Emmi Pikler
Encyclopedia
Emmi Pikler was a Hungarian pediatrician who introduced new theories of infant education
, and put them into practice at an orphanage
she ran.
She returned to Vienna to study Medicine where she received her medical degree in 1927. She received her pediatric training at the Vienna University Children's Hospital by Clemens von Pirquet
and studied pediatric surgery by Hans Salzer.
Emmi Pikler's third teacher was her own husband, a mathematicians and educator through whose experiences she was confirmed in its development physiological considerations. Together, they decided at the birth of her first child, to allow her freedom of movement and to await her development patiently. At first they lived in Trieste and later in Budapest. In 1935 Emmi Pikler qualified as a pediatrician in Hungary. From the beginning, their goal was to promote the healthy development of the child. From the experience with her daughter, she knew that a child must not be stimulated to movement and to the game and that every detail in dealing with the child and his environment is important. Even in these years Emmi Pikler wrote and gave lectures about the care and upbringing of infants and young children. The result was her first book for parents. It was published in 1940 and went through several editions in Hungary and other countries. The ten years that she worked as a family doctor were difficult for them not only because the family was Jewish, but also because her husband was in prison for political reasons from 1936 to 1945. With the help of the parents of the children she cared for, she and her family survived the persecution of Jews during World War II.
After the war she became a mother of two more children. She did not open her private practice again, but worked for a national association for abandoned and malnourished children. In addition to many other activities, she founded in 1946, the Lóczy orphanage (named after the street where it was located) which she headed until 1979. From the beginning, she sought to establish a comforting atmosphere, including careful selection of the staff, to allow children at the orphanage to grow up without the usual institutional damage.
Elsa Gindler
and Henry Jacoby found in the 1920s that it was essential to understand the natural path of child development in order to allow the child's initial skills and powers to develop. Gindler and Jacoby explained that traditional infant and early childhood education damaged the initiative of children and stunted their development.
In 1946 Emmi Pikler founded the Lóczy Institute in Budapest. Under her leadership, and by the publication of books and scientific publications, an internationally known institution developed that is now managed by the child psychologist Anna Tardos. After Emmi Pikler retired in 1978, she continued her scientific and consultative work in Lóczy. In the last years of her life she received more and more recognition in Hungary and other countries. In 1984 Emmi Pikler died after a short but severe illness.
Infant education
Infant education is the education of children before they would normally enter school. The term "Infant" is typically applied to children between the ages of 1 month and 12 months....
, and put them into practice at an orphanage
Orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
she ran.
Life
Emmi Pikler was born in 1902 and spent her early childhood in Vienna. She was the only child. Her mother was a Viennese kindergarten teacher and her father was a Hungarian craftsman. In 1908 her parents moved to Budapest. When Emmi Pikler was twelve years old, her mother died.She returned to Vienna to study Medicine where she received her medical degree in 1927. She received her pediatric training at the Vienna University Children's Hospital by Clemens von Pirquet
Clemens von Pirquet
Clemens Peter Freiherr von Pirquet was an Austrian scientist and pediatrician best known for his contributions to the fields of bacteriology and immunology....
and studied pediatric surgery by Hans Salzer.
Emmi Pikler's third teacher was her own husband, a mathematicians and educator through whose experiences she was confirmed in its development physiological considerations. Together, they decided at the birth of her first child, to allow her freedom of movement and to await her development patiently. At first they lived in Trieste and later in Budapest. In 1935 Emmi Pikler qualified as a pediatrician in Hungary. From the beginning, their goal was to promote the healthy development of the child. From the experience with her daughter, she knew that a child must not be stimulated to movement and to the game and that every detail in dealing with the child and his environment is important. Even in these years Emmi Pikler wrote and gave lectures about the care and upbringing of infants and young children. The result was her first book for parents. It was published in 1940 and went through several editions in Hungary and other countries. The ten years that she worked as a family doctor were difficult for them not only because the family was Jewish, but also because her husband was in prison for political reasons from 1936 to 1945. With the help of the parents of the children she cared for, she and her family survived the persecution of Jews during World War II.
After the war she became a mother of two more children. She did not open her private practice again, but worked for a national association for abandoned and malnourished children. In addition to many other activities, she founded in 1946, the Lóczy orphanage (named after the street where it was located) which she headed until 1979. From the beginning, she sought to establish a comforting atmosphere, including careful selection of the staff, to allow children at the orphanage to grow up without the usual institutional damage.
Elsa Gindler
Elsa Gindler
Elsa Gindler was a somatic bodywork pioneer in Germany.Born in Berlin, gymnastics teacher, student of Hedwig Kallmeyer ....
and Henry Jacoby found in the 1920s that it was essential to understand the natural path of child development in order to allow the child's initial skills and powers to develop. Gindler and Jacoby explained that traditional infant and early childhood education damaged the initiative of children and stunted their development.
In 1946 Emmi Pikler founded the Lóczy Institute in Budapest. Under her leadership, and by the publication of books and scientific publications, an internationally known institution developed that is now managed by the child psychologist Anna Tardos. After Emmi Pikler retired in 1978, she continued her scientific and consultative work in Lóczy. In the last years of her life she received more and more recognition in Hungary and other countries. In 1984 Emmi Pikler died after a short but severe illness.
Books
- Laßt mir Zeit. Die selbständige Bewegungsentwicklung des Kindes bis zum freien Gehen. Untersuchungsergebnisse, Aufsätze und Vorträge. (Give me time. The independent movement of the child's development to go free. Findings, articles and lectures.) (with Anna Tardos). Pflaum, München 2001 / 3. Reprint ISBN 379050842X
- Friedliche Babys - zufriedene Mütter. Pädagogische Ratschläge einer Kinderärztin. (Peaceful baby - happy mothers. Pedagogical advice of a pediatrician.) Herder, Freiburg 2008/9. Reprint ISBN 9783451049866
External links
- Pikler/Lóczy Fund USA
- Internationale Emmi Pikler Stiftung
- Pikler Gesellschaft Berlin http://www.pikler.de
- Association Pikler-Lóczy de France
- Association Internationale Pikler (Lóczy)
- Information and Pikler Playgroups in Vienna