HOW DOES A MIXED AGE GROUP WORK?

Our Seedlings range from 3-5 years old and spend their days as one mixed group as well as in small focused groups for learning activities that are tailored to their age. ‘The Sunflowers’ are 3-4 years old and ‘The Bumblebees’ are 4-5 years old. Each group is determined by the child’s age on September 1st; all 3 year olds will join the Sunflower group and all 4 year olds will join the Bumblebee group. The groups are fixed for the entire academic year.

 

At Seeds, having a mixed-age group of children creates a community of learners who support and care for one another. In the morning and afternoon, the children are together as a whole group for circle time, arts and crafts, outdoor exploration play and all meals.

 

This allows the older children to develop leadership roles, while the younger children benefit from having role models. Each day, all children receive quality education suited to their developmental stage in small groups. The Sunflowers (3-4 years) have lessons with the homeroom teacher and the Bumblebees (4-5 years) have lessons with the second part-time teacher.

 

Both groups learn about the same topics, but with activities that are focused on their individual needs.