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yesterday i went to hear about a topic "together or separately". it was about twins and whether they should go to the same group at school/kindergarten or be separated. it was so nice to hear the things we as parents have talked about lately. in old times people used to think differently about this issue. also later for example in different parts of america families were forced to put their twin children into separate groups according to the rules/laws. later the consequences have been carefully researched. luckily it has been noticed that mistakes were done.
there are some situations in which arguments are found for separation. for example if the twins have noticeable level differences or if the other one is always an "assisting teacher" or a "mother" for the other one. or if the twins tend to ally themselves and cause trouble in the group.
the research suggests that putting the twins to the same group will not have a negative effect on the development of individuality, development of learning or emotional development. early age separation is emotionally a huge change for a twin. for a twin starting school or preschool/kindergarten it could cause sorrow and anxiety, also sometimes a message that being a twin is somehow bad, which all makes learning difficult and lowers motivation. for any child it would be very important that starting the school leaves a good flavor. a positive start most likely will continue as a positive experience.
how could we support individuality with twins? they should be called as individuals --not boys, girls, twins or: what do you (meaning both of them) want?, which one are you?, did you (meaning both of them) have a nice day?-- but with their own names, targeting the speech separately to each one. if the other one tells what was done during the weekend, it shouldn't be assumed that the inner experience of the event in the same place is the same for the other twin. it's always different and also he/she has something to say. you can ask from him how did he experience it, what did he like. twins should have their own hobbies, toys, clothes, health check appointments and friend get-togethers/play-dates.