As Esther and William get older
Though they remain the best of friends
They are starting to develop their own interests
William is an avid historian
He likes facts and figures
He likes creating spreadsheets and exploring statistics
Esther loves to draw and paint
She loves to play with small worlds
They both love stories
And they both adore playing outside
As this beautiful twosome grow older
What they need from me is changing
Their needs are different
Esther is much more confident and independent than William
He likes the security blanket of having me or Esther with him
Esther is happy to go off and do things on her own with new people
William will do that but he is more anxious about it
With home education though we cover the same topics
William will often explore things at a greater depth
He will take things off on a tangent
Esther is a hardworker
She is slow and steady
She enjoys making her work look nice
William is fast and furious
And cares not a jot for presentation
Or accurate communication some days!
They each have their own strengths and areas for development
As we all do
What is hard
Especially with home education
Is that they are twins
And it is very hard not to compare them
It is also hard not to compare them against other children their age
This week we have been reading two books
Two books to show the children that comparison is pointless
Comparison is the thief of joy
We are all different
We all have things we are good at
And things we are not so good at
We are all unique
And therefore there is nothing to compare
These two books I think are perfect for building children up
Showing them that you love them for who they are
That you love them no matter what
That they should not compare themselves to others
These books can help to build confidence and self belief in children
They are great books to read out loud and share
ALL THE WAYS TO BE SMART BY DAVINA BELL AND ALLISON COLPOYS
This book is an ode to all the unique and wonderful qualities
That make us all who we are
Being smart is not just about doing well academically
It is about imagination and being kind
It is about hopes and dreams and teamwork
It is about being you and doing what you want to do
Reaching for your goals
Whatever they may be
STARDUST BY JEANNE WILLIS AND BRIONY MAY SMITH
As a mother of five children
This book appeals to me
As it can be really hard for siblings
If they feel they are not doing so well as the others
If they feel that they are being compared to a sibling
If they worry that they are not as good as their sisters and brother
This book reminds us that we are all special
We are all made of stardust
And we all sparkle and shine
In our own way
In our own time
We will be reading these books lots I think
Over the coming years
Reminding ourselves that we are all wonderful
That we are all special in our own way