School Age Multiples

[egishere]

My triplets are in separate preschool classes and frankly its a pain for us the parents and our nanny mostly because of field trips on different days. They do a field trip every month which I never would have thought in PS! I think the kids are doing well being separated though. My one DD really misses her brother and sister and is so excited to see them after the lass but the other two could care less. It's funny! I want to try and have then in the same class or at least divided up in two classes next year but for kindy and on we plan to separate.

[macchiatto]

Just came across this thread again and realized I apparently failed to answer the original question.

My boys are in Kindergarten and have been in the same class since preschool (they had 2.5 years of preschool before this). They have their own sets of friends. They will sometimes share a friend or two but for the most part they run in different circles. Their Pre-K teachers promised us they had zero issues being in the same class last year (and they are normally in favor of separating twins so I don't think they were just saying that) so that weighed heavily when we decided to keep them together for K.

That said, we will probably separate them for 1st and see how that goes. We take it year by year and are open to going back and forth based on what seems best each year. They have been fighting a LOT since school started this year and their K teacher told us recently that one twin has started sort of shutting down his brother when they do end up at the same center/group. We don't want that to continue. OTOH in a way it's actually worked out well b/c the brother (who had a social skills delay) has really blossomed socially in the past few months. I think his brother pulling that kind of forced him out of his comfort zone to make his own friends in the new class rather than clinging to his brother like he did the first few weeks of school.

[jenndarrin]

usual lurker late to the party but i saw this pop up on the main page and felt like responding...i am in MA and they told me it was the parent's choice to seperate.

my girls (fraternal) started K this year and we decided to seperate them. they had been in the same classroom until now. one has a language delay and would often look to her twin to answer for her and handle her business...her sister would often become a bit stressed about constantly being responsible for her sister and would become noticeably anxious when her sister was called on in preschool.

for us, seperating has been a good thing for them both. they walk down to their k classrooms together and give a hug before they head into their own rooms every morning, and they see each other at lunch and recess and check in with each other then.

that's not to say *i* didn't have a lot of anxiety about seperating them or that the first couple of weeks of school wasn't rough, but then what big transition is.

[bluemonster]

Nov 12, 2014 15:42:14 GMT -5 @spenjamins said:

Nov 12, 2014 10:53:32 GMT -5 bluemonster said:

@spenjamins what would you do if they say they want to be in different rooms? My girls will start K next year. They are currently in the same preschool class and their prek teacher said they'd be fine in a room together. All my research also points to doing K together. They however want separate rooms. I hate to completely ignore what they want as I try to take their feelings into account when I make decisions, but they are 5 and I'm not sure they truly understand what separate classrooms will mean.

Why do they want to split up?  Maybe there is a good reason?  I would have a hard time in kinder unless there were reasons.

I have no idea why they want to separate.  I'll ask more and see what answers I get. 

[emsumm]

My girls are separate for the first time in prek. It's been excellent for them.

[mags]

I would think it depends on the set.

I requested mine be separated because the boy twin was much more outgoing and spoke for her all the time. I wanted her to learn to do it for herself and not let him make choices and speak for her.

[macchiatto]

Nov 13, 2014 13:25:43 GMT -5 macchiatto said:

Just came across this thread again and realized I apparently failed to answer the original question.

My boys are in Kindergarten and have been in the same class since preschool (they had 2.5 years of preschool before this). They have their own sets of friends. They will sometimes share a friend or two but for the most part they run in different circles. Their Pre-K teachers promised us they had zero issues being in the same class last year (and they are normally in favor of separating twins so I don't think they were just saying that) so that weighed heavily when we decided to keep them together for K.

That said, we will probably separate them for 1st and see how that goes. We take it year by year and are open to going back and forth based on what seems best each year. They have been fighting a LOT since school started this year and their K teacher told us recently that one twin has started sort of shutting down his brother when they do end up at the same center/group. We don't want that to continue. OTOH in a way it's actually worked out well b/c the brother (who had a social skills delay) has really blossomed socially in the past few months. I think his brother pulling that kind of forced him out of his comfort zone to make his own friends in the new class rather than clinging to his brother like he did the first few weeks of school.

ETA: Update on this is that their teacher said that phase was actually pretty short-lived, that they've really been doing well being in the same class. She said on any given day you wouldn't even know they were brothers, that they sometimes check in on each other, a quick hug on the playground, occasionally they play together (but a lot less with each other than with their individual friends) and that we could really go either way for next year and they'd be fine.

[was5]

Oct 11, 2014 14:47:47 GMT -5 @spenjamins said:

www.psychologytoday.com/blog/twofold/201401/curious-twinsib-pairs-and-school-separation-0

csunshinetoday.csun.edu/education/study-by-csun-prof-challenges-practice-of-separating-twins-in-kindergarten/

multiples.about.com/cs/twinsinschool/a/twinsinschool.htm

issuu.com/twiniversity/docs/multiplicity_spring2013_single_/48

www.nytimes.com/2006/02/24/national/24twins.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&


www.twinsmagazine.com/schooldays/MJ01p20-23.pdf


www.twinslaw.com/Help_Theyre_Separating_My_Twins%21.html

eric.ed.gov/?q=Twin+placement

www.psychologytoday.com/blog/twofold/201107/twins-in-the-classroom

Is this the research you were looking for? cinnamoncox0 ,