Boy activities vs Girl activities

When I was growing up If I wanted to touch worms and dirt, everybody else who was touching worms and dirt was my homie, regardless of them being a girl or boy. 🤷‍♀️

@Parker 又 that's how I feel, too. My daughter loves almost all play- she dances, dress up, bike rides, fishes, she goes hunting with my Husband. She just likes doing fun stuff 😂. But my friend came over and my daughter was wearing a princess dress and asked if her friend could play dress up. My friend says "Oh she doesn't like dress up and girly stuff" yet her daughter was staring and clearly wanted to play dress up I felt so bad 😭.

I was a very “girly girl” I didn’t like being dirty I liked playing dolls and things. My sister was always considered a “Tom boy” she liked dirt and liked playing with cars. In the end we are now both pretty girly and both bi lol i feel like how we differ definitely pertains to me being the first child and her being the second. I think kids are just eager to explore (messy play) and mimic what they see (pretend play)

Idk I think some are more inclined to not want to play sports or rough or in the dirt. Growing up I was considered more "tom boy" I had more boy friends as most the girl friends I had just wanted to play dolls and id get bored of that too quickly. I'd rather be running around outside with the boys, coming back filthy and playing sports. It was till I was 13ish that I started to have more girl friends. Even the fact that I played video games growing up was apparently weird as it was seen as more of a boy thing growing up

There is a difference. You see it at birthday parties where there is a giant inflatable and most of the girls are at the art and craft table or a disco with structured games that the boys arnt overly interested in. My daughter is definitely not the muddy puddle, playing football type of child and is definitely more on the “girly” side of things. That said I’ve encouraged her to do things like laser quest, wall climbing, tubing ect mostly as I have a son so need to find joint activities they can do together.

I don't think there's a difference in play activities for boys or girls as each child is going to be unique in how they want to play.

@Karen I'll definitely pay attention to that. My 3 kiddos are little, so as of right now, them and their friends just kind of run around in circles at birthday parties 😂. They all play for about 2 seconds in an area before running off to a new area lol!

By itself play is not gendered, but it’s what everyone’s perceptions of it are and how they express those that eventually filters down. There’s nothing inherently masculine or feminine about playing with dinosaurs but I’ve had two mums express surprise that my daughter is into that because their daughters are not. It’s a tiny thing that is planting the seeds that playing with dinosaurs isn’t for normal for girls, and all these little things add up to create the social constructs that certain things are more for girls or boys. It’s hard to avoid, but I just let my daughter play with whatever she wants, whether that’s dinosaurs, messy play, outside in the mud, or a baby doll or kitchen. Expose her to everything and she’ll find what she likes to do.

@Charlotte Yeah, I guess those things weren't "gendered" in my home when me and my 7 siblings were growing up and I didn't realize how unconventional that was until my teens lol...and now again as a Mom. We just simply played. But now I know!

I think the thing is when growing up there wasn't much of a spotlight on "gendered things" and nowadays it just feels really obsessive. Or maybe it's more because we have social media now and it's spoke about more

@Megan I'm guessing it's more apparent now due to social media?🤔 Idk, I mean, I see soo much on social media personally about a variety of different topics lol 😂. Information overload sometimes for sure. But I do remember growing up seeing family members not allowing/ discouraging their sons from playing kitchen or baking with my brothers and I didn't understand the significance to it until I was older. We would like to watch "Good Eats" on the food network channel and try to copy the recipes from that show lol!! But yeah, I do remember some of my family not being okay with their sons participating. They would legit kick them out of the kitchen, and we were just tryna to make some donuts 😂😭.

I have an almost 2 years old and they love mudd and jumping in puddles. They also love wearing their nightgowns and playing barbies at their dollhouse. She loves to play with cars and trucks. She also loves to dance with her unicorns. I was the same as a kid. She enjoys crafts and isnt into playing in areas overpopulated with children. I used to think she was shy or intimidated but it turns out she's so adventurous when the space feels safe and not overwhelming.

