The Benefits of Multi-age Grouping
February 23, 2024

One hallmark of a Montessori education is the use of multi-age classrooms. 


Infants and toddlers may be together or separate, with a toddler classroom serving children 18 months to three years. Primary classrooms are for children ages 3-6, with preschool and kindergarten-aged children together. The elementary years serve children ages 6-12; some schools separate into lower (6-9) and upper (9-12) elementary, while many split elementary into two groups. Even Montessori middle- and high-school students learn in multi-age classrooms.


While Montessori is not the only type of education that utilizes this approach, it’s not what most people are used to. What are the benefits of structuring a classroom this way? Read on to learn more...


Learning at an Individual Pace


Children in multi-age classrooms tend to have a little more flexibility when it comes to mastering skills within a specific timeframe. We know that learning is not linear, and that learners have periods of significant growth, plateaus, and even the occasional regression. In multi-age classrooms, children are typically able to work at their own pace without the added pressure of keeping up with the whole group, or even being held back by the whole group. 


When children in a classroom range in ages, everyone has someone they can work with, regardless of their skill level. Children don’t feel left behind if they struggle with a concept, and they also don’t feel bored by repetition of something they have already mastered. Teachers who teach in multi-age classrooms typically have deep knowledge for a range of developmental abilities, leaving them well-equipped to differentiate instruction for each individual child.


Building Stronger Relationships


Traditionally children move from one class to the next each year. This means not only a new set of academic expectations, different routines, and different classroom structures, but a different teacher. 


In multi-age classrooms teachers have a longer period of time to get to know a student and their family, and vice versa. When teachers really get to know a student, they are able to tailor instruction in regards to both content and delivery. They know how to hook a specific child onto a topic or into a lesson. They know what kind of environment a child needs to feel successful.


Parents have an opportunity to get to know teachers better this way, too. If your child has the same teacher for two or three years, the lines of communication are strengthened. Parents get to know the teacher’s style and expectations. The home to school connection becomes more seamless, and the biggest beneficiary is the child.


Mentors and Leaders


When a child spends multiple years in the same class they are afforded two very special opportunities. 


Children who are new to the class are fortunate enough to be surrounded by helpful peer mentors. Children often learn best from one another, and they seek to do so naturally. First and second year students watch as the older children enjoy advanced, challenging work, and this inspires them. They look to the older children for guidance, and the older children are happy to provide it. 


After a year or two in the same room, students have a chance to practice leadership skills. In Montessori classrooms, the older children are often seen giving lessons, helping to clean up spills, or reaching out a comforting hand to their younger friends.


The best part is kids make the transition from observer to leader in their own time. It doesn’t happen for all children at the same time, but when it does it’s pretty magical to observe. 


Mirroring Real-Life


There is no other area in life in which people are split into groups with others who are exactly their chronological age. Whether in the family, the workforce or elsewhere, people ultimately need to coexist with people older and younger than themselves. Doing so makes for a more enriching environment, replete with a variety of ideas and skills. 


Why not start the experience with young children in school?


Moving On


While staying in the same class for multiple school years has many benefits, a child will eventually transition into a new class. While this can feel bittersweet (for everyone involved!) children are typically ready when it is time.


The Montessori approach is always considering what is most supportive of children depending on their development. When formulating how to divide children into groupings, Maria Montessori relied on her ideas about the Planes of Development. There are very distinctive growth milestones children tend to reach at about age 3, another set around age 6, and yet another at age 12. The groupings in our schools are intentional, and they give kids a chance to feel comfortable in their community, while also preparing them to soar forward when the time is right.

By Elizabeth Anguamea June 16, 2025
Summer vacation is finally here! For many kids, the anticipation of a break from school has been building up for some time, but now that the end-of-school parties, graduations, and celebrations are over, that freedom can feel overwhelming. Kids of all ages benefit from structure, and when the school-day flow goes out the window, so does their sense of security. This might look like increasing power-struggles, heightened emotions, a harder time self-regulating, or rising conflict around screentime, mealtimes or bedtime. If things are starting to bubble up, fear not! The first step in creating a summer rhythm that works for your family means looking at each family members individual capacity and need. Consider things like work schedules, summer camps, energy levels, sleep needs, weather (I know I don’t have to tell you about Texas summers!), family chores, social battery, and neurodivergence (kids with exceptionalities like ADHD, anxiety or Autism have a higher need for structure and predictability). Here are a few simple ways to construct a summer routine that works for your family. 1. Maintain consistency Build the core of your schedule around consistent routines such as wake-up time, mealtimes, nap/quiet time, household chores, screentime and bedtime. Think of these as the non-negotiables of your day, because if they start to go you can expect an uptick in boundary pushing and challenging behaviors. Creating a predictable framework is crucial- it is the foundation that allows for variety, flexibility and exploration without dysregulation. 2. Create visual schedules Offer predictability by showing kids what to expect through a visual schedule. If you have young children, create a simple daily flow with drawings of each activity. For older kids, you can use words and/or images, and expand to a weekly flow. Make a way for them to check off each activity. Keep a separate monthly calendar with a way to mark off each day. This calendar will help kids navigate the break as a whole: showing trips, summer camps, family visits etc. Planning in advance allows you to go over the schedule as often as needed to solidify the routine and set the expectation. 3. Be strategic As you create your daily rhythm, think about planning non-preferred activities before preferred activities. This will increase motivation to get the “boring” things done. Perhaps morning chores must happen before the walk to the park, or the trip to the grocery store must happen before you head to the neighborhood pool. Perhaps summer learning must be complete before daily screen-time is available. Every family and child’s needs are different, so think about what works for you and plan strategically to minimize parent-child conflict. 4. Spend time outdoors Time outside is all-around regulating! It doesn’t matter if it is a walk around the neighborhood, sprinkler-time in the backyard, swimming at the pool, or play at the park- being outside gives kids the chance for movement, sensory input, and child-led exploration. Spending time outdoors reduces stress and anxiety, increases executive functioning, encourages independence and supports good sleep habits. In Texas, the summer heat can be draining, but carving out time to be outdoors when it’s not too hot will make a big difference in your day. 5. Leave time for boredom In a time where screens are always an armlength away, the creativity, imagination and intellectual growth that boredom urges are at risk of extinction. Some people might push back against the idea of scheduled screentime, but if you have healthy, consistent and predictable limits around screens, you can protect the good, old-fashioned boredom that leads to some of life’s greatest joys and discoveries! Safeguarding time for boredom will support kids’ inherent curiosity, exploration and innovation and lead to independent, creative thinkers and makers. Creating structure doesn’t mean scheduling every hour of every day, but rather building a routine that offers consistency, predictability and follow-through. Dr. Maria Montessori said, “External order creates internal order, and this is a significant foundation to the intellect.” In constructing a framework for your summer routine, you are providing the external order that allows for the development of independence, creativity, internal order, and of course, the spontaneity that summer brings!
By Elizabeth Anguamea December 4, 2024
We must help the child to act for herself, will for herself, think for herself; this is the art of those who aspire to serve the spirit. - Dr. Maria Montessori