purpleshamrock Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 I have always known I wanted to HS my children when I had them. Turned out we adopted twins last summer. They are still babies lol, but I LOVE reading about homeschooling in my free time. I have been wondering though, what is it like HSing twins? A friend told me it is ideal. Is she right? Thanks Erin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 Like running a little genetics experiment in your dining room. :D Are they identical or fraternal or do you not know for sure? There have been a few threads about this and it fascinates me as a mom of twins, but there are some really different perspectives. I think it's... I don't know about "ideal" but it's nice in many ways. When they're at different levels though, it can be much more difficult than for sibs who aren't the same age, I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purpleshamrock Posted April 20, 2012 Author Share Posted April 20, 2012 They are girl/boy :) so I know they are fraternal... It will be interesting to see if they are on different reading levels etc. Erin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runningmom80 Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 Mine are only 21 months, so I'm interested too! I'm not sure if I will HS them, but it's a possibility. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotSoObvious Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 My girls are adopted, too! They are 9. I love homeschooling. They are best friends and it is SO much fun to have them in the same grade. I can't imagine teaching different grades! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lea1 Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 My two are not twins but are six week apart in age (also adopted), so very similar to twins when it comes to homeschooling. There are definitely some things that are easier with same-age kids and others that are maybe a bit trickier. I can teach most things to them together, which maybe helps keep some of the cost down, I would think. It also probably does not take up as much of my time, although it is definitely more time consuming to teach two same-age kids than it is to teach one child. When it comes to narrations, I had to figure out how to do them separately, while still keeping the other one busy. I take one to a separate room and close the door so the other one doesn't hear the narration before it's his turn. Competition can sometimes be difficult to handle. So far it hasn't been too bad here, thankfully. So far, they are staying together in all subjects except cursive. One son has a little stronger fine motor skills and has been very excited about learning cursive. The other one is not excited about it but just does what he has to do each day. Everything else, they are really doing at about the same speed. One of them seems a bit stronger in math and the other is a bit stronger in reading. So they can see how each has their stronger areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 Mine are mirror identicals and are fun to teach. I have noticed that they would gladly ride on each other's knowledge so I do have to make sure I ask equal questions when teaching to each individual child to make sure they are really comprehending it. They do seem on the same level as the other.. One may grasp a concept a day earlier or vice versa but so far they are on the same curriculum, etc... only difference with my mirror twins is one is left handed and one right so, teaching handwriting has been a bit different and a bit more frustrating for my lefty :) eta: we have to do reading assignments individually or they memorize the words to be read by listening to the other's assignment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudboots Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 How exciting! Congratulations! My twins just turned five. All in all, I've loved it. It's fun to teach two kids their colors & shapes, their letters, how to count, and how to read. They pick things up from hearing each other's answers. They're great friends. So far, we haven't had much trouble with competition. Based on what I've gathered from other moms of twins here, the competition may pick up soon, so I'm prepared to put them in different curricula if needed. I freak out every once in a while when one pulls ahead and the other falls behind. So far, they've leapfrogged each other, but I think the boy will end up ahead of the girl in most academics, and the girl will be very artistic. I plan to focus quite a bit on relationships and on working hard, not on levels of ability. In some ways, it has been cheaper because they can use the same stuff. In other ways, it's more expensive because they both need materials at the same time, so I buy two instead of being able to hand materials down to younger siblings. It's definitely an adventure, and usually a rewarding one! Enjoy! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeganW Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 (edited) I have identical twin girls, and they have a fraternal twin brother - so triplets altogether. They have some developmental delays. I have another child who is 17 months younger, and seems to me to be advanced, but possibly only seems that way due to skewed perspective. Managing competition is HUGE. - My son J is the most advanced as far as reading and math. - Daughter C is in the middle. - Daughter M struggles with reading & math. A lot. Thankfully she is artsy - colors beautifully, and has great handwriting. - Daughter E (the youngest) is probably somewhere between my son & C. Most schoolwork is geared toward the middle. I slow my son down by making him re-do sloppy work (common when he is vaguely bored), and when he does a neat job, I comment "did you color this? No! M must have done it - it's so beautiful!" Etc. etc. Even if the math itself or the reading itself is easy, he can work on writing his numbers