@Chris One of my daughters is the same way! She really enjoys her solitude! Your daughter sounds like she's having a great childhood experience, btw! All of that sounds like so much fun!

Ill admit, the only difference i see between her and her boy cousins or her boy brothers are the way they way. The boys play really rough and throw everything around or slam things or make them like crash. They're all the same age too. My little one doesn't make the cars crash into one another but like drives them around 🤣 she doesn't throw her doll house over either. She uses her drums to bang on. But as far as clothes and play...homie is into everything. I like to think our daughter is having the time of her life❤️

For me personally I don’t think playtime should be separated into gender categories. Like yes, girls might play with dolls but if they have a younger brother that sees them playing with them he might be intrigued and want to play too, I don’t see any issue in that whatsoever, same with cars and little girls. My eldest girl loves the outdoors. Anything to do with it, and my sons such an outdoor person too. Playtime is playtime end of!

I live in the UK so I’ve never seen this separation before and I take both of mine out to play every weekend. Soft play, play cafe, playgrounds, everywhere it was just one big space for them to go play and explore. At home, I don’t categorise it either, they just play whatever they want, and I have a daughter and a son so they just play together. I don’t believe they care or even know to care about it, unless you teach them so.

I have a son 2y and a daughter 8mo. I have a baby doll that I’ve keep since I was like 2. My son likes walking around with it rocking it and shusshing and patting the baby dolls back. My grandfather his great grandfather saw it on FaceTime and was like put that down that’s your sisters and I just told my son to carry on. I think a lot of girl play v boy play when I was growing up and years before was reinforced gender roles, play kitchens and baby dolls for the girls. Cars, nerf guns and whatever for the boys. I think it’s changing but there are definitely people out there that don’t think boys should have dolls. Like they may not grow up to be a father. Probably why a lot are like idk what to do, you’re so good at it. Yea cause I’ve been taking care of my dolls since I was 2 😂

Same I was free to explore what I liked . Once I came to the US at 12 I saw that the boys and girls were separated is lots of play and sport

I think it has less to do with gender and more to do with individual personalities and what opportunities you're given. Is your parents constantly have you outside you will probably gear towards outdoorsy things if they are inside playing video games you will want to do the same. I think Dad's have a huge role in this but I might be biased because I was raised by a single dad

When I grew up my sister and I would wrestle with my brother and play with his toys I don’t recall him playing with our dolls Barbie’s etc I had a kitchen set I don’t really remember my brother being my primary play mate it was usually my sister and my parents bought us toys like dolls for their daughters and toys that are typically for boys for their son like wrestler action figures etc & Similarly I do the same my kids who are very young- all of my tots play with each others toys we don’t restrict this but we do purchase certain things for my son like trucks, balls and baby dolls for our daughters. My son is in soccer they all did Tinkergarten my son will do basket ball our daughters likely won’t they may do something like idk gymnastics or ballet, both do swimming both will do instruments but if they request to do other things we’d be open to that as well as they age but they’re not selecting what we purchase for them as tots or selecting their classes etc

Growing up they gave me dolls and Barbies, I always turned them into science projects---- think Cynthia or the strange toys at Syd's house in Toy Story. Soooo IDK. I just let my child play and what ever he likes to do . He will do. So far he is not interested in dolls- even tho I show them to him and hug them. He still looks at it and goes to play else where.

Playing outside and climbing trees all of that is for every child for sure. But do boys and girls play differently? 100% there's the occasional exception but generally they're different. They almost seem to move their bodies differently. Girls seem to move more steadily, gently, and consistently. Boys move like drunk octopuses.

@Annie Hey! I'm from Salem as well! Hello fellow Oregonian!

Thanks everyone for the responses and insight! I appreciate all the different perspectives. Sounds like a lot of our ideas of gender related play and what is considered normal or appropriate rely heavily with our own upbringing and what we experienced as "normal" growing up!