To challenge this note from nursery ?

[Blankiefan]

Leaflet came home with 4yo DD from nursery (it's the school nursery). Note is about benefits of outside play and learning. So far, so good... until...

"Boys, in particular, require a means of testing themselves (and true abilities) in a physical manner, which is impossible in the confined space of a school classroom."

AIBU to think this reflects some sort of belief that the boys should be challenged in ways the girls aren't? It's a philosophy I'm uncomfortable with - why should they make a distinction on gender?

She's only been attending this nursery for a fortnight - she goes for afternoon sessions spending the rest of her time at the private nursery she's been at since she was 6 months old. Am I going to be that parent if I complain this soon into her school career? The nursery is part of the school she'll attend for primary.

[ElizabethShaw]

Yes it's a generalization but it's more than often true that boys, in general partake in more physical activities than girls at that age...
All the more reason to encourage girls to be more active, risk taking and physically challenged rather than falling back on lazy stereotypes.

[DropZoneOne]

My DD is active and had as much energy as any boy when she was younger - we used to collect her from nursery and take her to the park for half an hour to try to wear her out! I agree young children need outdoor time but to generalise that (all) boys need more than (all) girls is wrong. It's an unnecessary addition to the letter and would worry me that they wouldn't recognise which girls really need to let off steam and which boys would be far happier playing with playdoh.

[Subtlecheese]

All my children are feral beasts if not given adequate time to run around and figuratively howl at the moon. They are also all ludicrously well behaved in class as I do try to make sure they run free get outside so my house doesn't look completely overrun. Yes that's braggy. But It's nothing I've done in terms of classroom behaviour. That's been their teachers.

[Ttbb]

Any child psychologists or paediatricians here to give an opinion?

[SusanTheGentle]

@DailyMailReadersAreThick

It's really worrying, and quite depressing, how many people on this thread believe that crap.

It's unbelievable isn't it. I'd be furious with this nursery.

[ElizabethShaw]

insancerre - why on earth would boys need physical risk and challenge more than girls?
The differences between 3 year old girls and boys are down to socialisation.
Early years settings should be challenging stereotypes not reproducing them!
Girls are given less encouragement and opportunity to be physical - nursery should seek to redress the balance.

[Copperbeech33]

"Boys, in particular, require a means of testing themselves (and true abilities) in a physical manner, which is impossible in the confined space of a school classroom."

AIBU to think this reflects some sort of belief that the boys should be challenged in ways the girls aren't? It's a philosophy I'm uncomfortable with - why should they make a distinction on gender?


they are not making any distinction on gender, they are making a distinction on the grounds of biology. Boys and girls are biologically different. Some differences are clearly visible, some are not.

Boys have a powerful surge of testosterone around the age of 4. With this can come aggressive feelings and energy. It has been shown that boys who express these feelings in a controlled way as infants learn to better understand and control aggression as adults.

it is not sexist to try to understand and act on the biological differences.

it would be sexist if it said " all boys" or "only boys" - because that ignores the variation between boys, and between girls, and the cross over, and the possibility of personal preference.

[DailyMailReadersAreThick]

Yes it's a generalization but it's more than often true that boys, in general partake in more physical activities than girls at that age...

Yes they do PARTAKE in more physical activity because, even at that age, they're taught that boys are meant to be rough and tumble and girls are meant to be demure and sit nicely and quietly.

They don't NEED more physical activity. Or, rather, girls don't need less.

[ElizabethShaw]

Copper - that testosterone stuff is nonsense, there aren't significant biological differences between the sexes at this age.

[schoolgaterebel]

Don't be afraid of being 'that parent' it's people like this that change the world for the better.

[Copperbeech33]

Before hormones girls and boys are the same. yes, but this is the age at which the first massive hormone surges kick in.(in boys)

[Copperbeech33]

Copper - that testosterone stuff is nonsense, there aren't significant biological differences between the sexes at this age.

sorry if you don't like it and it doesn't fit with your philosophy, but you can't change scientific truths just because you don't like them

[ElizabethShaw]

It would be interesting to observe how the practitioners interact with children outside, what's the betting there's a lot of "be careful Evie, don't go too high, do you need some help?"
While Archie gets "go on, you can do it, have a go!"

[DeltaWave]

Copper that's a myth.

[lozzylizzy]

My son came home with a letter from school about clubs.

Girls only football, 20 places free of charge. Football 20 places - £18 per half term i.e boys can only join the one that you pay for but if any extra girls want to play they can join the paying one too!

Surely it should just be two sessions free of charge for 20 kids per session!

[lozzylizzy]

or two paying sessions of course too!

[ChickenVindaloo2]

Not this shit again!

[AmysTiara]

My boys are different in character but neither of them needed lots of physical exercise.

Certainly no more than my nieces.

[SunSeptember]

I have learned the hard way to be that parent sadly because guess what - no one else is my daughters parent

[ElizabethShaw]

Copper evidencebasedparent.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/the-myth-of-toddler-testosterone-surge.html

[BarbarianMum]

My neighbour used to go on and on about how hard it must be to have boys because they were so active - in between telling her dd to stop running around. Ds1 would rather have knawed his leg off than sat and coloured but would sit and listen to stories for an hour at a time.

[BarbarianMum]

My neighbour used to go on and on about how hard it must be to have boys because they were so active - in between telling her dd to stop running around. Ds1 would rather have knawed his leg off than sat and coloured but would sit and listen to stories for an hour at a time.

[DeltaWave]

sarahockwell-smith.com/2014/06/09/why-the-huge-testosterone-surge-in-young-boys-is-a-myth-and-what-really-causes-their-behaviour-to-change/

No evidence to support the idea that boys have a testosterone spike when around 4 years old.

[TheWanderingUterus]

Many little girls sit and play quietly because we show them we expect that of them in every subconscious interaction, in the toys we buy them, in the clothes and shoes we buy them, in the way we speak to them and about boys in their presence.

We expect them to be less aggressive, less active, less sporty and even though I consider myself to be pretty switched on when it comes to gender stereotypes, even I catch myself in it every now and then. And if we don't expect it then the world around them will - at nursery, at school etc. Boys that are considered to be too feminine and girls that are considered to be too masculine come up against a constant reminder that they are behaving in the wrong way and don't have an easy time of it.

An assumption that boys need more time outside means that the boys who would rather be inside with a book feel wrong, and leaves the girls who would rather be charging up and down looking out the window and feeling wrong. Wouldn't it be better to allow the children themselves to choose rather than making arbitrary distinctions based on genitals and stereotypes?

[Cagliostro]

Ugh yanbu