... there children go to "Kindergarten" from the age of three to the age of 6. The quality of the Kindergarten can vary greatly - some offer a very good educational experience, but others don't do anything with the children other than letting them do "free play." All day, every day. There are often groups of children of 25, with only two adults there. And something I really find shocking: In some places they let the children do unsupervised play outside in a garden or yard which is not locked and can be accessed from the outside. In a discussion forum where this was discussed there were many mothers who thought this was a great idea to promote independence.
I wish there was a middle way between what I hear about Germany and what I find here. I think people in England can get a bit obsessed by starting reading early, I feel a bit more time for the children to just play would help their imagination and social skills. I also would prefer the school starting age to be five, not four. But I think in Germany it's a bit the other extreme!
Can anybody tell me about other countries? And what do people think about the different approaches? I find it really fascinating to compare - I hope not everybody else here thinks it's boring .