MULTI-AGE GROUPS PROMOTE FAMILY-LIKE RELATIONSHIPS. These groups are very much like a family, and children learn to play together much like sisters and brothers. In fact, mixed-age child care often includes siblings, and in times when families seem to be going different directions, the opportunity to keep brothers and sisters together can be an advantage.
CHILDREN CAN TEACH AND LEARN FROM EACH OTHER. They usually have someone just a little older to learn from and someone just a little younger to teach. Studies show that children often learn best from other children rather than adults, and mixed-age child care sets the stage for that kind of learning.
CHILDREN IN SUCH GROUPS HAVE GREATER FREEDOM TO DEVELOP AT THEIR OWN RATE WITHOUT BEING LABELED AS SLOW OR EXTREMELY BRIGHT. A room of 3-year-olds is likely to have children who seem well ahead of the norm as well as those who seem a bit behind. In a multi-age setting, those differences seem less obvious. A 4-year-old who is a little slow in learning how to gallop or skip is still miles ahead of the game when compared to a 2-year-old.
OBSERVERS OF CHILDREN IN SMALL, MULTI-AGE GROUPS OFTEN NOTE LESS COMPETITIVE BEHAVIOR AND MORE COOPERATIVE OR HELPFUL BEHAVIORS. This is particularly true when the children have been together for several years. It is common for mixed-age child care providers to take care of the same group of children for several years.
PROVIDERS ALSO BENEFIT FROM WATCHING CHILDREN GROW AND DEVELOP OVER TIME AND FROM BEING ABLE TO DEVELOP CLOSER, MORE LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIPS WITH CHILDREN. As one provider remarked, "I used be in a program where I cared only for 4-year-olds. Each year we would get a new group of kids. It took almost a year to get to know each child individually. Just when we learned how to work with a child and had developed a strong, nurturing relationship, off that child would go to the 5-year-old group! I became a multi-age provider because I think that relationships are so important for young children, and really good relationships take time."
MULTI-AGED CARE PROVIDERS REMARK THAT THEY ENJOY WORKING WITH CHILDREN OF DIFFERENT AGES AND LIKE THE VARIETY OF ACTIVITIES THAT THEY CAN DO WITH THEM. Providers who care for only one age group often get tired of repeating activities. A provider shared this story: "The other day we were playing pizza parlor. Four-year-old Mark ordered the pizza by phone. The 3-year-olds stuffed the "play dough pizza" in the box. Five-year-old Seth made the deliveries on the tricycle to Laura, who is 2. Laura toddled over to the table, plopped the pizza down on a plate and said "EAT!" Seth arrived on the scene and rescued the pizza by asking Laura to help him make deliveries in the wagon. The children played pizza delivery all afternoon, and each time, it was with a new twist."
MULTI-AGE GROUPS OFFER CHILDREN OPPORTUNITIES TO DEVELOP AND PRACTICE SOCIAL SKILLS. A second story: "I had been working with David (age 5) for a long time to control his anger. He could really fly off the handle at other children. I also care for Amber, who is 2 and has Down's Syndrome. Like most toddlers, Amber is very much into push and pull, fill and dump, and she inevitably manages to push David's block building over almost every day. David has watched me handle the problem in different ways. Usually we barricade his area off so that she can't get in, but other times this is not practical, so I try to notice when she is headed his way and redirect her (usually under protest) to another activity. The other day, I was very busy with the baby, and Amber made it through the barricade. David intercepted her, put his arm around her in a brotherly way, and said, 'No Amber, don't knock over my blocks. Let's go to the piano. You can play there instead.' As he walked away, he looked over his shoulder and said, 'And I'll listen to your beautiful music!' Amber obediently plunked away at the piano and every so often stopped and looked over at David, who would burst into applause. I was so proud of him for handling the situation like that!"
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