Tackling homework with your twins

Making homework time work for twins at primary school

Homework can be a challenge at the best of times. When you’re supporting twins, triplets or more, it can feel like you’re being pulled in two directions at once, usually while someone’s asking for a snack and another one’s lost their reading book.

The good news is you don’t need to do homework ‘perfectly’. You just need a plan that feels fair, calm-ish and realistic for your family. And it starts with one simple truth: you can’t split yourself in half. So instead of trying to be everywhere at once, it helps to agree on a few routines and boundaries you can stick to most of the time.

It’s also worth knowing that primary schools don’t all ‘do homework’ the same way. Some will keep it very light, like regular reading and a few spellings. Others will set a weekly task linked to class learning. You might also get homework through a computer platform, like an app for times tables or short quizzes. It can be confusing if you chat to other parents and it sounds like everyone else has a totally different system, but that variation is normal and it can change as your children move up the school.

Setting routines that reduce arguments

A few small tweaks can stop homework time turning into a daily stand-off. Start by thinking about the basics: where will homework happen, when will it happen and what does ‘help’ look like in your house.

Some children concentrate best at the kitchen table. Others do better away from noise, toys and siblings. And even identical twins can have completely different needs. One might like silence, another might focus better with gentle background music. One might happily sit for twenty minutes, while the other needs short bursts and quick breaks. None of that means one child is ‘better’ at homework. It just means you’re parenting two different people.

It can help to agree a simple set-up that everyone recognises. For example:

You could try:

• one child working at the kitchen table while the other uses a quieter space
• a calm activity ready for whoever finishes first so they’re not distracting their sibling
• a quick ‘check-in’ routine so each child gets a turn with you

Keep expectations clear but not rigid. If one child is playing a noisy game while their sibling’s trying to write, it’s probably going to end badly for everyone. Sometimes it’s as simple as agreeing a ‘quiet-ish’ window, then saving loud play for later.

If homework needs lots of adult input and you’re stretched, it’s okay to draft in help. A partner, grandparent, older sibling or trusted friend can read with one child while you support another. That extra pair of hands can be the difference between steady progress and tears all round.

If your child has special educational needs, routines can matter even more. Things like movement breaks, a visual timetable, a timer for short sessions or a quieter space away from siblings can make homework feel doable. This will help your child learn in a way that fits how their brain works.

Helping your children support each other without copying

One of the trickiest parts of homework with twins is fairness. If you help one child more, the other might feel left out. If you leave them to it, someone’s confidence can wobble. And if they’re sitting side by side, the temptation to copy can be strong, especially when one twin finishes faster.

A helpful middle ground is letting your children talk things through together, but keeping the actual written work separate. They can share ideas, explain instructions to each other and even do a quick ‘teach back’ where one child talks the other through what the question is asking. That’s learning, not cheating.

Reading homework is another place where parents of multiples often hit their limit. Finding time to listen to more than one child read out loud can feel like a lot on top of everything else. If it helps, you could set specific days for each child, so everyone gets a proper turn without it becoming a nightly marathon.

And when there’s a project or ‘show and tell’ item, it can be kinder to steer towards different choices for each child. It doesn’t need to be big. The point is that everyone has their own thing and gets their own moment.

Keeping it flexible and knowing when to ask for help

The long game with homework is independence. You might start by sitting with your children for the first few minutes to get them going, then stepping back. You could encourage them to try one question on their own before they ask for help. If a child is used to lots of reassurance, remind them you’re still there, you’re just not doing it for them.

Most importantly, keep your system flexible. Some days you’ll stick to your plan and feel like you’ve cracked it. Other days, someone’s tired, emotions are big and you’ll do the minimum and call it a win.

If homework is consistently overwhelming for one or both children, it can help to talk to school. You’re not complaining. You’re sharing what you’re seeing at home so you can work together on a plan that’s manageable. Homework should support learning, not turn your evenings into a battleground.