Is this really what primary school kids are like?

Nope - state primary. I thought of another thing - those pens with lids that look like animals - lots of my girls like them!

State grammars don't usually have year 6

Its a private or grammar school, isn't it?

My Year 3 DD likes kids’ nail varnish and a bit of kids’ make up now and again, but I would never, ever take her to Sephora or Space NK. She has a fake Stanley style cup (£10 from
Claire’s!) which she enjoys drinking from at home. I won’t let her take it to school, as it isn’t practical. She still loves Lego, playing role play games (especially pretending to be a dog with her younger sister!), crafts, slime and playing outside on her scooter. I think children who go to Sephora at 8 etc are more a reflection of their parents tbh. My daughter has heard of Sephora through girls at school 🙄, but she knows I won’t take her there as she’s too young!

My almost 12 year old up until a year ago still plated barbies but still had some makeup but this year she's more makeup but won't give up her barbies

💯 This is a really good point about the different impact of the types of trends. Stuff like Pokémon cards, a certain brand of pens, toys, a style of water bottle might be irritating when you’re being asked to buy them, but expensive make-up and skin care is a different level entirely. It’s putting pressure on girls to look a certain way, have perfect skin etc, at a young age, plus the potential to damage their skin.

Bit of glitter, lip gloss and top of the pops magazine would have been lost on me and my peers at 8, it was all skipping, bikes and mud.

My DD is almost 10. She likes a sparkly lip gloss and an occasional squirt of perfume, but mostly she likes art & crafts, climbing trees, cycling, scooting, bug hunting, reading, board games... And she's definitely pretty typical amongst her large group of friends.

Sephora kids. Common but not every kid, luckily.

No, that's just what that parent let's their kids do.

I'd never, ever turn my child into an adult before their time, it's cruel really as it makes me think they're robbing them of childhood.

@Bluedenimdoglover
"Nurture what they are and build their confidence in themselves as people. A lot of it comes from the mother and her attitude to a healthy mind and body. I'm so glad my granddaughter is a tomboy"
Isn't being an energetic girl good enough? She has to be a tomboy (not typical female) to be good enough? That's the opposite of your first two statements.
@HopelesslyNaive98 this was my eldest GD at 9, now at nearly 11, she only likes targeted skincare and only uses mascara. The younger one (8) would love this, but would see it as dress up. We buy the rip off versions from Home Bargains and Paw Paw etc. Stanley cups are across the board. The youngest loves beauty blenders but uses them in craft and play (with her sylvanian families, she's ditched the barbies). River Island clothes was well, I think H&M is like a jumble sale. Generally children are a mix.

Not around here, no. (DS is 8 and has friends from his old independent school and his local state primary.) The last "girl" birthday parties he's been to involved:

• a space themed party, where they played at the house and local park
• a party at laser tag
• an escape room at a local castle and then some pizza
• bowling and then pizza back at the birthday girl's home

Nothing to do with make-up at all...

I have a Y6 dd.

There are some girls in her year who are into slightly more grown up things like laboubous, (which tbf look like toys for little kids anyway), designer labels, have smart phones etc.

Dd's close friends don't do these things just yet.

I think it's not the norm to be getting expensive make up at that age tbh

Okay thanks for your vitriol.

‘Ultimately it’s down to you what you allow.’

in case you missed that bit.

I work in early years and have a 3 year old arrive with handbag and makeup every fucking day. She gets upset she cannot reapply her lip gloss. I appolagied to the parents they outside toys cannot be kept safe and should not be brought and put the handbag on her peg and she now snuggles her lip gloss in her pocket. That’s extreme but I’m already appalled how young these girls are taught they should aspire to beauty. I’ve done this job over 20 years and while there has always been the boy toy girl toy ideas I see less and less tomboy girl breaking gender stereotypes and more parents pushing this crap on tiny children than I ever saw when I was first working

The fact that they are under pressure doesn't mean their parents have to go along with it and allow these things.

Omg 8 is still early childhood, why do you want her to be like a teenager?
Can't believe who we have as teachers. Definitely the case of those who are not good at anything teach.
You are right, thinking of who I know- the chavviest 8 or 9 year olds with crop tops, beauty regimes, no toys and inappropriate music, netflix and tick stock are kids of teachers.
I guess mothers are so desperate for their kids to be "popular" like they never were .

Do they not give boys skincare? Is it only girls that need "improvements" to their skin? Just making sure they they grow up feeling not good enough
Ignorant chavs.

You must be working for Chavs-R-Us judging by your colleague. Not normal.

I think children have always been swayed by fads/things that are popular. Pokémon cards for example swept our primary but there are some trends that feel benign (cards, stupid water bottles, toys etc) and others that have more of an edge. I think uncontrolled skincare is in that latter point because it could be damaging but is also setting up kids for a lifetime of consumerism re beauty products but also the risk of endocrine disruptors. Where do you go next if you’ve already gutted the boots aisle for anti aging creams at 10?

It’s a bit of a mixed bag, I’ve worked in Y4 lots over the years and my daughter is 8. She would love to be like this but I kind of discourage some of it but I’m afraid some of the things on that list she does ask for - nails, Stanley cup etc and I do let her do / have some of those things. Mixed year groups make it harder I think, so Y3 / Y4 is always a hard one as you have the Autumn born Y4’s who seem a mile apart from the Summer born Y3’s. Ultimately it’s down to you what you allow, I try to strike a balance as I believe my daughter still enjoys the ‘younger’ things but being around older or more mature kids makes them feel a bit under pressure to fit in.

Definitely not normal in my experience. DS’ friends, all a similar age, are all still very much little kids.

My DS and my best friends DD are both 10. They still play with toys and games. BFDD is not interested in make up etc.
I think it also depends a lot on what the parents are happy with.
My Mum bought me my first make up from No7 counter with a lesson on how to apply when I was 13. I had the peel off polish and lipbalms before. I can’t imagine a full face of make up at 8.

It depends in my opinion, does the child have an older sister? My daughter is 8 in December and she wants EVERYTHING her older step sister has (14). She wants skin care, makeup, hair accessories etc.
HOWEVER, we don’t let her and we compromise. For example she is getting some Bubble moisturiser and lip balm, gloss and a face mask for Xmas amongst her other stuff, where as the older daughter is getting the skin care routine stuff she has asked for.
she is at a point where she wants to listen to music in the shower, have a say in her clothes, get her nails done etc but again we compromise always with what’s appropriate for her age so she doesn’t feel left out. I think that is the difference.

unfortunately kids are getting younger and younger when they start to want all these things though, it’s down to the parents to say yes or no.
I don’t remember going to concerts until I was a teen, but my daughter’s dad took her to see Taylor Swift at 7 🤷🏻‍♀️ I said no. 🙃

impressionable children like to not be left out but if the parents aren’t comfortable then they don’t have to go along with it, and there are still plenty of age appropriate children mixed in with those who aren’t. You have to remember some 7 year olds will have parents who were raised in a different time to you as well now which makes a difference, if they had them at 16-20 for example (they definitely don’t fit into my age bracket anymore 😂🙈), but I was that younger mum with my son.