Camp Creek Press

It is easy to meet the needs of a wide range of ages and abilities in one group if you are doing authentic art.

Rather than a particular craft with a sample to follow, authentic art levels naturally. Each child automatically works at his or her own ability/challenge level.

You don't need to worry about selecting a project that will appeal equally to a four-year-old and a pre-teen. They are mastering a form of expression, and they will express something individual and appropriate to their own age and interests.

Introduce the tools and materials and allow plenty of time for free exploration. Children can't work purposefully until they are familiar with the materials.

In Reggio Emilia, educators consider each material a language. In order to become fluent in using each language, children need to "babble" first. Allow them time to play — the richest type of learning opportunity.

Talk about goals. When drawing from observation, the goals are the same for a four-year-old and a twelve-year-old: look carefully, add as many details as you can; when you are finished, see if you can add more details. With older children, challenge them to move on to more difficult tasks as they are ready. Help keep them at their "challenge level" and don't let them slide back into repeating work that is easy for them.

Encourage children to set goals for themselves. Older children should critique their own work and set goals for next time or for a next attempt. This doesn't have to be done in front of the whole group; take time to talk one-on-one with each student.

Share work. Younger children are inspired by older children, but older children can be very affected by good work done by younger children as well. Consider taking time at the end of a work session to have children show what they have done and talk about it, answer questions, etc. Do not force this, however.

This is not a competition. Never compare work among children. Each person does their work and tries to do their best and improve. Refer back to a child's earlier work to show progress.

Unlike a craft, there is no end product we are trying to emulate. We are not evening out everyone's work to try to make their finished products look similar to one another's. Individual style is celebrated.

One of the benefits of a mixed-age group is lack of direct comparison — usually, children are not labeled by their age, and children of the same age are therefore less frequently compared to one another. Practice and experience are what is important. When one child does something that others admire, ask them to take questions from the group. Celebrate mastery.

Let children solve problems. Don't race to give them the answer. Ask questions instead — of that child and the others. Set a good example by wondering aloud: "Joey's sketch looks so three-dimensional, and mine doesn't. What is different?"

With a group of children who range in age, whether they are your children or a mixed-age class, expectations should be keyed to each person's abilities, experience, and interests. As a group, we give each other companionship and encouragement. We learn as individuals, and we express ourselves as individuals.