Twins and Play
Monday April 21, 2008
My twins turned 13 last week and received a Wii for their birthday.
Playtime is twice as much fun with twins.
Photo reprinted with permisison of Paola. It's brought them together in a new way as something that they can play with together. It's been a while. Over the last couple of years, they seem to be busy doing their own things, or else their time is spent in more solitary pursuits: watching television or surfing the internet.
But there was a time when their playtime was magical. It took over entire rooms of the house and lasted for hours without interruption. It involved dress-up costumes and dozens of stuffed animals, miniature plastic Disney characters and Barbie dolls (usually sans clothes). Their imagination ran rampant with wild stories incorporating characters from movies, books and television.
The dynamic between twins and multiples as they play is very different from that of singleton sibings, where birth order often determines the roles and style of play. As same-age siblings, multiples stand on equal footing, sharing the same level of development and maturity. Often, multiples engage in group play earlier than their singleton counterparts, who generally play next to each other without interacting (often called parallel play) until about age three. I can remember my daughters' two-year-old preschool class, where they were very eager to engage their classmates in their play scenarios, only to find that their fellow two-year-olds were baffled and bewildered by their attempts at social overture.
They played together earlier -- and longer -- than their peers, with a secret stash of Barbie dolls and Littlest Pet Shop figures that they played with only among themselves, long after their friends had moved on to more "mature" pursuits, like iPods and cell phones.
It's one of the greatest gifts that twins and multiples share, a chance to enjoy playing with a same-age sibling. However, they shouldn't be each other's sole playmate. While they may be built-in buddies, it's important for them to explore relationships with other kids as well.
For more insight about kids and play, visit the All About Parenting Blog Carnival: Kids and Play.
• Poll: Do Your Twins Play the Same Sports?
• Before You Buy Toys for Twins
Playtime is twice as much fun with twins.
Photo reprinted with permisison of Paola.
But there was a time when their playtime was magical. It took over entire rooms of the house and lasted for hours without interruption. It involved dress-up costumes and dozens of stuffed animals, miniature plastic Disney characters and Barbie dolls (usually sans clothes). Their imagination ran rampant with wild stories incorporating characters from movies, books and television.
The dynamic between twins and multiples as they play is very different from that of singleton sibings, where birth order often determines the roles and style of play. As same-age siblings, multiples stand on equal footing, sharing the same level of development and maturity. Often, multiples engage in group play earlier than their singleton counterparts, who generally play next to each other without interacting (often called parallel play) until about age three. I can remember my daughters' two-year-old preschool class, where they were very eager to engage their classmates in their play scenarios, only to find that their fellow two-year-olds were baffled and bewildered by their attempts at social overture.
They played together earlier -- and longer -- than their peers, with a secret stash of Barbie dolls and Littlest Pet Shop figures that they played with only among themselves, long after their friends had moved on to more "mature" pursuits, like iPods and cell phones.
It's one of the greatest gifts that twins and multiples share, a chance to enjoy playing with a same-age sibling. However, they shouldn't be each other's sole playmate. While they may be built-in buddies, it's important for them to explore relationships with other kids as well.
For more insight about kids and play, visit the All About Parenting Blog Carnival: Kids and Play.
• Poll: Do Your Twins Play the Same Sports?
• Before You Buy Toys for Twins
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