A reader had a dilemma because there was a boy in her care who plays with dolls and prefers to play with the girls. She wondered if she should make him play with the boys and cars or just let him be. We asked our OwnADaycare fans on Facebook what they would do, or if they considered this to be an issue at all. Answers varied. Leave us a comment and let us know how you feel.
Let the child play with whatever toys he would like. At this age it’s all about exploration, imagination, and having fun and he probably gravitates towards the “girl’s toys” more because he doesn’t have a chance to at home.
- I say let him be. I never choose the daycare toys for the kids. Part of my plan is to teach them the independence they need to make their own choices. I simply offer them lots of choices.
- I would just let him be. He might not have any toys like that at home so it is something different for him to play with. Allot of little boys that have no girl toys at home tend to play with that sort of thing at daycare! Nothing wrong with a little boy wanting to play with “girls” toys!
- Sounds like he’s going to make a great dad. So what if he plays with dolls, are men not allowed to play with babies?
- We have no girl or boy toys, there are just toys here. No worries, let him play. We never seem to worry when girl’s play with cars do we? Why are we so worried about our boys?
- If the parents have a problem with it maybe they need to reevaluate themselves or find other childcare. You can’t start distinguishing “boy” and “girl” things. They need to decide on their own what THEY like to play with,
- Maybe it would be a good idea to encourage him to explore other areas, not to get him to choose more “boy appropriate” activities but for variety. I personally don’t think toys in a daycare setting should be identified as gender specific but it is good for every child to have a variety of interests. Obviously if he has no interest I wouldn’t push it but I would definitely encourage him to explore ALL areas just for variety.
- If the parents don’t have a problem with it I don’t see why it would be an issue.
- All my boys here play with dolls occasionally. And the girls play with the cars and trains. If you exclude the dolls you will have one unhappy boy to deal with.
- I have mostly boys and they dress up in the princess clothes, push strollers and wear heels and my girls play with blocks and trucks.
- Let him be, he is only 5 years old. Don’t make it a big deal. Kids will gravitate towards what they feel comfortable with. My 5 almost 6 year old son when he was 13 months old loved to try on girl shoes because he had a female friend he played with who was 6 months older. Now he is into boy shoes and knows the difference to some degree. They go through phases. He will outgrow it. It’s a cute stage though.
- Let HIM BE!!!! He could be a future teacher, caregiver, Mr. Mom, fashion designer, etc.
- I have issues with toys being labeled at boy toys or girl toys. I encourage all of my kids to play with a variety of toys. If a boy or girl was only playing with dolls and not incorporating other toys into the play, then I’d encourage more play with other things, like blocks and puzzles and math materials and art. But I’m guessing he does play with some other things from time to time. I think every boy that I’ve ever had has played with dolls and worn beautiful gowns. I even have a picture of my son having a fit because another boy was wearing his favorite dress. They also like fingernail polish and bows in their hair.
- I’d say close the dolls for day. If that child then becomes hysterical open it back up, but bring in another toy for him to play with. Or maybe bring in some paper and pencils so he can draw the dolls. You never want to stop a kid from playing with what he chooses to play with because you feel it’s not appropriate, but u also don’t want him to stick to one activity in your daycare. Kids need variety in their little lives just like we do.
- Personally, if it were my kid I would not make a deal about it, but I would encourage equal play with the other toys. I get what some have said about how toys should not be gender specific, but I also know that reality says that they typically are, not always, but usually they are. My personal beliefs aside, children are very innocent and he may move on to something different on his own. I myself played with my brothers cars and he played Barbies with me, and neither one of us became homosexual. But I can understand the fear of the provider or parent in a world where sexual orientation and just sex in general is pointed out all over our culture. I know my conservative views are not always popular with the culture, but since the question was posed, this was my answer.
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