Challenges of Providing Multi-Age Groupings

[Julie Palmieri]

Share some thoughts about the challenges of providing multi-age groupings.

[Kimberly Werner]

Providing multi-age groupings can be challenging for many reasons. Being sure to offer appropriate accommodations and modifications – music offered, instruments offered, levels of stimulation – to make the group developmentally appropriate for all participants can be difficult if the range & span of needs are too significant.

There can also be social/family considerations that may impact functionality of multi-age groups, including caregivers that may have a preference for their child to be part of a group with similarly aged peers (in which case they possibly wouldn’t choose to enroll in a multi-age group), or for caregivers to have an unrealistic expectation of the skewing of age groups within a multi-age group.

[Leslie Aldrich]

My first thoughts about providing multi-age groupings is just that different age children are at such different places in their development that it makes choosing interventions more challenging so that we can have the maximum benefit for each person in the group. I would imagine it is difficult to keep older kids engaged when using experiences that are more directed to younger children, and difficult to engage the younger kids to engage with experiences that are beyond their developmental skills.

[Erika (TeamRH)]

Wonderful insights. I encourage each of you to read through all the responses from this question. Every participant always has great insights that we can add to our tool bags for future multi-age groups that we facilitate.

[Katelyn Caruso]

I see one challenge in having multi-age groups in how mobile (or not!) each child is! From being held or laying on the ground, to sitting up, all the way to walking and running around is quite a wide range of needs and abilities. Another challenge I see is supporting the parents as they connect with and manage multiple children in multiple stages of development. Additionally, each child is unique and has a different tolerance level or need for stimulation, and a group where some children are seeking stimulation and others are easily overstimulated would be particularly challenging with children at different developmental levels.

All the being said, I think a family group could be so fun and beneficial for the whole family, but particularly the parents as they see their kids thrive and interact with each other in a meaningful manner.

[Melissa Neitzel]

When I worked at the hospital, we were contracted to provide 90-minute groups at the Ronald McDonald House. It was open to all ages, and it was difficult. Some challenges I could imagine arising would include overstimulation. The environment may be too loud or busy for a baby. There would need to be mindfulness over instrument options if an infant was present. The music may not be engaging enough for older children. I would anticipate some difficulty with the flow of the group, too. I would also consider the parent’s needs- will they need to be fully supporting one child, while another may be exploring the room? The parent may feel pulled in different directions. I would want to be providing these groups in a space that is safe and conducive for explorers so parents can continue to be present in the group as well.

[Christine Wick]

Your thought on space is such a good point here. With such a varied group, having a safe space for all levels of exploring and movement would be so important! A balanced space that’s not too overstimulating, but inviting and engaging for the older age groups too. I think the organization piece would be huge here to create the flow of adding or taking away things without too much interruption.

[Christine Wick]

Just as everyone is saying so far, I see the big challenge being engagement. Differences in development and what is motivating for each age group would affect the level of complexity you can introduce within each song/intervention. It’s challenging to find a foundational place to start that is also engaging for all. Maybe finding ways to tie in helping/leadership roles for older children when possible could help provide some more connection within the group. The piece regarding parent engagement in these settings that multiple entries talked about was interesting too. Clear and organized communication would be everything in this group to provide clear instructions/prompts to help caregivers provide supports and model when possible to help the flow of the group.

[Maggie Johnson]

I think one of the main challenges would be tending to the differing self-regulation needs at the same time and not prioritizing someones needs over others. Having the parent participation can be to the group’s advantage in this scenario because they can assist in helping regulate/co-regulate if things get a bit dicey in some kiddos eyes. For planning it could be challenging knowing how much and how intensely to lean into the music of the older groups. I think finding gentle ways to encourage intermingling of the ages could be a good plan, for example singing a song about the older children gently playing with a scarf with a little one around the circle as part of a B section of a song in contrast to a more energetic A section in the center of the circle. Reminds me of how powerful music can be to make this type of interaction a positive one for everyone! I also think positioning could be both a challenge and a huge asset to the success of these groupings. The bigger kids might want to be up close in proximity to the facilitator, providing a safe are behind for the younger ones to observe. There might also be choices for things to omit, for example, maybe it would be more difficult to use louder instruments, or to do experiences that involve turn taking where some 1-2 year olds might struggle more with those concepts.

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