Share Your Thoughts

[Meredith Pizzi]

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

[Leigh Ann Walberg]

The main challenge in a multi-age group is to incorporate everyone since you can have children from 0-5. You need to choose your music carefully and be ready for any age. It is harder to focus on the babies when the older children are so active so don’t forget the babies. You also need to choose music that will include all ages, and that everyone will enjoy, so music planning is a bit harder.

[Jessica Bogacik]

I think the musical selection is the biggest challenge here, and being able to reach everyone in the group through the experiences. Older kids would definitely lose their focus and engagement in the session if it was too geared towards the younger kids, and the younger kids would not benefit from the session as much if it was totally geared towards the older kids. I love the songs that Beth and Meredith shared that are adaptable to meet the needs of all of the potential age groups in the sessions

[Linda Madler]

One of the challenges would be to vary the music enough to engage the older students but not startle or overwhelm the younger ones. Giving the older ones the opportunity to choose songs while controlling the music elements is a good strategy. Planning for a variety of ages even when you might have a narrow range is helpful advice, too. I like positioning the family in the circle to encourage bonding. I think it’s important for the older child to have special moments with the parent since the littlest one is the focus of attention, and the songs allowed them to share what s/he could do. All of the music presented supported each stage of development.

[Mikhala Majeau]

I agree with Linda that the main challenge would be to engage the older children without startling or over stimulating the younger children.
I currently nanny for three children under the age of five. One of my biggest challenges is to get the three children to play together. The oldest child (4) often gets frustrated at the younger two (2) and (1). I think a huge challenge in this group would be to balance the different emotions of the children in the group. Like Meredith said the SM3 group is a group that is prone to tantrums. With a Family Sprouts group, there is the possibility of a wide range of emotions within the group. I think that balancing these emotions could be very challenging.

[Amanda Goff]

When you have a group of children with a wide range in age one challenge you may face is how do you choose musical interventions that are appropriate for all ages. You want to be able to challenge your group, but at their appropriate level. It is a challenge to keep all ages engaged and to keep their minds stimulated. I totally agree with the fact that the younger children may feel overstimulated and that is something to keep an eye on as well.

[Natalie Condon]

I think keeping the older children engaged while not overstimulating the younger children is one of the main challenges. I think it is actually more helpful having other families there so that the older children might focus more so on a new friend then on battling for attention from a parent. I also really like the songs that have the older sibling modeling and engaging the younger sibling while the parent is supporting the older child. For example, the song “Hold On Tight”, by having the youngest child sit in front of the older child who is sitting in front of the parent they have a bond where each child gets to feel supported and close.

[Melissa Hentges]

As others have said, keeping everyone engaged is the main challenge of multi-age groups. One way that I have dealt with this challenge is to encourage the older students to be “leaders”. I have found that older students love to teach the younger ones and will help me model for the younger ones. Of course, the music still has to be interesting enough to keep their attention so that they want to continue to participate with me. I also use a lot of books with multi-age groups. I will choose something that will keep the younger students engaged and ask the older students questions about the story as we read. Something as simple as adding a melody or melodic rhythm to books often helps keep everyone’s attention.

[Michelle Nettle]

I agree with the groups comments, that running a multi-age group can at times be challenging, but it also can be very rewarding to see siblings and families engaged in music making together. I agree that it is important to be very aware and deliberate about choosing music that will work for EVERYONE in the group, so not too stimulating for the babies, and enough stimulation to keep the interest of the older siblings. I also do what Melissa has said in her post about letting the “older” children be the “leaders,” which gives them a sense of responsibility and control they are looking for and allows them to work with their younger siblings in a cooperative manner.

[Anonymous]

I’ve enjoyed reading everyone’s responses and think you all have pointed out some excellent points. There is definitely a balancing act going on in multi-age groups. I am currently running to Family Sprouts Classes and find I am always scanning the room and the children and making sure I not only engage each age group and child, but also encouraging the caregivers to try things that are appropriate for their child(en). A good example that Kristina pointed out in an earlier week, is when a younger baby appears to be overstimulated to tell the parents “When our babies become overstimulated by everything that is happening in the room, we can turn them towards us to help reduce the stimuli.” I also make a point to direct caregivers, in each activity, how they can engage and interact with different age groups. For example, “for our movement song our babies will want to be held close as we move around the room while our older children will want the freedom to move on their own.”

