Abstract

KUDE, Vera Maria Moreira; KNUPPE, Luciane  and  PLENTZ, Margarete Barbosa. Gender construction and children’s education and play. Educ. Rev. [online]. 2004, n.40, pp.213-230. ISSN 0102-4698.

It has been shown that preschool age children present a tendency to gender segregation. Through this tendency boys and girls develop different social abilities, styles, expectations and preferences. According to these perspectives and aiming to better understand gender differences, this study examined the characteristics of playing; identified similarities and differences in the way boys and girls play in Early Education, described children´s plays in mixed groups and same-sex groups and investigated if adults stimulate gender-stereotyped play. The data were collected in preschools that attend children in the age range from four to six-years old. The results indicate that gender segregation between boys and girls occurs due to different choices of play toys; there is interaction between children in activities not typified by gender; adults influence gender segregation on play; spend more time in the same activity and tend to exclude boys / boys are more restless, turbulent, and enjoy rough-and-tumble play most of the time.

Keywords : Child Development; Gender; Play; Early Education; Identity; Gender Segregation.

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