PRESCHOOL AND SEPARATING TWINS IN SCHOOL

This dilemma has plagued parents for years! Long ago, teachers insisted twins be separated. The reasons: to be able to tell them apart; to make them be individuals; so the twins can’t play switching tricks. Today, parents have the choice and the final decision about separating or not.

Here are the biggest arguments about this topic: they have been together for 5 years, they get along fine, why separate them now, they’ll miss each other, they’ll feel lost without each other. I say this is an argument about this topic, because you will see that these arguments are for both keeping twins together and separating them.

Let’s assume you are starting your child out in preschool at age 5 and you just don’t know what to do. Keep them together or separate them. First thing I would do is get them into a group setting with a bunch of other kids and observe them. Do they play exclusively together; do they separate and play by themselves; do they play together with other kids; do they separate and play with other kids. Find out if they rely on each other for interaction with other kids or do they engage in play with others by themselves. It is my opinion that if the twins play separately – they will do fine being in the same classroom and being separated. They do not need the support of their sibling in a group setting. But, they may like k knowing that their twin is close by. If they play only with each other – you may have reasons for keeping them together and for separating them. They may still need the support of each other, but you may want to separate them so they can become more outgoing and not have to rely on their sibling.

I have a friend, Elyssa, who separated her twins in preschool. They were in separate classrooms, but the classes got together during the day for recess time. This way the boys had their time away from each other, but were able to connect during the day for support. She also told me that when they came home from school, they spent a couple hours together telling each other about their day. She loved it, because she had extra time to get things done and the boys had time together catching up.

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