School aged kids mixed in with toddlers!?

[Naftafia]

On a positive note, I have done it for three summers and it went very well, altough tiring. I found that the best way to make everything work is to mainly organize activities in which both age groups could participate. This will make it easier to keep everyone busy and happy, without feeling torn between the age groups. My older kids loved all our activities including circle time, reading time, crafts, dancing, creative play etc.... They would teach the kids things they learned in school and help the kids with their crafts or game. I would simply give the older kids extra challenges with whatever activity, ex: build a robot with blocks, kick ball on a target, do laps 1 1/2 times and beat the kids etc ...
I had to change the schedule a bit to reduce the time alloted to free play, as this is typically when things could quickly get out of control as the big kids are louder, quicker and without wanting to be "bad" they sometimes teach the young ones things they are not ready to learn, or things you are not ready for them to learn !
As you would with any other kid, make sure to establish the rules from day one and stick to them! As much as you do not want the eldest to feel a responsibility towards the others, I find myself remainding them that the little ones are learning alot from them and mimicing their actions, so they should teach them nice things and good behaviours.
For your sanity, make sure to plan a variety of quiet time activities so they could respect the little ones' quiet time and yours! And play outside as much as possible.... the older ones have so much more energy!
I found having them around aloud me to teach the little ones new games, that I could not quite get them to understand on my own. Things such as what's the time mr wolf, on the avignon bridge, red light/green light, obstacle courses etc.... The little ones love having them around for parts of the summer and pd days. The dynamics of the group change, but change is good!
Good luck to you with this new challenge!