Multi-age classrooms offer many benefits for the students.
“When an older child is doing an activity that they want or need to do, such as drawing a picture of a dog, they may not even be aware that a younger child is observing and learning from them.”
“In a classroom with multi-age students, kids have the opportunity to interact and collaborate with peers who are different from themselves, which mirrors the social dynamics of the real world. This experience fosters empathy, tolerance, and excellent communication skills as students build relationships with those who are younger or older than them. As a result, conflict resolution and leadership opportunities arise naturally, contributing to the overall development of well-rounded individuals.”
“Single-age classrooms can often increase peer pressure and competition, leading to stress and self-esteem problems. However, multi-age classrooms shift the focus from comparing oneself to peers of the same age to encouraging individual progress and contributing to the group's overall growth. As a result, this can create a more supportive and nurturing environment, allowing students to thrive academically and emotionally.”
“Children are viewed as unique individuals. The teacher focuses on teaching each child according to his or her own strengths, unlike in same-grade classrooms that often expect all children to be at the same place at the same time with regard to ability.”
https://www.uwyo.edu/ecec/_files/documents/multi-age-benefits.pdf
“Younger kids are better at sitting still and focusing in group settings because they see the older kids doing so. The older kids like to demonstrate their knowledge and can often answer questions the younger ones ask. This builds confidence in the older ones, and the younger ones can often be more inspired to learn things from the “big kids” than they are to learn from a teacher.”
