One of the first things you will notice about a preschool that is based on Montessori is that the children are not the same age. That's because Authentic Montessori uses 3-year age groupings for children, allowing younger and slightly older children to interact throughout the day. Mixed ages offer some excellent benefits for children, including these 5 advantages.
1. Mimic Natural Settings
When Montessori preschool children gather to play in a random setting they tend to form into mixed-age groups. Similarly, in a family setting the older kids are often role models for younger ones. By duplicating this natural social feature, the Montessori Method makes it easier for children to learn from one another socially, physically, and academically.
2. Build Self-Esteem
In traditional education models, all of the children are nearly the same age, and the age differences are static throughout their education. With mixed ages, every child in the class will spend one year as one of the oldest children in the class. This is good for self-esteem and building a sense of value, which in turn encourages every child to play a more active role in the classroom.
3. Peer Role Models
Older children make exceptional role models for younger ones. They have more experience with the world, social structures, and the little kids are hungry to be like the big kids around them. This carries over to all parts of early development, including learning how to use scissors or markers, being exposed to practical experiences, and developing a sense of personal responsibility.
4. Influence of Older Children
There is a lot to be said for allowing children to learn from each other the same way it would happen in a natural environment. Older children are able to demonstrate to younger children how to solve play-based puzzles, and that encourages the little pens to learn and helps the older ones develop the traits necessary to be leaders in any environment.
5. Social and Emotional Skills
Through observation, children learn to stem unwanted social and emotional outbursts. They see that older, more experienced kids approach problems more calmly and work out problems more amicably. Children are a collective effort, learning from teachers and other students, but contributing to the educational process in their own time.
Mixed-age grouping is one of the primary foundations of the Montessori Method. It is beneficial for everyone in the class, and makes it possible for the teachers to focus more individual time on students that may be experiencing difficulty.
