Question

If a parent comes to you in gender stereotypes concert how do you respond? Chose one scenario to respond to: Parent does not want their male boy to play at the dramatic area.Parent does not want child to be in a fully gender neutral classroom and activities.

Answer 1

Gender sterotying refers to the practice of ascribing to an individual woman or man specific attributes, characteristics, or role by reason only her or his membership in the social group of women or men.

Teach the parent about the importance of dramatic play. It will help the children learn about themselves and the world. Dramatic play experiences are some of the first way children learn about their likes and dislikes, their interests, ant their abilities. They experiment with role playing and work to make sense out of what they have observed. Just watch children playing with dolls to see examples of this. Dolls often become versions of the child himself and area a safe way for children to express new ideas and feelings. Children develop important complex social and higher order thinking skills. Pretend play is much more than simple play activities, it requires advanced thinking strategies, communication, and social skills.