Should I Separate Preschool Classes By Age or Skill Level?

We all know preschool classes are for children ages 3-5, but you’re probably confused if you should separate preschool classes by age. There are advantages to having mixed age classes and this post will tell you what they are.

Do Mixed Age Preschool Classes Work?

Having children from 3-5 years of age in a mixed age preschool classroom can be beneficial in more ways than one. The older children will often develop leadership skills around the younger children and the younger children will often become more advanced as they try to keep up with their older peers.

As the children do the Center activities, and work one on one with the teacher, they will have the opportunity to work at their skill level. And, often, students will develop peer tutoring relationships where the children who have mastered a skill teach the younger children how to do the skill.

Your First Year Of Preschool…

During your first year or two of your home preschool the most important thing is for your preschool to be successful. It will be more successful with full classes. Not only will full classes help with your income, but it will also give your students more opportunities to make friends. What do you do in a class with only two students, if those two kiddos don’t like each other?

Scheduling will be much easier if you have 6-10 spots in each of your time slots available for parents to choose from as opposed to 6-10 spots in your 3 year old class, 6-10 spots in your 4 year old class, and 6-10 spots in your 5 year old class. What happens when a parent wants a Monday afternoon spot for their 3-year-old, but that time slot is only for 4-year-olds? You would miss out on a paying preschool family.

While parents tend to look for morning classes for younger students and afternoon classes for older students, it is better to let classes self-separate along those lines than to restrict your registration to a certain age for a certain class. Remain flexible in your scheduling and your classes will fill up faster.

When You Have A Preschool Building

When you grow enough to have a preschool building with multiple teachers in multiple classrooms you have a bit more flexibility to separate children into various classes, but then, instead of dividing them by them by age, divide them instead by skill level. You may have a three year old who knows all their letters, numbers, colors, and shapes, but if they haven’t yet mastered sitting still to finish a project and keeping their hands to themselves, they are not ready to be with children who have mastered those skills

During Center Time the teacher can work one on one with each child to assess their progress and help them develop the skills they will need. Remember each child needs to develop social, emotional, cognitive, physical, and language skills. Be sure to evaluate each child in each area, even if they are extremely advanced in one area or have a severe deficit in one area. Each student needs to master all of these areas.

Whether you decide on mixed age classes or separate your preschool classes by age or skill level, be sure to do what is best for your preschool to be as successful as possible.