DTSs 4y8m - seems as if no one can cope with them except me!

[GoingLoopy]

The dts started kindergarten in August, since then we have had nothing but complaints and the teacher tried to force them out, instead we agreed to split them up - it seems to be working (for the teacher) better with one but I am not sure about the other. They also started swimming classes, they are quite lively and excited and together can be a handful so the swimming teacher has asked me to help with them. Yesterday she called and said another mother has complained that they are disrupting the class! 3 weeks ago they started ice skating lessons, from the outside it seemed to me that it was going fine but the teacher told me after the last lesson that they couldn't listen and follow instructions and if it isn't better this week they will have to stop coming!

These ongoing complaints about my DTSs is really getting me down. I don't have more than the normal problems with them than you can expect with boys this age (add a bit extra expected problem with the twin relationship) and I am really upset that nothing seems to be going right.

Kindergarten and the classes are all in their second language and they do have some problem understanding, I am not sure if this is the root of the problem or if they are just too young and not ready to join in with activities.

I'm interested in what other people's 4/5 YO DSs do and how they behave.

You may be right that they are having difficulty understanding the instructions - but I can appreciate teachers' points of view as well. If children are disruptive and can't follow instructions then they are affecting the experience of the other children. Perhaps your DTs aren't quite ready for these experiences and you should wait a while. Do they do as they're told/ follow instructions with you? Presumably you talk to them in your/their mother tongue? It might be worth seeing if you can get someone to help you with them who will speak English with them the whole time. Your written English is very good - perhaps English should become the 'home' language for a while. What is their first language?

You have my sympathy. Ds is roughly the same age and I recognise a lot of what you say. The only thing is that there's only one of him. I have noticed that he is much worse if there's a like minded (usually) boy who will laugh and do similar, then they imitate each other and things go downhill from there.

Could they alternate the extra (not school obviously) so the teacher only has to cope with one. That has the upside you should only pay one fee, and you also get some special one time with each, which they may respond well to.

Sounds a lot like my DS (4 years 6 months) - but like Dewe there's only one of him! He does no organised activities at all! Sometimes he comes along to his big brothers football and says he wants to take part but doesn't really - he's just not ready for anything like that - next year I hope

Octaviapink, thanks so much for the compliments about my English :o, actually I am English, we live in Switzerland, dh is swiss and speaks (swiss dialect of) German.

I think they are pretty normal for their age and follow instructions as much as any other 4/5 year olds do. I have noticed that (since they are out 4 mornings a week and I have some space so don't yell at them as much anymore) they respond much better when I am calm and give them loads of praise.

Interesting today, we had ice skating and dt1 was really tired and didn't skate. The ice skating teacher decided to speak in English to dt2 and was really happy with him!!! Now we have to work out if it was the English that changed things or the other twin not being there and what to do about the bloody swimming lessons!