Encouraging cooperation between children: an educational pillar for growing together

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Teaching children to cooperate rather than compete, to get along rather than dominate: this is perhaps one of the greatest challenges facing education. From the earliest age, cooperation between children is an essential life skill. It is one of the fundamental psychosocial skills identified by the WHO to promote the well-being of individuals and the health of societies.
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Cooperation isn't just about "working together". It's about learning to listen, to understand each other, to team up despite our differences. It's about discovering that we're stronger together, that diversity enriches ideas, and that we can build common ground without losing our individuality.
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In a world of heightened tensions, where some choose confrontation over dialogue, learning to cooperate is becoming a real cultural, educational and human challenge.
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Kofi Annan said: "The only path that offers any hope of a better future for all humanity is that of cooperation and partnership". Along with many other educators and thinkers on peace, he reminds us that we have to learn to live together. And it all begins in childhood, at school, in the playground, at home...
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At Esclaibes International Schools, cooperation is encouraged every day, while respecting each child's individuality. Because while Montessori teaching values independent work, it is also enriched by shared time: collaborative games, group work, exchanges between different ages... So many opportunities for children to discover that we also grow thanks to others.

What is cooperation between children?

Cooperation between children means acting together to achieve a common goal. It differs from simple mutual aid, where one helps the other without necessarily sharing the objective. It also goes beyond group work, which can sometimes be reduced to a juxtaposition of individual actions.

It's sometimes confused with collaboration or solidarity. Yet these notions have their nuances:
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• Solidarity is based on mutual support in a difficult situation. It involves an act of mutual aid, often asymmetrical, in response to a difficulty.
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• Collaboration can exist without direct exchange, with each person going about his or her task. Typically, in a company, we often speak of collaborators.
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• Cooperation implies joint construction with more direct reciprocity.
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We can show solidarity without cooperating (e.g. giving to a cause). We can collaborate without cooperating, each carrying out the task we've been assigned. But cooperation always presupposes a shared commitment.
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For children, cooperation means learning to listen, propose, argue, negotiate and wait their turn. It's about experiencing others as different and complementary.
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The benefits are numerous:
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• Development of empathy, as the child learns to put himself in the other person's shoes. Empathy is naturally present in young children. However, it is essential not to stifle it and, on the contrary, to give it the means to express and experience itself.
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• Strengthening psychosocial skills communication, emotional regulation, respect for others.
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• Reduced rivalry: when they cooperate, children are no longer in competition but in alliance.
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Why encourage cooperation from an early age?

You have to learn to cooperate. And it starts in kindergarten. From a very early age, children can experience the pleasure of acting together, creating with others, solving a problem in twos or threes.
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Encouraging cooperation between children means enabling them to develop fundamental human qualities:
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• altruism, taking into account the needs of others;
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• tolerance, accepting differences of pace, opinion, personality;
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• listening, learning to hear without interrupting.
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These experiences also boost self-confidence. Children understand that they have a place in a group. That he can contribute, be useful, be recognized. This helps them better manage their emotions and adapt to social life.
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Affective neuroscience confirms it: the better we feel with others, the better we learn. A climate of emotional security promotes concentration, motivation and memory. Cooperation is therefore a powerful lever for both personal development and academic learning. That's why we do everything we can to ensure the well-being of the children in our Esclaibes international schools, both in the material and caring environment and in the projects on offer.
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Cooperation at the heart of Esclaibes' pedagogy

Respecting individuality without forgetting the collective

In our schools, we believe deeply in this idea. That's why we place as much importance on individual development as we do on developing the collective spirit.

