What Is The Importance Of Three Year Age Grouping

Montessori classrooms feature multi-age groupings of children. These groupings are based on Dr Montessori’s defined planes of development. They are 3 to 6 years, 6 to 9 years, 9 to 12 years, 12 to 15 years and 15 to 18 years. This structure creates an environment similar to a large family grouping, providing key learning and development opportunities, by encouraging children to aspire to the achievements of older peers and to take on mentoring roles.
 
Multi-age groupings offer a range of learning opportunities for children, including:

• The opportunity to experience three roles—being the youngest, in the middle and the oldest—and the time to develop appropriate behaviours for all three roles;

• Experiences that stimulate a sense of caring and responsibility for others;

• The experience of social cohesion and a sense of place gained from being in the same environment for three years;

• Exposure to a diversity of talents, aptitudes and interests, and a wide curriculum beyond a single year;

• Participation in peer teaching;

• The experience of appropriate behaviour along with teaching and learning modelled from peers across a broad age range;

• Access to work in the environment prepared for a broad age range, so students can see the whole progression of the curriculum for their group, and can progress independently in areas of strength and revisit areas of knowledge as required;

• The experience of stability and social cohesion with the same teacher within a stable community for three years;

• Opportunities for younger children to observe materials and procedures used by older children, so they already have some familiarity with the materials, procedures and knowledge before the teacher gives them the lesson directly.