Schedule TourVisit almost any preschool classroom and there is one thing you are sure to see; Boys playing with blocks, cars, and pretending to battle and girls playing with dolls, dressing up, and pretending to play house. But why? For years, we’ve been told that a caregiver’s attitudes and expectations are the main source of gender role identity.
Research has shown that parents speak differently to boys and girls, provide different toys, and expect different behaviors in return. In essence, we socialize boys to be masculine and girls to be feminine. Makes sense to me. But recently, more and more research tends to focus on the role of biology in determining with what and how children like to play.
Science has already discovered anatomical differences in the brains of males and females leading scientist to hypothesize that boys and girls may be physically hard wired to play differently. Even when given similar toys, boys and girls will tend to use the toys to play in entirely different ways. A group of dinosaurs may begin to fight when given to boys while girls may use the same dinosaurs to speak to each other or play school. While there are no differences in what boys and girls CAN do, there seem to be biological differences in what they prefer to do.
What does this all mean for you as a parent? Just knowing the complexities and nuances should help parents to understand children’s play a little better. It may be helpful to recognize that boys are more attracted to play that involves motion and mechanical items. Conversely, girls tend to prefer games that involve human relationships and emotions.
At the same time it is also extremely important to realize that there are a large number of children who don’t fall into this stereotype. Experts agree that this crossover is normal and has no discernable effect on a child’s future behaviors. Parents should know that while differences may naturally exist, our attitude and beliefs still play a big role in how are children feel comfortable expressing themselves and relating to others. Don’t discourage boys from playing with dolls; after all, we want them to learn to be caring fathers. And don’t discourage your girls from getting dirty or physically active; our society values strong, assertive women. Providing opportunities for both types of play and practicing tolerance are your best bet.