In our bilingual Montessori kindergarten in the ^16th arrondissement, for example, the child's rhythm, choices and uniqueness are respected. But learning doesn't stop there. It's also nourished by shared projects, exchanges and moments spent together:

• daily rituals;
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• birthday parties according to Maria Montessori's guidelines;
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• themed workshops, from philosophy to tooth brushing, etc.
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We make sure to offer collaborative time in the classroom, as well as during recess.
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At our bilingual international school in Marseille, children regularly take part in the La Grande Lessive art exhibition. In elementary school, they made paper collectively, tearing egg cartons into small pieces. Then, individually, they decorated the resulting sheets of paper before organizing the hanging of the works to receive parents.
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Cooperation is not antithetical to autonomy. On the contrary, a child who feels at ease on his own is better able to relate to others. And a child who is well surrounded strengthens his or her self-confidence so that he or she can move forward alone. The two dimensions complement each other.
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Learning together: the richness of multi-age classes

In Esclaibes bilingual school classes, children of different ages learn together. This multi-age classroom organization naturally fosters cooperation between children.
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The older children show, guide and accompany. The younger ones observe, imitate and ask questions. Everyone finds their place in this dynamic of mutual support and transmission. Learning becomes alive, embodied and interactive.
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This creates a valuable mirror effect: by explaining to a younger child, the older child reinforces his own knowledge. He becomes aware of what he knows. They gain in responsibility and self-esteem.
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Cooperating through play: collaborative games at school

Cooperation can also be experienced through play. In all our schools, we offer cooperative games that encourage collective thinking, coordination and listening.

Some games can only be played by two or more players. For example:

• motor routes to be built together;
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• board games where we all win or lose together;
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• gardening workshops where everyone has a complementary task;
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• ball games where the objective is collective, with no winners or losers.
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Even in the playground, we design spaces to encourage positive interaction. Sharing a game, inventing a rule, building a tree house... everything becomes a learning ground for cooperation.

Cooperation and collaborative teaching: learning differently

Collaborative pedagogy places cooperation between children at the heart of learning. Here, we learn together, through exchange, collective reflection and the pooling of ideas and skills.

In concrete terms, this takes the form of group projects, collaborative problem-solving, debates and collective creations. Students become actors, researchers and contributors. They learn to listen, to argue, to find their place in a group.

In Esclaibes schools, this living pedagogy is translated into many concrete activities:
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• philosophy workshops : children reflect together on a given question, share their point of view, develop their thinking;
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• multi-hand writing projects: everyone contributes an idea, a sentence, an illustration;
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• scientific challenges: in pairs or small groups, students test, compare, debate;
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• model building: cooperate to build, organize space, solve a technical problem, etc.
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We can also mention ecological challenges such as the one launched by Ma Petite Planète, which can be completed by teams, a good way to develop children's (and adults' too!) ecological awareness.
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In this context, the role of the adult is changing. They no longer hold the answers, but facilitate, encourage and reassure. They create a favorable environment, without imposing a single way of doing things. They guide without directing, ensure balanced exchanges, and support without replacing.
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This posture enables each child to develop valuable skills: active listening, taking the initiative, flexibility, perseverance. And above all, the pleasure of learning together.

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Cooperation, a foundation for the future

Learning to cooperate in childhood lays the foundations for a peaceful, more humane future. Cooperation between children develops valuable skills for adult life: collective intelligence, adaptability, the ability to resolve conflicts, respect for different points of view.
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In an ever-changing world, knowing how to work with others, exchange ideas and find solutions together is becoming a key skill. Maria Montessori already understood this when she asserted, "Education is a weapon of peace."
She saw in every child "a promise and a hope for humanity".
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Cooperation prepares us to live in society. It teaches us to listen, to make room for others, to act without crushing. It opens the door to otherness, responsibility and a balance between self and others.
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Cooperation between children is not just a pedagogical tool. It's a way of being in the world. It supports emotional, cognitive and relational development. It enables children to blossom while respecting themselves and others.
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For this essential skill to flourish, the environment must be designed with this in mind: a caring environment, active pedagogy, room for speech, play, spontaneous cooperation.
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That's what the teams at Esclaibes International Schools do every day. In every classroom, every garden, every workshop, children grow together... really together.

Join us!