Age-inte"great"ed

I have to say, I am a fan of age-integration in schools and school-age childcare. In my teaching days, I taught age-integrated classrooms in the primary years and the benefits were clear. The knowledge and experiences of older children can be easily handed down through peer tutoring, partner learning, and social skills building, as younger children take cues from older children's more mature ways. Older children also get perspective and gain empathy for younger children who are in a developmental place that they can relate to. 

Some people are uncomfortable with this notion, however, as they worry about the propensity for older children to bully younger children, or for more sophisticated knowledge being passed on down from older children to younger children. Some teachers worry about how to diversify their curriculum to meet the needs of a wider academic range (which does require a lot more differentiating, which means a lot more work), and also there is that traditional model of educating children in specific age groups, which is a mold that is hard to break when everyone is so used to a particular standard. 

Thankfully, in childcare and out-of-school time programs, integrating children from ages 5-12 is par-for-the -course. Not for everyone, as there are some centers that will use classrooms or separate spaces for their younger children and older children, but I was never a fan of this. Author Alfie Kohn explains that in real life, we don't do things in age groups. When you get a job you work with people your own age, as well as other co-workers who have been in the business for thirty years. When you attend concerts, movies, restaurants, we aren't sitting in groups of people our own age. Many families too have children whose ages are across the board. If you are a five-year-old who has an eleven-year-old sister or brother, what are the benefits of that?

In the school-age program, if children are nurtured correctly by the site leader, the community drive is not about separate groups of children. It's about the entire community, and how that community can work together to solve problems, learn from each other as they play, nurture each other, and support each other.

I always point out to families also that age is not always a reflection of a child's specific needs. We have catered for five-year-old children who would rather be playing an intensive, and sweaty game of fast paced dodge ball (and have the bones for it) with nine and ten-year-olds then playing duck-duck-goose with their age counterparts. Conversely, we see ten-year-olds who would rather be helping a six-year-old complete a craft, as opposed to actually doing their own craft with their older friends. I likewise point out that even in less organized activity times, birds of a feather flock together. That is to say, if given free choice, most five-year-old children will seek out other friends their own age. It's very rate to have a Kindergartner walk up to a six grader and ask if they want to play in this free play context. So in a full group setting of age-integrated kids, it's always fun to see how they divide and regulate themselves when given choice.

There is one particular activity I love to do with varying ages. You lie a sheet on the floor and have everyone stand on it. Then they then get off, and you fold the sheet. They then have to all figure out how to fit on the sheet at half the size. If they succeed, you keep shrinking the sheet size, but giving them the same goal. It's great to see how ten-year-olds put five-year-olds on their backs, how the older kids let their younger counterparts stand on their feet, or how older kids just pick up the younger kids to accomplish the feat. What's more, you get to see the older children problem solving for the younger children as they become the activity directors to reach the challenge goals.

Of course, there are a number of activities along these lines that can be discovered and used a tool to develop an age-integrated setting, as well as a number of other subtle ways to manage an age-integrated group. One needs to have a strong philosophy along with a strong plan to manage the group to optimize the benefits of hosting age-integrated communities. I would never tell you to group forty kids together of all age ranges just to do it and without a plan. But when you have a strong philosophy, a plan, and you do the work necessary to unite the full group under a given set of expectations with activities whose goals help them reach those expectations, it's an amazing way to host recreational programs.

A perspective family who is nervous about having their child part of a larger integrated group should indeed ask the following questions:

• ​What are your expectations for the full group and how are those expectations different for younger and older children?
• What is the center's philosophies related to the integration of child ages?
• What activities do you do in order to promote the cohesiveness of the age-integrated setting?
• How do you foster healthy and appropriate relationships between younger and older children?
• What toys and activities do you have on hand that reflect an age-integrated environment?
• Are there any times when children of similar ages are grouped together?

Some of these questions will help a family gauge whether or not a perspective school-age childcare even has an awareness that there should be a purpose behind their structuring of groups, or if they are just doing what they are doing because. Ideally, to hone in on a place that has a clear philosophy (age-integrated or not) and the activities, planning, and structure to support it, is what families should shoot for.

I have observed other childcare and OST programs selling specific virtues with their announcements and flyers, but who can't answer the questions about what they do in program to help children grow in those virtues. So, be careful. Words are only words. The actual programming and structure of a program is the meat and potatoes to selling whatever virtues or philosophies are being touted.

Do your homework, and feel comfortable with integrated programs if they have the juice to back up their selected format.