Growing To Learn: New Ideas In Child Education

When it comes to schooling time many parents of multiples face a hard choice as they need to find a school that suits all of their children at the same year level. Here are some things to consider when you look at different schools.

Do the teacher/s have experience in teaching multiples?

There can be particular challenges with teaching multiple children, particularly if they have grown up together and have taken on different roles such as 'the chatty one' or 'the sporty one'. A good teacher can help to draw out the particular skills of all of their students as well as bringing up every child to the minimum standard that they need to start primary school. 

Some multiples are also born smaller and a little earlier than their single-born classmates, and they may develop a little slower in the first couple of years as a result. Over the longer term most multiples catch up with their classmates but they may need some extra support and encouragement, especially in the early years of their education, so that they develop confidence as well as the pre literacy and pre numeracy skills they'll need as a base when they start primary education. A great teacher can find that balance between encouragement and extra support to ensure that your children get their best results. 

Do they offer multiple class streams? 

Some parents prefer to split their multiples up as they start school so that the kids get a chance to develop separately and make friends apart from each other. However, if the school only has a single class at each level then you may need to look at other ways that they can be supported to develop separate social relationships, such as being put into different groups for group activities. 

Some parents prefer to have their multiples in the same classroom as this can make it easier for parents to manage drop-offs and pickups, as well as forming a relationship with the teacher. It can also make keeping up with any classroom information that comes home requiring parental input, such as dress up days, excursions and other administrative matters, much easier on the parents. The kids may also find the built in support network of their siblings comforting when they start preschool. 

If you are looking to ensure that your multiple children have a great start to their education, it´s important that their earliest experiences at preschool are ideal.