Society’s future starts in kindergarten

The foundations for empathy, cooperation and the ability to stand up for others and for the community are laid in the early years of life. The Pedagogical Section at the Goetheanum calls for greater attention to be given to children’s early social development.

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Philipp Reubke, co-leader of the Pedagogical Section at the Goetheanum and an early childhood educator himself, is convinced that “people today think that problems can be solved with power and violence, but real strength lives in gentleness and kindness.” Along with many colleagues around the world he asks how social skills can be acquired in a time of global challenges and increasing individualization. He is convinced that these skills include “the ability to empathize with others, find solutions together, tolerate differences and view one’s own actions in connection with other people.”

The interplay of individuality and community relies on establishing and fostering stable relationships, free play, everyday rhythms and a consciously created environment where children can develop trust, compassion and social competence. Philipp Reubke has observed that the environment children grow up in has a decisive effect on how they later deal with people, how they resolve conflicts and assume responsibility for others. In an anthroposophically inspired pedagogy, early childhood is therefore a crucial time to acquire social skills.

Early childhood educators play a central role in this because children orient themselves to the social skills of the adults around them. Reubke is certain that “children who experience kindness, inner strength and loving attention from adults will develop trust, compassion and the ability to deal mindfully with other people. Helping them to acquire these qualities is the task of early childhood educators.”

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