A notable feature of Montessori education is mixed-age teaching.

The standard Montessori kindergarten adopts mixed-age classes in teaching, and children of different ages are mixed in one class, with children aged 3, 4 and 5 accounting for about 1/3 respectively.

With the popularization of Montessori mixed-age education in preschool education circle, countless parents also come here. Then while everyone is receiving mixed-age education, there will still be parents asking, "Will our children be bullied, will their children fight ..."

Of course not. You just don't know Montessori mixed-age education yet. Now that kindergartens are starting classes one after another, I would also like to take this opportunity to talk to you about Montessori mixed-age education.

First, promote the development of children's cognitive ability.

The developmental effect of mixed-age education on children's cognitive ability stems from the cognitive conflict between children with different cognitive development levels and their peers, which helps inexperienced children imitate experienced children and internalize them into new experiences.

If there are two children in the class who cooperate to complete the same task, one of them has strong understanding ability and the other has weak understanding ability. When there is an argument between them, children with poor understanding may be inspired by children with strong understanding.

Mixed-age education brings children into contact with peers of different ages, experiences and personalities, and these children play a role in their respective development fields, thus promoting their cognitive development.

Second, give children opportunities for emotional experience and communication.

Mixed-age education is to educate children of different ages together. There are differences in age, ability and experience among children, which makes each child have a different role in this group and have to face a more complicated relationship environment.

Due to the dynamic changes of mixed-age education groups, these roles will change, that is, the vertical identity changes between children's growth from groups to large groups. This new dynamic role provides children with more opportunities for emotional experience.

At the same time, in Montessori kindergarten, mixed-age education can greatly promote the development of children's emotional communication ability. It builds a relatively complex social relationship for children, and the emotional communication between children and other children in the class is not at a single level, but from multiple angles.

Children in large groups should communicate not only with children of the same age, but also with children of two different ages. Because of the differences in age, children of three age groups have obvious differences in ability, experience and emotional experience, so the communication style and difficulty of children will be obviously different from those of children of the same age group.

Third, cultivate children's collective will.

Mixed-age education also plays an extremely important role in promoting children's collective consciousness.

In Montessori Kindergarten, children of different ages are allowed to live in the same classroom. Through the effective guidance of teachers, older children and children can grow up harmoniously ... Under the scientific guidance of teachers, older children demand that they are brothers and sisters everywhere, and gradually forget the special position of always receiving help at home.

These older children will take care of their younger brothers and sisters' feelings and teach them to study and "work". Gradually, they will be as independent as adults. They will not only learn to take care of themselves, but also learn to care about people around them, and their comprehensive ability and basic literacy will be improved.

For younger children, they will be cared for and accompanied by their brothers and sisters after entering the class. They will integrate into this big family more quickly and learn and "work" by imitating some actions and behaviors of their brothers and sisters. Gradually, they will grow up and can take care of other children.

Children can learn from each other, cooperate with each other and make progress together.

Montessori mixed-age education can effectively exercise children's body and mind, ability and other aspects. For most one-child families now, such a mixed-age environment will make children adapt to group life faster and exercise their early social skills.

Similar to the "family" mixed-age class arrangement, children naturally learn the ways and methods of interacting with others by interacting with peers of different ages and living together, avoiding self-centeredness and constantly strengthening collective consciousness in getting along.

Fourth, experience the real small society.

Kindergarten is the beginning for children to enter the social environment and the first place for children to experience, practice and explore the society.

In Montessori mixed-age education, as soon as children enter the class, they grow from children cared for by their brothers and sisters to the age group connecting the preceding with the following, and then grow into the biggest brothers and sisters in the class.

This growth process allows children to experience that when they grow up to different age groups, they play different social roles in the real small society and try different social divisions.

Take the cross-century kindergarten as an example. When a new student enters kindergarten, the teacher will appoint a brother or sister to take care of him. At this time, he experienced "being taken care of".

When he was 4 years old, he tried to take care of others by imitating his brothers and sisters, while summing up the different achievements brought by his own attempts, laying the foundation for the next stage of growth.

When he is about 5 years old, he is the oldest child in the class, and the more "social responsibility" the teacher gives him or the more he undertakes, because young children will naturally ask him for help, giving him a lot of opportunities to take care of others, which makes him have to shoulder the responsibility. Children like the feeling of big brother and big sister. This is a real social role experienced by a child in a mixed-age class from 3 to 6 years old.

Fifth, cultivate children's sound personality.

A sound personality usually has these four characteristics: it can accept itself and others; Harmonious interpersonal relationship; Independent self-esteem, optimistic attitude; Can develop your potential.

In the cross-century Montessori education, the purpose of education is to let children learn to live, learn to learn, learn to create and learn to socialize naturally in a prepared environment and a relaxed and happy atmosphere, so as to have the comprehensive quality to adapt to the future society, shape their sound personality and prepare for their lifelong happiness!

For Montessori mixed-age education, Dr. maria montessori mentioned in her original work: "There is a kind of communication and harmony between children of different ages, which is difficult to find between adults and children."

Over the years, we have persisted in carrying forward the cross-century essence of Montessori education, awakened children's inner strength, tapped their infinite potential, and let children grow and learn in a relaxed and happy mixed-age education environment. Educational practice has proved that the essence of Montessori education must be a mixed-age environment.

Waiting for the flowers to bloom, Montessori mixed-age children will show explosive growth after the age of six. Because, when a child is a baby, cross-century education has planted a seed of love in the child's heart.