Emmi Pikler

(1902-1984)

Emmi Pikler revolutionized the way we understand infant development and care. She demonstrated that children thrive when their development is allowed to unfold naturally, guided by secure, kind, and respectful relationships. Through decades of observation, research, and practice, she documented how motor development emerges on its own and how adult intervention is often unnecessary. Her approach was groundbreaking in her time and remains highly influential today, both in family homes and professional childcare settings worldwide.

From her early studies in Vienna to establishing the Lóczy residential nursery in Budapest, Pikler’s work combined careful scientific observation with deep respect for the child. She trained adults to see children as competent, capable, and deserving of freedom to explore, laying the foundation for modern approaches to early childhood care and education. Her colleagues, including Anna Tardos, carried forward her vision, teaching, researching, and spreading the Pikler Approach internationally.

Pikler’s legacy continues to inspire families, educators, and childcare professionals around the world, promoting peaceful, cooperative relationships, healthy development, and thriving children. To learn more about Emmi Pikler biography and her work, visit The Pikler collection website.

Care

Care involves collaboration and the nurturing relationships. It is not just feeding, changing, putting the child to sleep, or lifting them correctly. It is a moment in which we can offer the child a respectful attitude, conveying our feelings toward them through our words and body language, giving them the impression of who they are. To read more, click here.

Free play

Play is a process when a child learns about their body and abilities, gains new knowledge, and explores cause-and-effect relationships. It is a time when the child can freely discover the world and begin to develop independence. To read more, click here.

Free movement

Smooth, well-coordinated movements and movement variety are characteristic elements of motion and position changes. Alongside movement, the child also develops balance reactions, stability, body proportions, spatial awareness, the ability to move within space, and to manipulate objects. To read more, click here.