more legibly, not scribbling, not tearing holes in the paper, etc. etc. It's all about making sure that they all know that they are good at some things, and others are good at other things, and they have to work harder at some things, and others have to work harder at other things. For now, my kids will proudly announce "J is the math wiz, but I have the most beautiful handwriting of all of us!" Hopefully that attitude will last. Also, I reward with compliments & so on based on "doing your best, with a smile!". The kid who gets all the work done but is grumpy throughout doesn't get rewarded, but the one who worked hard with a good attitude does, even if they only got half their work done. Another real challenge is controlling the cheating. Well, not really cheating, but I have worked really hard to encourage my kids to always help each other and that has backfired some on me. I don't mind them giving hints or starting points, but more than once one kid has done someone else's work thinking I wouldn't know. The sad thing is, I am *right there*, and it still happens. I get caught up helping one, and the other two are sharing papers. It is NICE only teaching one level. ONE group of readalouds. ONE math level. Etc etc. Honestly, I truly cannot imagine trying to do two levels of everything. Math especially. We use RightStart, and I truly could not do 2 different levels - I would have to choose a less teacher intensive program. I cannot imagine how moms with kids of different ages manage to homeschool! That would be SO much harder!! Edited April 21, 2012 by MeganW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly1730 Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 Our twin sons are 10 (11 in July) and it's been a joy to homeschool them! The are very similar in temperment and ability and, so far, not too competitive. It's only been recently (finishing up fourth grade) that I've noticed one might be slightly ahead of the other ( math facts, etc.) but I think his brother will catch up quickly. Having to do only one lesson per two children is wonderful! It makes our school day only about 2-3 hours long. The are built-in playmates, sharing the same interests in legos, drawing and basketball. I love homeschooling them and hope to continue on through high school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 My twins will be 14 in June. How time flies! I've taught them most subjects together for most years. They are fraternal, but one is not super accelerated compared to the other. One learned to read a bit faster, so after teaching the phonetic elements of reading to them together, I let her take off on her own and spent extra time with the other on reading aloud and reinforcing phonics. Then in 6th grade I noticed much increased competitiveness in math, so for 7th and 8th they've each done math separately. I think how much you can do with them together is going to be dependent on their interests, personalities and aptitudes. I'm glad I've been able to do so much with them together (it seems to be maybe more than average from what I've read on other twin threads). It's been especially useful as we've gotten into more discussion-based topics like literary analysis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanikit Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 I am a twin myself and while my brother probably should have been homeschooled for numerous reasons, I coped ok at school and just would have liked to have been homeschooled. I would say that one would have to pay close attention to socialisation when homeschooling twins which sounds a bit weird since there are two of them (not like an only child) but twins seem to be able to bond closer than other children and it can be at the expense of others (whether fraternal or identical) so I would probably make sure they get together with lots of other children regularly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 Everybody's experience is different, that goes double for twins! I don't worry about having them narrating separately, I just alternate. We'll be narrating for a while yet, and I think there is value in hearing other people do the same task (assuming everyone is paying attention...) Mine are fraternal and so far we have been able to stay in the same level for all our programs which is convenient. I do try to watch closely to see that both of their needs are being met - that one isn't being pulled along faster than they can truly pick up the material, or conversely that one isn't coasting on material that is too easy. I don't have it all worked out yet. I love, love, love to hear them (and their younger sister) all playing together during our breaks. Unlike one of the PP, I think building a strong, life-long bond between them is one of the best things about homeschooling. I hope it works! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyerin Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 Just getting started here, with a house full of preschoolers. I have a nearly-5yo who is adopted and a nearly-4yo b/g twins who are biological. They currently run on about the same "level" as my oldest is VERY busy and a little immature, and my twins are pretty mature and motivated. I expect that we'll be able to school most things together. We're working on PK level things right now, and having a blast with our little "class". :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeachingTwins Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 I have 7 year-old B/G twins. I don't know what it's like to teach kids of different ages, but it seems like teaching twins is easier. They are together on most things, so it's OK that we're using pretty teacher intensive curriculum. My biggest issue is the giggling and laughing at each others antics, etc, when they should be paying attention. But, it's always an adventure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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