boys will be boys

I have always cared for children of both genders and had an awareness of the difference between boys and girls. When I pursued my Early Childhood Education I was looking forward to truly understanding these differences, getting into the science of it. I was surprised and disappointed when this was not something that was addressed. I read snippets of information here and there over the years and then when I became pregnant and found out it was a boy, my desire to learn more became my pregnancy project. I ordered books online and began to read. I quickly felt like I understood gender differences better than I had in the past.

I had a day last week at the daycare where for the first few hours in the morning I had all girls in attendance. It was mellow and quiet and everyone was happily focused on self-initiated and self-directed play. It was peaceful. Needless to say it didn't stay that way. Which, before I learned about the science behind boys and before I was mom to a boy, I found very frustrating. I am quiet by nature and prefer a mellow and peaceful environment. Although it's still the type of environment I try to create both at daycare and at a home, I understand and appreciate that sometimes and occasionally more often than not, it just simply won't happen. Boys need that busy activity and the best thing I can do is encourage that and create opportunities for active learning every day.

I've also learned that it can be a simple adjustment. My son has a set of coloured sorting bowls and a variety of coloured vehicles. We have a similar set at the daycare with dinosaurs. The girls will set out the bowls, sit, and sort them gently and carefully by type or colour. A simple adjustment for the boys who find this challenging - set the bowls across the room or around a table so that they can continuously move while sorting; let them toss the items into the corresponding bowls rather than set them in; get involved and make mistakes so they can laugh and correct you :)