Nursery World - Little men (1)

Are early years practitioners too quick to label boys' behaviour as a problem? <B> Jennie Lindon </B> says we need to think about the ways we impose adult expectations

Are early years practitioners too quick to label boys' behaviour as a problem? Jennie Lindon says we need to think about the ways we impose adult expectations

Imagine you are listening into adult conversation in a nursery. What would you guess is the sex of the children described in the following comments?

You may say the children might be boys or girls and, of course they could. But if we are honest:

It is possible that the behaviour of children A, B and D could be seen as a problem, when the real issues are more about adult expectations and sometimes the organisation of a nursery. The assumptions underpinning the example of child C could mean that boys are dissuaded from offering to help. Perhaps adult words and subtle body language show that girls are the natural helpers.

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