[Robyn Rutland-Coleman]

I can see challenges on both ends of the developmental stages, such as taking care to not overstimulate or startle the babies in the Awareness stage, while engaging (and not stifling the enthusiasm of) children in Independence and Control. I think this is a balancing act that can perhaps be mediated by the participation of the caregivers, in how they interact with/sing to/move with their children, whom they know best.

Another challenge is instrument selection, as we don’t want to make instruments available that could be dangerous or inappropriate to the babies, but also to include those that are challenging and engaging enough to make the older children feel accomplished and “big kid” enough.

[Steven Clarke]

As the instruction suggests, Sprouting Melodies 3 and Family Sprouts can provide challenges due to multi-age participation within the group setting. I agree that it is important for the provider to consider the diversity of ages within the group setting, and select activities and music that is fun and engaging for all. Another challenge that might arise could present in older children not allowing the younger ones the opportunity to respond, or perhaps they are just quicker. This can be good for peer-to-peer modeling, but the facilitator needs to make sure that the whole group is equally engaged in the best possible way so that equality in services provided exits. In a way, all sprouting melodies groups are multi-age, as parents and caregivers are present and need to be engaged with their children through the experiences. Finding a balance between consistency and creativity is key.

[Jamie Sacca]

Multi-age groups can be challenging simply because there is one person leading an interactive group, tying to focus on the music and allowing the music to guide the actions of your students- when there are many age and ability levels, t.his can be difficult to do while managing to engage students who may be more active while making sure everyone has an opportunity to be successful and participate. Add into this managing behaviors if present, and woah! I have done some groups of mixed ages and ability levels, and I have found my behavior management skills are important in running a group. I know that sprouting melodies is less about behavior management, and also has the added bonus of parents being present, something I do not have as much experience with- I am typically running groups with myself as leader and perhaps an aide or assistant present.

[Lauren Servos]

There are some challenges that come along with having multiple age groups in one class, but I think that these types of groups can be so much fun, too! In the hospital setting, I hardly ever get multiple kids in the same space who are the same developmental level, so I always have to adapt to whatever responses I see. I often ask the older kids to “help” me with the babies. For example, if a baby appears overstimulated, I might flat out say, “It looks like the babies would like a quieter song next! Does anyone have an idea of a lullaby we could sing for them?” Then the bigger kids can help sing “Twinkle Twinkle” or whatever they suggest. Big kids often love to be in charge and show off their big brother/big sister skills! Another thing we could do is do an active movement activity, but challenge the kids to do it quietly. Maybe tip-toeing, or super quiet marching, or making big sighing blowing sounds and swaying like the wind is blowing you.

[Kayla Hamilton]

I think the challenges of having a multiple age group is meeting each child at their point of development. Music choice is critical for these groups because, they cannot be too young for the older children or over stimulating for the younger children. I think this is a good time to choose songs that have a variety of options for movement and instrument play, so that everyone can participate. I think individual attention is very important in this class. At my work there is currently a family sprouts class. At times it seems challenging, but it is a very cohesive group music experience. Don’t be discouraged! 🙂

[Kathy Odenkirk]

I agree with what has been mentioned. A challenge t leading a multi-age group is planning activities that will keep the attention and participation of all of the children. Another challenge is that different ages present different tolerance levels to music/activities, socialization, and time engaged with others. There is also the challenge of different ages and different potential behavioral issues. I like the idea of engaging older children to be “helpers” (something they love to do!). Anyone lading a Family Sprouts group needs to be very flexible!

[Amanda Barnett]

I tend to agree with the idea that making sure to select appropriate music and activities that incorporate all of the children will most likely be the biggest struggle. Also, finding songs that help the older children to bond with the younger ones could also be quite tricky. You want to include all kiddos in the activities as equally as possible without over stimulating the babies or boring the older kiddos. I really like the idea of scarves for the movement activities, especially in this setting because the pretty colors are fun for all, they are safe & easy to use no matter how developed fine motor skills are. Although this could easily be the trickiest of the SM settings, I am very excited to get to work with multi-aged kiddos & siblings!

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