Kindergarten (c. 1900) Founded by Friedrich Fröbel (1782-1852), the first kindergarten opened in Blankenburg (Thuringia) in 1840. It aimed to stimulate children by exposing them to poetry and songs, by engaging them in various games for body and mind, and by allowing them ample contact with nature. This photograph by Gisela Frei shows a turn-of-the-century German kindergarten in Dresden.