phal ia ). ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 8 1 6 , ▁Robert ▁O wen , ▁a ▁phil os opher ▁and ▁ped agog ue , ▁opened ▁the ▁first ▁British ▁and ▁probably ▁glob ally ▁the ▁first ▁inf ants ▁school ▁in ▁New ▁Lan ark , ▁Scotland . ▁In ▁conj unction ▁with ▁his ▁vent ure ▁for ▁co oper ative ▁mill s ▁O wen ▁wanted ▁the ▁children ▁to ▁be ▁given ▁a ▁good ▁moral ▁education ▁so ▁that ▁they ▁would ▁be ▁fit ▁for ▁work . ▁His ▁system ▁was ▁successful ▁in ▁producing ▁ob ed ient ▁children ▁with ▁basic ▁liter acy ▁and ▁numer acy . ▁ ▁Samuel ▁Wild ers pin ▁opened ▁his ▁first ▁infant ▁school ▁in ▁London ▁in ▁ 1 8 1 9 , ▁and ▁went ▁on ▁to ▁establish ▁hundreds ▁more . ▁He ▁published ▁many ▁works ▁on ▁the ▁subject , ▁and ▁his ▁work ▁became ▁the ▁model ▁for ▁infant ▁schools ▁throughout ▁England ▁and ▁further ▁af ield . ▁Play ▁was ▁an ▁important ▁part ▁of ▁Wild ers pin ' s ▁system ▁of ▁education . ▁He ▁is ▁cred ited ▁with ▁invent ing ▁the ▁play ground . ▁In ▁ 1 8 2 3 , ▁Wild ers pin ▁published ▁On ▁the ▁Import ance ▁of ▁Edu c ating ▁the ▁Inf ant ▁Po or , ▁based ▁on ▁the ▁school . ▁He ▁began ▁working ▁for ▁the ▁Inf ant ▁School ▁Society ▁the ▁next ▁year , ▁inform ing ▁others ▁about ▁his ▁views . ▁He ▁also ▁wrote ▁The ▁Inf ant ▁System , ▁for ▁developing ▁the ▁physical , ▁intellectual , ▁and ▁moral ▁powers ▁of ▁all ▁children ▁from ▁ 1 ▁to ▁seven ▁years ▁of ▁age .