Tips for Caring for Mixed Age Groups

Often a Childcare Provider is faced with the challenge of caring for children of varying ages (from Infancy to School Age). From Snacks-to a Daily routine, it can be difficult to figure out how to accommodate the needs of all these children in your care.

In light of these challenges mixed age groups provide opportunities for socializing and teamwork, They allow siblings to be together in a childcare setting, and allow younger children to observe and learn skills from older children,
Here is some great advice from our readers on caring for mixed age groups!

• I have a mixed age group of 6 children and they all play together, eat together and nap at the same time. Works great. I modify some crafts for the little ones but most of the time it's the same for all children. -Shirley R.

 

• We teach them all to mentor each other - to take pride in helping a friend, to watch out for each others safety. Partly they just love to tell on each other, yet it's a positive way they can do so, and the pride in "I can reach it for you when you can't", is the start of empathy... -Candasa U.

 

• Have a solid routine and do prep ahead of time to decrease the amount of time spent during the day on cooking and other tasks. -Sheena W.

 

• I'm very much still learning, but it helps if I give the older ones a little freedom to go into my dining room (I have a gate separating my dining room and living room) and use the big table if they need a break or want to play with something the little ones will eat or destroy. -Andrea F.

 

• I have mixed ages from 8 weeks to 8 years old. The older ones are always helpful with the younger ones. They always play together, eat together, art is changed for little ones. I love watching g the older ones get the smaller ones involved in playing with them, or the 2 year old who wants to hit the baseball like the older kids. I feel it's a great experience for all ages to be all together. -Michelle G.

 

• When we are outside, I have a deck at ground level and I put a gate on it and I stay there with the littles and the older kids get to be free in the fenced in yard. This keeps the babies safe from eating anything on the ground -Deanna G.

 

• I find preparation, intentional environments and low ratio to be key in the success of multi age programs, Done right this offers a unique strengthening dimension in their development. -Kristen M.

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Do you have Tips for managing a Mixed-Age group in a childcare setting?

Let us know in the comments!