Do Boys Dominate Outdoor Play?

[jaime]

Can anybody help me, for my mini research project i am looking at the question, do boys dominate outdoor play in the early years???

I would be intrested in any of your views and any websites that could help me.

Currently in my setting i am finding that the boys do dominate outdoor and are working on ways to make it more of an equal balance.

thank you in advance

[Susan]

Hi,

Perhaps you need to define outdoor provision?

If the outdoor provision is cross curricular then all children will have equal access, but if by outdoor provision you mean bikes and balls and physical activities the boys may well dominate.

Don't they also tend to do that indoors though with construction type equipment and railways, cars & bricks etc.

 

On the other hand girls dominate home corners, writing tables, puzzle tables and are often more willing to participate in creative activities.

 

More often than not if the children can choose to be in or out, the boys will be outside and running around, the girls will stay inside and work busily at tables.Some girls will wander in & out. The odd boy (not odd peculiar!) will stay in & busy himself at construction or venture into the home corner.

 

I think it becomes an issue inside & out to address the classroom balance so that no child is denied access to an area.

One way to do this is directed play, where children are grouped and encouraged to use particular areas, although there will always be some children who prefer to be elsewhere & go there!

Every so often I track childrens movement in the classroom, over a short period, to give me a picture of where they go & who they interact with & level of concentration.

 

If you learn anything really exciting do let us know!

 

Susan

[jaime]

Hi,

Perhaps you need to define outdoor provision?

If the outdoor provision is cross curricular then all children will have equal access, but if by outdoor provision you mean bikes and balls and physical activities the boys may well dominate.

Don't they also tend to do that indoors though with construction type equipment and railways, cars & bricks etc.

 

On the other hand girls dominate home corners, writing tables, puzzle tables and are often more willing to participate in creative activities.

 

More often than not if the children can choose to be in or out, the boys will be outside and running around, the girls will stay inside and work busily at tables.Some girls will wander in & out. The odd boy (not odd peculiar!) will stay in & busy himself at construction or venture into the home corner.

 

I think it becomes an issue inside & out to address the classroom balance so that no child is denied access to an area.

One way to do this is directed play, where children are grouped and encouraged to use particular areas, although there will always be some children who prefer to be elsewhere & go there!

Every so often I track childrens movement in the classroom, over a short period, to give me a picture of where they go & who they interact with & level of concentration.

 

If you learn anything really exciting do let us know!

 

Susan

I willl let you know, its due to be handed in by the end of December, so i will post my findings.

thank you for your responce

[mundia]

Jaime, interesting. Gut response to this was yes boys do seem to dominate outdoor play, but then I thought as Susan says, it depends on what they are doing. They certsainly seem to hog the bikes given half a chance, but they use the slide, ball, hoops equally. When we have inside/outside choice activities, there may be marginally more boys choosing outside than girls in these colder months, but then I also have more boys then girls who raelly dont want to go outside at all. I do wonder if my first assumption is actually based on the feeling that the boys take up more room in their activities (ie needing the whole space for bikes or balls) wheras the girls use the peripheral space more. So it will be interesting to see what you find out.

[jaime]

Jaime, interesting. Gut response to this was yes boys do seem to dominate outdoor play, but then I thought as Susan says, it depends on what they are doing. They certsainly seem to hog the bikes given half a chance, but they use the slide, ball, hoops equally. When we have inside/outside choice activities, there may be marginally more boys choosing outside than girls in these colder months, but then I also have more boys then girls who raelly dont want to go outside at all. I do wonder if my first assumption is actually based on the feeling that the boys take up more room in their activities (ie needing the whole space for bikes or balls) wheras the girls use the peripheral space more. So it will be interesting to see what you find out.

Thank you for your response it is really making me think too.

i will post my findings.