Mixing the ages of children from two and a half to six years old in the same class is a characteristic feature of the Montessori method.
The social environment of the Montessori classroom is shaped by children who have the same developmental needs. Children who collaborate and negotiate, turning the Montessori classroom into a miniature of adult society.
The advantages are obvious.
Younger children gain ambition to achieve what older children do. They recognize in the faces of the older children their own potential, they are inspired and acquire goals.
The older children become models of social behavior while they are given the opportunity to help or teach the younger ones, to confirm their achievements and to share them. Through this interaction care and respect are cultivated.