This book presents a clear and practical plan of the workings of one of the first experimental nursery schools. The author records her eight years' experience in this work, and gives conclusions drawn from the study of children's activities, from fourteen to thirty—six months, one of the most significant periods of mental, physical and social development. In the four chapters she explains her methods from a psychological and sociological basis. In her discussion of the environment offered by the school, she considers the child's activities and materials, his relation to other children and to adults, and his introduction to language and rhythm.

To quote from the book, “My conclusion is that they are leading productive lives. They are learning to live happily away from intimate contact with the family whose concerns are most emotionally bound up with theirs; they are establishing control over their own bodies so that they approach the physical environment with readiness and confidence;