* "Kinder" (German for "children")
* "Garten" (German for "garden")
Therefore, "kindergarten" literally translates to "children's garden."
The concept of the kindergarten was developed by Friedrich Fröbel, a German educator, in the 19th century. He believed that children should learn through play and exploration, much like plants grow in a garden.
The first kindergarten opened in Germany in 1837, and the term "kindergarten" quickly gained popularity as a way to describe this new type of educational environment. The word was adopted into the English language in the mid-19th century.