Toddlers’ play in ECEC institutions from a gender perspective

ABSTRACT

This article examines how 1043 toddlers (534 boys and 509 girls) aged 33 months cope with various play activities, from a gender perspective. Data were collected through structured observation using the authentic assessment material Alle Med (Everyone Included). Each child was assessed independently by two staff members familiar with the child in informal situations in ECEC institutions over a period of three months. The results show gender differences favouring girls in most play activities: tries out toys, has a varied play repertoire, emerging pretend play, plays with other children, initiates play on their own, stays in play, turn-taking in play, engages in construction play, active in pretend play, participates in play like hide-and-seek, and gets carried away in pretend play. However, there were no gender differences found in solitary and parallel play, engages in rule-based play, advanced construction play, and independent in rule-based play.

KEYWORDS:

• Toddlers
• gender differences
• play activities
• quantitative studies
• ECEC institutions

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Elin Reikerås http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2162-6371