I queried a Sloyd friend from Germany about Froebel's motto.

Hans Jaochim Reincke: "Let our children live!" will be the appropriate interpretation; will say, give them the space in time and a room wherein they can develop their aptitudes, their talents and predispositions in their own way; let them live in a way that reduces interference from the adults (overcaring) and on the other hand gives a shelter, a frame that they do not drift off track.

Interestingly, this idea would correlate with Froebel's own childhood. Due to the early death of his mother and the disengagement of his father, he wandered the woods, learning from nature.