Pikler® gross motor equipment and children’s furniture

General Information

The various gross motor equipment recommended in the Pikler® Pedagogical Approach are special in that they may be used from an early age (approximately 6/12 months) and they offer new possibilities at every stage of gross motor development. In addition, children can use them without direct help from adults. Supposing that children have the opportunity to get familiar with these objects gradually and their attempts are accompanied by attentive, tactful adults, they can move freely on these, and discover their own capabilities at their own pace.

Dr. Emmi Pikler was an extraordinary pediatrician, who examined infants’ gross motor development using scientific tools: through observation, she gathered data about the process of gross motor development when uninterrupted, with each step ahead stemming from the child’s own initiative.

The results of dr. Emmi Pikler’s scientific observations, revolutionary to this day, inspired these simple pieces of equipment, which always adhere to the specific needs of children in various stages of development.

These pieces of equipment offer children who have sufficient experience in moving around on a firm base a vast array of possibilities for reaching the upright position, for moving diversely between the various levels and planes the pieces of equipment contain. They also encourage the discovery of spatial relations and help children learn about spatial orientation, originating from a discovery of their own bodies. All these offer a sound basis for learning later in life.

Even the youngest take great pleasure in practising movement in this way, all the while gaining experience about themselves and the physical world around them. And surprising as it may be, they evolve into careful and attentive toddlers during the process.  

The secret behind all this is the amalgam of thorough knowledge about the tiniest steps in infant and early childhood development, of proper pedagogical accompaniment and of sophisticated craftsmanship on the part of the manufacturers.

The Pikler® children's furniture fits perfectly to the body proportions of small children. By offering safe boundaries, these items allow for the free movement of infants and toddlers during caregiving activities such as diapering, dressing and eating/feeding – making it possible for children to be as independent as they wish during these activities. Pikler® children’s furniture can turn moments of care into a real encounter, a peaceful collaboration.

Children change quickly in the first three years of age. They need equipment that conforms to their needs in a flexible way. The combination of quality joinery and Pikler's pedagogical expertise encourages bold exploration by breaking the journey down into careful little steps.

 Official Manufacturers and Retailers:

Basisgemeinde, Germany
EdiMatt, Hungary
Ergokids, Spain
Heutink, the Netherlands
Kitaland, Switzerland
Plackner Spielzeugmacher, Austria
RAD Children’s Furniture, USA
Sprout, USA