--- title: Why Germany Does Kindergarten Better Than the U.S. description: Playing in the woods can be more important than reading and writing. canonical: https://time.com/4231170/kindergarten-germany-usa/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-02-26T13:30:59.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:45:09.520Z og:title: Why Germany Does Kindergarten Better Than the U.S. og:description: Playing in the woods can be more important than reading and writing og:url: https://time.com/4231170/kindergarten-germany-usa/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt73026ff4984b1d56/69887e63428a9e7607cd177a/child-tree-woods-trunk.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4608 og:image:height: 2592 og:image:alt: child-tree-woods-trunk og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why Germany Does Kindergarten Better Than the U.S. twitter:description: Playing in the woods can be more important than reading and writing twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt73026ff4984b1d56/69887e63428a9e7607cd177a/child-tree-woods-trunk.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why Germany Does Kindergarten Better Than the U.S. > Sponsored content. 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It is a free newsletter available at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-worth-2026q3/newsletters?i=16ca6a54-8463-4fdc-8178-8a99f2d941b5&cr=time-nl-worth-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Put Away Your Smartphone; Your Kids' Health Might Depend On It [Watch (HLS stream): Put Away Your Smartphone; Your Kids' Health Might Depend On It](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/JRbWnxjg.m3u8) (1:15)  _Published 2016-01-07. Researchers from the University of California, Irvine say kids shown 'fragmented' attention by their mothers could develop emotional problems._ by [Jillian Rose Lim / Fatherly](https://time.com/author/fatherly/) ## Jillian Rose Lim / Fatherly Contributor Feb 26, 2016 1:30 PM UTC  Low angle view of a boy walking across a tree trunk Low angle view of a boy walking across a tree trunk Getty Images by [Jillian Rose Lim / Fatherly](https://time.com/author/fatherly/) ## Jillian Rose Lim / Fatherly Contributor Feb 26, 2016 1:30 PM UTC Germany probably thinks the U.S. does kindergarten all wrong, and before you ask why you should care what Germany thinks of your kid’s kindergarten, keep in mind that the whole concept was invented by a German. While you’re worrying about the Common Core and if Junior is keeping up with the mini-Joneses, German kids are camping under the stars as part of a program designed to develop independence and social skills. These excursions, called _kitafahrten_ happen once a year at most schools, when little _kleinkinds_set out on their _gummistiefel_ for a few nights to sleep in tents, [play with razor-sharp knives](https://www.fatherly.com/why-german-children-use-sharp-knives-1404231885.html), and generally fend for themselves with limited adult supervision. They learn to roast a bratwurst by the fire, look out for one another, and take care of themselves, and it’s all very much in the spirit of [Friedrich Fröbel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich%5FFr%C3%B6bel) — the guy credited with actually coining the term “kindergarten” in the first place. “Child Garden,” as Fröbel envisioned it, was intended to set kids free in nature, where they could learn from everyday experiences rather than books. To this day, many German kids learn to read and write at age 6, _after_ they’ve roughed it in the woods, which they sometimes do while still transitioning out of diapers. Kitahfahrten is pretty much the antithesis of American-style [helicopter parenting](https://www.fatherly.com/why-helicopter-parenting-is-bad-1300388807.html) and, before you dismiss it as crazytown, bear in mind that Germany has [the lowest youth unemployment rate](http://www.voxeurop.eu/en/content/article/3756891-germany-s-unique-key-success) in Europe. So they might know a thing or two about developing the kleinkinds. And they’re not the only culture focused on letting kids go in order to let them grow — just ask [the Polynesians](https://www.fatherly.com/why-polynesians-let-other-kids-raise-their-own-children-1521052615.html). _\[H/T\]:_ [_Wall Street Journal_ ](http://www.wsj.com/articles/german-kindergarten-campouts-test-helicopter-parents-1451338940) _This_ [_article_](https://www.fatherly.com/german-kindergarten-kitafahrten-makes-kids-camp-in-woods-to-learn-inde-1539909491.html) _originally appeared on_ [_Fatherly_](https://www.fatherly.com) ## Transcript We know children require a lot of attention but happens if you don't pay attention to how much attention you're really giving them. A new study out of the University of California, Irvine says devoting more attention to your smartphones than your children could mean they'll have improper brain development and emotional disorders later in life. The study published in general translational psychiatry book at two groups of rats One group in normal caged conditions and the other in more chaotic conditions. While maternal care for both groups was similar, the chaotic conditions had mothers displaying unpredictable behavior. The distracted mothers' rodent pups showed little interest in sweet foods or playing with others. To signs of the pup's inability to experience pleasure. The researchers suggest in human children neglect might lead to risky behavior including drugs and alcohol and can lead to depression later in life. The mother The rats of course weren't busy on their cell phones but the researchers say the study shows it is not how much maternal care that influences adolescent behavior but the avoidance of fragmented and unpredictable care that is crucial. The researchers say it all boils down to the brain's dopamine receptors. 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