitts Papers.

Another Froebelian practice that Miss Fitts often incorporated in her lessons was that of “Gifts.” Friedrich Froebel's Gifts (Spielgaben in German) are a set of educational materials he designed to help children learn through play and exploration. These objects were fundamental to his concept of early childhood education and central to his idea of kindergarten. Each Gift is a simple, geometric object, such as a ball, cube, or cylinder, that progressively grows in complexity. Designed to nurture a child's understanding of shape, form, and spatial relationships, the Gifts also foster creativity and critical thinking. Most importantly, the Gifts were meant to encourage active, creative play rather than passive learning. By manipulating the objects, children would uncover patterns and relationships between shapes, while developing independent learning and problem-solving skills. Froebel’s Gifts are categorized into different years, with the First and Second Year Gifts being foundational.

Left: Page from a shorthand report on a lesson by Miss Fitts, discussing the increasing complexity of Gifts, January 17, 1899. Right: Page from a Gift Book by Miss Fitts, with instructions for playing a game of distributing balls, 1906. Alice E. Fitts Papers.

Froebel viewed the world as an interconnected system, where every part is related to a greater whole. He believed that children should learn not only to recognize individual parts, but also to see how they fit together within larger systems. This understanding of relationships between parts and wholes was, for Froebel, a way of helping children comprehend the unity of the world, including nature, society, and even their own place in it. This idea permeated his educational materials, particularly his "Gifts" and "Occupations" (that I will get to later in this post), as well as his broader approach to learning. Additionally, his Gifts enabled and prepared children to understand concepts like mathematics and science in a tangible way, using their hands and imagination.

Left: Page from a lesson by Miss Fitts on Gifts, discussing the relationships between parts and wholes, February 20, 1900. Right: Page from a lesson by Miss Fitts on Gifts, discussing the role of Gifts in enabling children to understand geometry, November 3, 1899. Alice E. Fitts Papers.

Miss Fitts’ teaching notes also reveal the significance of color in early childhood education, as part of Froebel’s broader educational philosophy. Froebel believed that color was a key element in helping children develop their sensory perception, creativity, and understanding of the world around them. One of the ways that Froebel introduced colored materials was through his Gifts which included colored balls, cubes, and other objects, to stimulate children’s visual and cognitive development. He believed that color was the initial element that captured a child's attention when interacting with these materials. 

Color served as a way to engage the child's senses and encourage exploration, creativity, and self-expression. By playing with different colored objects, children could make connections, observe patterns, and begin to understand relationships between objects. For Froebel, color was not only a means of aesthetic enjoyment but also a fundamental tool for learning through active play and discovery.

Left: Page from Miss Fitts’ teaching notes discussing the importance of introducing colors of the rainbow to children through Gifts, so they may develop the ability to differentiate between various hues, ca. 1890-1910. Right: Story on the Rainbow from Miss Fitts’ teaching notes, ca. 1890-1910. Alice E. Fitts Papers.

In Friedrich Froebel's educational philosophy, "Occupations" were an essential part of his kindergarten system and played a significant role in children's learning and development. Unlike his "Gifts," which were fixed, structured materials like blocks or balls that children could manipulate in specific ways, "Occupations" involved more open-ended, creative activities where children could produce something new or transform materials. These occupations included tasks like pricking, drawing, cutting, weaving, clay modeling, sewing, folding, and other hands-on activities. 

Three kindergarten students at the Pratt Institute sitting at a table working with clay, ca. 1900. Pratt Institute Archives Photograph Collection

Miss Fitts’ lesson plans introduce children to occupations in sequential order, starting with their basis in simple concepts such as the point (pricking), building up to the line (sewing and drawing), and eventually solids (clay modeling). The idea behind the introduction of occupations is holistic, combining elements of intellectual and physical development. For example, activities like pricking train the eye to determine distances, while testing the clearness of the child’s perception. Occupations encourage children to be actively engaged in the learning process by using their hands and minds together, allowing them to explore, experiment, and express themselves. Ultimately, occupations give children a sense of connection to the larger world (whole) that they are inevitably a part of.

To learn more about Miss Fitts’ contributions and gain unique insights into nineteenth century educational pedagogy, check out the Pratt Institute Archives' digital and physical holdings. These resources provide a fascinating look at Pratt’s influence on the early development of the kindergarten movement and the enduring legacy of Froebelian methods in early childhood education.