My twins aren't school age yet, but I have discussed the issue with a few of my friends who have older twins. Most of the parents said that they had initially thought they would for sure want their twins together because it's easier for the parents - only one set of homework, teachers, class presentations, etc... and thought it would be great for the twins to have each other as best friends in the class.

One friend with identical twin girls started them off in nursery together but by JK realized that one of her DD's was becoming her sister's shadow. She is quieter and more reserved and my friend worried that splitting them would cause her some anxiety. It was tough on her DD the first few weeks but in the end, she said it was really the best decision and allowed her DD to come out on her own and really succeed in a school setting.

Another friend of mine has 2 sets of twins - both fraternal. G/G and B/G. Her girls were together through SK but they each had developed their own set of friends. They were still sometimes seen as a unit even though they don't look alike at all. At that point they decided to separate them for grade 1. It worked out fine for them. Her B/G twins were together in JK but she separated them for SK because her DD was always telling her all the mischief that her DS was causing in class. She felt like it wasn't fair to her DS to have his sister constantly watching over him. Also, academically, her DD is a bit more advanced than her DS and she didn't want it to start to turn too competitive.

Our preschool director does not require that twins be split up but she feels that educationally it is better. I will probably keep my girls together for nursery and then decide what to do. Mine are fraternal but they look very much alike and people often assume they are identical. It worries me a bit that they might be seen as a unit and that would make me want to separate them. But, from a practical point of view, it would be some much easier to keep them together and not have to deal with 2 different classrooms.

I think it is always good to have the option to separate if necessary but sometimes you need to weigh that against the best school option.