DadTime™ Influence: Emmi Pikler
American psychologist Urie Bronfenbrenner, a key figure in developmental psychology and a co-founder of the Head Start program.
DADTIME INFLUENCE
Emmi Pikler
Dr. Emmi Pikler was a Hungarian physician who revolutionized our understanding of infant capability. She pioneered the idea of "respectful parenting”— treating infants as capable individuals deserving of trust, autonomy, and dignified care— that has served as the basis for many child development modalities.
Pikler believed that a child is not a passive being to be managed, but an active partner to be respected. She advanced the concept of Free Movement— that when infants are allowed to move freely without being "propped up" or put into positions they cannot get into themselves, they develop better balance, coordination, and security.
This philosophy is embodied in the Pikler Triangle, the versatile climber she developed that challenges kids through many stages of learning and development. The Pikler triangle is a centerpiece of the DadTime™ play environment.
1. Climbing (Risk Competence): The triangle offers a series of challenges to the child, trusting their strength to climb to higher rungs, ascending to the top—and then ultimately down to the other side.
2. Observation (Uninterrupted Play): Pikler taught that caregivers should observe rather than constantly intervene. Rather than entertaining or teaching the child how to play, dads step back and let the child's natural curiosity drive the action. This independent play isn't passive parenting—it's actively protecting the space where kids develop their own sense of capability and autonomy.
3. The Partnership (Respectful Care): We don't do things to the child; we do things with the child. Whether it's a diaper change or a transition between activities, dads learn to slow down and narrate their actions ("I'm going to pick you up now"). Pikler saw these routine care moments as crucial times to build trust and cooperation. This respectful communication builds a genuine partnership rather than a command-and-control dynamic.
By trusting the child's own timeline, dads stop being the "entertainers" and start being the solid foundation from which their children launch.
The Pikler Triangle, her eponymous climbing structure that embodies her teaching : "If we give children enough space and possibilities for free movement, they will move as beautifully and gracefully as animals: nimbly, simply, confidently and naturally."
