Sahil walked around the dramatic play area holding a doll in his arms. He was holding a plastic bottle to the lips of the doll, whispering, "shh, shh." As Sarah entered the area, she yelled, "Boy's can't play with dolls!" I continued to observe the interaction, curious about what Sahil's response would have been without my intervention, but before he had a chance to react, Manav said, "Sahil, you're supposed to play with the cars." Sahil looked at the doll, his eyebrows dropped, his smile turned to a frown, and handed the doll and bottle over to Sarah before he walked over to the toy area to play with the cars.
We early year educators, often witness interactions like this; children aged 4 and 5 make assumptions about what kind of play is acceptable based on their sex. They believe that females are assigned to female toys and games, and males to male toys and games.
These assumptions, placed in the minds of children by the adults around them, can be harmful. For example, if little Sneha is not interested in dolls and asks for blocks, she should be supported in her decision to build them. This could be a success for her as an adult. Perhaps Sneha will be an engineer. If Sneha is not allowed to explore blocks as she desired, she may be discouraged and unable to reach her potential. We understand that these gender norms have been created by society. Although we are moving towards a more open way of thinking, adults are still struggling to set aside these "norms." As educators, we need to leave our biases outside the classroom. We should provide an environment where children feel safe. This means so much more than just physical safety. Children must feel that they can explore and inquire without judgment from us, their trusted teachers. We should use proper interventions when incidents such as Sahil, Sarah, and Manav occur.
How can we create a gender-neutral environment for our students? You're probably already using some of the following strategies:
- Develop centers and allow children time in their routine to choose where they want to play
- Encourage children who are reluctant to step out of the norm, to play with you in a center they can rarely go to
- Post-visuals in the classroom, in which women are portrayed as construction workers or engineers and men are portrayed as caregivers or fathers
- Books and stories are a great way to get to the point that all hobbies, jobs, and play can be for girls and boys.
- Talk to the kids. If necessary, intervene. Keep in mind that young children are learning to socialize
Children are not born with the knowledge of gender roles but are developed in the first years of their lives. Adults can either challenge or reinforce the bias that could highlight gendered play by either allowing or prohibiting children from acting on their own. Access to specific training and support for educators is needed to actively challenge gender roles in the classroom. We have the opportunity, as a teacher, to model appropriate social behavior. We can make it normal for children in our classroom to choose based on their interests, not the interests of others. One of our roles as young children's teachers is to set up learning environments that meet the needs of the child holistically; academic and social-emotional support in inquiry-based classrooms. In addition, strategies to engage parents and caregivers in gender-based discussions can help educators support children in their care and their families.
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