Girls vs. Boys and "Teaching Time"

I recently read this article on NPR and found it extremely interesting.

It's about a study by professors in two Canadian universities that analyzed survey data from Canada, the US, and the UK about the amount of time parents spend with their children on certain activities.  The most surprising finding, and the focus of the article, is the fact that parents report spending more time on "teaching" type activities with girls than with boys.  These activities include reading to the child or practicing letters or numbers.

There are a number of possible causes for this, although nothing is known for certain.  Some of the theories mentioned in the article are that girls might be naturally more inclined toward teaching activities, that parents might unconsciously respond to cultural biases saying girls read and boys engage in active play, or that it may take more effort to get a boy to sit still and pay attention to teaching activities than with a girl.

Whatever the reason, it's clear that caregivers should be making a conscious effort to spend more "teaching time" with boys.  This article cites a trend towards higher reading and math test scores for girls than for boys, once children enter school.  There is a very real possibility that this discrepancy is due to girls' greater time spent on early learning activities in the home.

The good news is that teaching activities do NOT have to be quiet, sit-down activities, if that's not what the child in question prefers.  An active boy (or girl!) may be more comfortable with books that feature a lot of action, like those I use in Wee Dance! Party programs.  They may want to act out stories more often than they sit and listen to them.  Letters and numbers can also be practiced through active play, whether it's rearranging magnetic letters or counting numbered blocks as they build a tower.  There are also plenty of great songs for children that encourage dancing and movement while practicing basic academic skills.

And anyone spending time with children should always remember the 5 early literacy practices that we children's librarians recommend:  Read!  Write!  Sing!  Talk!  Play!  If a child has an adult to do these 5 things with, he or she is off to a great start in life!