Multi-age Grouping
Aurora Early Education has great success with mixed-aged grouping. See why this childcare approach is so beneficial for early learners, young and older.
BY HEJIRA CONVERY, KINDICARE
Although bigger kids are more eloquent and dexterous than babies, putting different ages together is a win-win in the early learning environment.
There’s a strong school of thought that multi-age groups allow for less competitive, more nurturing and more creative interactions, with unique, two-way opportunities for learning; and Aurora Early Education is one provider that definitely shares this belief.
Aurora has centres in Rowville, Doncaster and Melbourne’s CBD, and at all three locations, the team brings ages six weeks to three years together to learn through play.
This is great for siblings and single children, and to learn more, we’ve spoken with Michelle, Educational Leader at Aurora Rowville and Emma, Administration Officer at Aurora Doncaster.
Michelle explains that the babies and toddlers in Aurora’s Seamist and Seabreeze Studios interact throughout the day, in both the indoor and outdoor areas.
Michelle says, “These environments are set up with experiences that challenge some children and captivate an interest in others,” and mixed-age grouping is woven into the daily routine and curriculum.
When it comes to routine, the older children get to assist with all those regular, but important jobs, like bottle-feeding the babies, helping them pack up their beds, and helping them put on their shoes.
And when it comes to specific learning activities, the babies and toddlers share in group time, sensory play and puzzle-solving, with the benefits of these muti-age experiences going both ways.
For the older children, mixed-age grouping provides lots of opportunities to show and tell, which is great for their sense of self and appreciation of others.
Michelle explains that, “The older children develop an understanding of their own strengths or abilities compared with the abilities of the younger children. They manoeuvre around the space with caution and an awareness of their peers.”
Along the way, “The older children form a sense of self-esteem by creating an image of themselves as ‘Great Helpers’ or ‘An Amazing Friend’. They also build an understanding of virtues, like mindfulness, love, empathy, persistence, friendship and much more.”
When it comes to connections, Michelle says, “Children in multi-age settings will develop friendships and engage in learning just as they would in same-age settings, but there’s the added bonus of being able to support and lead the learning of younger children.”
This is also really positive for the babies and younger toddlers, because they learn lots by watching and mimicking their older peers.
The littlies get to hone their skills as the older children help with their daily routine and demonstrate different activities; and they learn about concepts like persistence, creativity and curiosity when doing these tasks.
Seeing the older children pursuing different interests can also inspire new discoveries and passions amongst the younger cohort, and the tiny tots also benefit from the social side of mixed-aged grouping.
All the children enjoy being together, and over time, many of them form deep and long-lasting friendships.
Emma says, “It's beautiful seeing these ‘sibling’ type relationships starting at a young age and then continuing to grow and flourish as the children transition into the older rooms.
“There are many children who come in the morning and go into the Seamist/Seabreeze rooms to say ‘Hello’ to their younger friends before heading into their own room.”
This is really nice for children without siblings, and those who are used to being the ‘young one’ in their family unit.
And Emma says, “We have many children in the same room as their siblings who continue to learn together.
“This is great for their relationship, and families love how their children can be together and share in so many enriching experiences each day.
“Multi-age grouping also makes that first week at childcare much less daunting for the younger sibling.”
All in all, mixed-age grouping is a huge success at Aurora Early Education, and it’s a positive consideration when choosing a childcare centre.
If you’re looking for childcare in Rowville, Doncaster or Melbourne City, you’re very welcome to book a centre tour and experience Aurora’s mixed-age approach in person.
And if you’re located somewhere else, it’s definitely worth asking which multi-age experiences are on offer, because whether your child is the one leading by example or looking for a role model, a mixed-age approach has multiple benefits for early learners.