Reimagining Froebelian principles to engage and support low-income families in early childhood policy

This paper makes three important contributions to the early years field in England. First, it highlights the barriers to play experienced by low-income families. Second, it illuminates parents’ affinity with Froebelian principles without prior knowledge of them. Third, it suggests how these affinities could be taken up in early years policy. This paper draws on previous research which revealed that many early years’ practitioners believe low-income families often do not value play. In so doing, it presents findings from our recent study which invited low-income families to reflect on and explore the potential of applying Froebel’s ideas in their interactions with their child(ren) during play. Through interviews, families shared their experiences, perceptions, and understandings of Froebelian approaches to play. Notably, parents engaged with Froebelian concepts in practice, even though they did not explicitly identify or label them as such. The findings suggest a need to adapt and extend Froebelian principles to be more inclusive and accessible to low-income families. This research offers valuable insights for practitioners by providing empirical evidence of diverse parental perspectives on play, highlighting opportunities to learn from families and support play-based learning at home. It also holds implications for policy, identifying areas where changes are needed to address the impact of socio-economic disadvantage on families with young children.