I call a child of three years a man because I see his merits instead of his size. He has acquired a great degree of independence and can do many...

At this age (between one and a half and two and a half years) children have a need to develop independence.

With the acquisition of language, the child reaches a new level of independence. The child can now communicate his feelings and desires and needs. It...

Growing is a succession of acquisitions of independence. At first they are physical acquisitions – teeth, walking, language – each comes at the right...

The child who has never learned to act alone, to direct his own actions, to govern his own will, grows into an adult who is easily led and must...

We can sum this up in two sentences; the first actually said by a child to his teacher: ‘Help me to do it by myself’. The other is one we gave:...

Our schools are like a furnished house, a ‘children’s house’. And what do the children do? It is what one does in one’s own house. They carry out...

Liberty is not to be free to do anything one likes; it is to be able to act without help.

The child realises that through his own efforts he can be independent and achieve things he has set his mind to. And gradually we educators are...

It is to correspond to these needs [for independence] that we prepared an environment proportionate to the size and intelligence of the children...