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What is the Pikler approach and the Pikler triangle?
The Pikler triangle is a deeply considered representation of the core ethos introduced by Hungarian paediatrician Emmi Pikler in the early twentieth century. The Pikler approach is distinctive in its outlook towards early childhood care. It is one of the only pedagogies with a particular focus on the needs of children from birth to three years. It is grounded in the principles of free movement development, self-initiated independent play, and respectful caregiving, with a strong emphasis on attunement and responding to each child’s individual needs. This approach has been evolving for about 80 years and is practiced both in Hungary and around the world.
The design of the Pikler triangle
As part of their work Pikler and her colleagues created thoughtfully designed furniture and climbing equipment made especially for young children. For little ones to explore it safely and confidently, they need adults nearby who understand their abilities and can create a secure space for them to move and experiment. Pikler furniture also helps make everyday care moments easier and more collaborative, giving children chances to be more independent and involved.
There is a range of Pikler climbing equipment, but here in the UK the most well-known is the so-called Pikler Triangle, or triangular ladder. Other items include low platforms with ramps, a wooden tunnel or ‘labyrinth’, and a crawling box.
Many copies of the triangular ladder are available – some handmade to order, some even manufactured by popular supermarket chains – but none of these are completely true to either Pikler’s ideas or the well-thought-out measurements she came to with her many years of careful thought and observation. A true Pikler Triangle has dimensions that are specifically suited to fit the little ones for whom it was created. We would encourage you to look carefully at any triangle you purchase, write appropriate risk assessments alongside risk benefit analysis and offer this equipment when your careful observations of children suggest it is time.
The philosophy beyond the design
Much like the pink tower in the Montessori world, Pikler’s triangle has become a symbol, and for many it could be a gateway to the approach. It is innately human to respond to something tangible like this – something that we can place our hands on – and like the tower, the triangle gives us this. However, we must not linger on the physical but see past it to the philosophy it represents.
The triangle is the tip of the iceberg. It could be seen as a symbol of natural child development. Each rung needs to be mastered and if we can hold back our adult drive to ‘elevate’ and simply not assist our children on this piece of equipment, that is exactly what will unfold. They will take this literally one step at a time, returning to the beginning and practising what they can already do before attempting the next step. It is innate to the child to do this, as is keeping themselves safe; it is part of their blueprint.
It teaches us to observe the child carefully and introduce this equipment at just the right point in their development. And by watching our little ones, we learn to slow down to their pace and are gifted with what comes naturally to them – presence.
This, it could be argued, goes against everything our culture expects from us as adults in the child’s world. Particularly in this age of social broadcasting we are bombarded with pressure by comparison for our children to master steps quickly.
Parents are constantly asked –
“Can they sit up yet?”
Or told –
“My child was walking at ten months!”
And medical professionals tell us to place our children in positions they are often not comfortable in, or ready for, for the sake of some perceived idea of “development”.
Autonomous gross motor development
In Pikler’s institution in Hungary children’s typical physical development was mapped out after thousands of hours, observing hundreds of children whose natural unfolding had been carefully preserved by the professionals around them. And these children showed us a really wide range of positions they chose to move through before eventually learning to walk. And, most importantly, the mastery of those positions through constant practice gave them all the tools they needed to go on to the next stage. All the children required was for the adults around them to be patient and believe in their capabilities.
Patience doesn’t always seem like an option, and yet for the child it opens up their world. They are hard-wired for discovery and for mastery. And anyone who works with children knows how driven they are to be higher up! The Pikler triangle gives them that too.
A personal perspective - watching the triangle in action
After discovering Pikler’s approach, I introduced a Pikler triangle to the setting I owned for inside play, as well as a more sturdy pair for our garden with planks which the children could balance on to move between them. As a team we made a firm agreement that we would not physically support the children in climbing and clearly conveyed that to the children, only suggesting they may feel safer if they removed their socks. We found we never had to rescue them from the top and had no accidents to record around this piece of equipment, in fact accidents generally became less observed. Instead what we found was children standing near the top of the triangle with their shins resting on the rung above with such joy on their faces. They were not looking for our words of validation and praise, they were sitting in their own deep feelings of self-satisfaction.
Key takeaways
- A Pikler designed triangle, when used appropriately, is a valuable piece of equipment for young children to explore at their own pace.
- If we give space for the child to climb the triangle in this way and without physical assistance, they will build skills gradually and feel a sense of inner satisfaction in their achievements.
- This mirrors, in many respects, the Pikler idea of autonomous gross motor If we allow our young children to unfold at their own pace, and do not push them to the next step, they will thrive physically and emotionally.
Critical considerations
- When observing a young child at play, how comfortable am I with not intervening? What might I learn by simply watching?
- How challenging is it for us as practitioners to replace “be careful” with words which simply describe the situation the child finds themselves in, scaffolding learning without intervention?
- How do you currently fulfil the individual child’s need to climb?
- How can we translate this learning to nature-based play?
References and further reading
Bion, W. R. (2004) Learning from Experience. Maryland: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers.
David, M and Appell, G (2007) Bringing up and providing care for infants and toddlers in an Institution.
David, M and Appell, G (1973) Lӧczy, An unusual approach to Mothering.
Kallo, E and Balog, G (2005) The Origins of Free Play
Manning-Morton, J (2024) From Birth to Three, An early years educator’s handbook
Meyling, H. (2024) Guiding Babies and Toddlers at Daycare Inspired by Emmi Pikler. The Netherlands: SWP Publishing.
Pikler, E. (1976) Peaceful Babies-Contented Mothers. Budapest: Medicina Publisher.
Tardos, A. (2010) ‘Introducing the Piklerian developmental approach: History and principles’, The Signal Newsletter of the World Association for Infant Mental Health, 18 (3-4), pp. 1-30. BULLETIN #14: EMMI PIKLER 1902-1984. Available at: https://thepiklercollection.weebly.com/uploads/9/4/5/3/9453622/signal3-4_2010.pdf and pikler.co.uk/shop
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