Multiage Spaces

Multiage spaces refers to learning environments that are intentionally designed for groups of children with a range of chronological ages. These include indoor and outdoor areas for learning through play, exploration, and discovery. In multiage spaces, early care and education settings foster children’s growth in social, emotional, physical, and intellectual domains within multiage groupings. Programs, schools, or early care and education centers that use multiage groups provide classrooms that are arranged with furniture, materials, and designated areas to focus on meeting children’s developmental needs. In recent years, it is less common to see multiage spaces in the elementary school setting. This entry provides an overview of multiage spaces and the purposeful arrangement of space to build on the benefits of multiage groupings, which include continuity ...