Kindergarten Roundup With Twins

Last updated on September 8th, 2023 at 02:30 pm

The summer sun is still going strong, but once the 4th of July festivities are over, all I can think about is going back to school! If this is your first time sending twins to kindergarten, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Keep reading to learn some tips and tricks to get you and your twins on the right track to having an awesome first year of school.

Here is our kindergarten roundup with twins:

Things to think about:

It may feel like you have time, but there are a few decisions you should be making right now if you haven’t already. 

Drop off and Pickup

You probably know by now where your twins will go to school next year, but do you know how they will get there?

Will you drop them off and your spouse pick them up or vice versa? Are they going to be dropped off and picked up by their daycare? Do you have a carpool set up in your neighborhood with other parents?

Post-pandemic, more and more parents are choosing parent pickup/drop off. If that is what is best for your family, just remember that there will likely be long pick up and drop off lines at your child’s school and that is something you will need to factor into your day’s schedule. 

This is certainly not a decision you can leave until the night before school starts. Plus, the fact that you are trying to get to kindergarten (sometimes rules are different at this age with drop off and pick up) with twins (more kids = more car spaces) could be challenging.

Home Lunch or School Lunch?

Another thing you’ll need to decide on is nutrition. While letting your child eat the school lunch might be easiest, some families like to send their children to school with a meal from home.

Choosing to send a lunch from home, coming up with nutritious and safely packed lunches for every day of the week is a daunting task. You should start collecting lunch ideas now.

Twiniversity Tip: If sending a home lunch, do not over-pack it. It is best to send your kids with something you know they WILL actually eat. I promise, that whole apple you keep packing doesn’t need a field trip to school and back each day!

You will also want to think about how long your kids have to eat lunch. I have a very slow eater, so I actually had to start timing her a few weeks before school started so I made sure she was able to get an adequate amount of food to get her through the rest of the day. Their speed of eating might help you decide if a home lunch is better for your kids or a school lunch.

Same Class? Different Class?

A big thing to decide is whether or not you want your twins in the same class. Most twin parents that I speak to these days opt to keep their twins together. While many school districts are still not current on best practices regarding twins, the newest research from the University of London no longer suggests that all twins should be separated immediately and for their entire school career.

Parents’ belief of what is best for their kids should be considered. Assuming your district agrees, you should be able to decide if your twins are in the same class or not.

• If you need help deciding, ask yourself the following questions:
• How much time do my twins spend apart now?
• How do they handle being apart?
• How dependent are they on each other (problematically so)?
• What is the school’s philosophy on homework (all teachers give it, none do, or they can decide for themselves?)

What was best for my family was to split my twins up, but they both have a set of multiples in their classes who were not split. Every family is different, and you need to know what will work best for you.

Things to do

There is a lot more to getting your twins ready for kindergarten beyond just buying school supplies. There are plenty of things you should be doing that will keep you busy all summer. 

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School Tour

If you haven’t already, see if you can arrange a school tour. If the school is closed for the summer to the extent you cannot stop in, you can still drive or walk your kids by the school.

Point out this will be their school and start talking about what they might expect to experience there. If your twins will be riding the bus, talk to them about that, too. Take your kids to the school playground this summer to play a little.

Do what you can to help acclimate your twins to this new environment before school begins in the fall. 

Kindergarten Well Check

Another thing you should do when preparing for kindergarten with twins is seeing the pediatrician.

You should be bringing your child in to see their doctor yearly, so you may have already been to the doctor this year. If you didn’t talk to them about your child heading off to kindergarten in the next few months, you will want to schedule another appointment.

Your child’s physician will have plenty of knowledge about what kinds of things your twins (and all kids) struggle with in entering kindergarten, tips for keeping them healthy in the germy Kindergarten environment, and will make sure they are up to date with vaccinations and any medical requirements for the start of school.   

Nap Time

If your twins are still napping, you will most likely need to phase it out when kindergarten begins. While this might make for a cranky summer, you’re not going to want your twins falling asleep in the middle of their school day because they are so used to napping at that hour. Phasing out naps is usually a process. Start now. 

Practice Your School Routine

Finally, with kindergarten comes a new morning routine, an after-school routine, and very possibly a new bedtime routine. You will want to start practicing these new routines at least one week prior to the start of kindergarten (especially if they involve going to bed earlier).

The first day of school should not be the first time your twins have a new wake-up time or a time-limited breakfast.

Practicing these new routines and expectations should help make the transition to being a student a bit smoother for both you and your twins.

Things your twins need to know

Kindergarten is your child’s introduction to the world of education. They will learn so much this year, and much of it will not be academics. The expectations for what your child should know going into the school year might surprise you.

Academics

What they need at this age is the base information and behaviors for what they are going to learn this year. Your twinnies don’t need to know how to read, but they should be able to identify most of the alphabet.

Other things your child should know before the school year include: 

• Being able to visibly identify many numbers and count at least to 10. 
• Their first and last name, and they should be working on knowing their birthday. 
• Parents’ names and phone numbers. 
• You should be working with them on how to hold a pencil, and they should be working on how to write their own name. 
• Your child should know their basic body parts.

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Behaviors

As far as behaviors go, there are a lot of these that your child should know before kindergarten. Your child should be able to:

• Go to the bathroom independently. 
• Follow simple multi-step directions.
• Sharing
• Ask for what they need (like a tissue for a runny nose, a new crayon, etc.).
• Pick up after themselves.
• Put on their own outerwear (shoes, zipping up jackets, etc.). 

If you feel that your twins are unable to do any of these things, don’t panic. Now is a great time to start teaching these skills.

Preparing for kindergarten with twins is an exciting time. For the most part, the transition to school is a positive one. Start planning and practicing now. It will help to make sure that everyone is as ready as they can be for this new adventure. However, please remember, even with the best planning and preparation, you (and your twins) will be feeling all sorts of emotions that first day. Just try to take it in, and remember this is another first to cross off their list. Good luck!

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