I really hate gender stereotyping. I hate it when you go into a shop and see the ‘girl’ area which is all pink and filled with dolls, while the ‘boy’ section is chock-a-block with cars, trucks and superheroes.Why can’t boys push a pink buggy? Why can’t a little girl build a Lego dumper truck? The answer is – they can, and they should.I have 3 children – 1 girl and 2 boys. They don’t have their ‘own’ toys. We have lots of toys, that anyone can play with. Since Max was born 7 months ago, both children have enjoyed playing ‘mums and dads’ – feeding dolly a bottle and taking her for a walk in the pram. That’s just children, acting out what they see happening in real life. Dads push a pram, and no-one bats an eyelid – in fact it is encouraged. And the same principles should apply to our little ones. We should stop seeing them as boys and girls, and just see them as children with an endless imagination.
So here are my top 3 toys for girls and boys to enjoy:
Lego. Lego is a firm favourite in our house, and we build all sorts of things with it – houses, trucks, cars, swimming pools, hairdressers – the list is endless. Lego really fires the imagination, and children love it for that very reason. They can play with Lego in whichever way they see fit. You can even bring in other toys to join in – little Playmobil figures, toy animals, Hot Wheels cars – in fact, pretty much anything.
Wooden train track. This is another item that is well loved in our house. There is a huge amount of fun to be had with a train set. We have a few accessories too – bridges, turntables and tunnels. The children (and Daddy) build huge, winding tracks that run from one bedroom to another, then while away many a happy hour driving trains, carriages and wooden cars up and down the tracks – usually with a few crashes thrown in for good measure.
Dolls. They are NOT just for girls. All children enjoy acting as ‘grown ups’ – looking after their baby, feeding them a bottle, changing the nappy and heading out for a walk with the pram. Just like mummy and daddy do. Max’s newborn clothes have been stolen and re-used for dollies, and nappies often disappear from the changing table too. But I don’t mind. The children are learning important life lessons – empathy, how to care for another person, and responsibility.
So, with Christmas upon us, try and avoid the ‘pink for girls and trucks for boys’ mentality and try something different this year. You might just be surprised at how much your little one enjoys it!
Jacob proves you can wear fairy wings and play with a tractor. And why not?! |
I totally agree with you. All of my boys have had pushchairs to play with and the Lego is a free for all. They have all played with the dolls house and Fran loves toy soldiers as much as Barbie. As long as they are playing creatively I don’t mind what gender the toys are aimed at.
I agree. Imaginative play has no boundaries 🙂
My son absolutely loves pushing his sister’s pink pushchair about (though he does throw the doll out first!), and my daughter loves her cars and trains. I think those top 3 toys you’ve suggested there are spot on – something for everyone and you know they’ll last several years and entertain them for that long, too.
The train track has been a firm favourite for as many years as I can remember, and with Max being just 7 months, I know we will get many more years worth of fun out of it!
You know I totally agree with you! The most played with toy in our house is Duplo 🙂 x
Ooh this boils my blood playmobil and thier pink boxes full of ‘living room furniture ‘ and such like makes me very cross as did my dad (my own father) saying my son shouldn’t be playing with a doll! Grrrrrr
I totally agree. J is always playing with Cherry’s pink toys! He’s obsessed with her fairy wand and is always carrying around a tube of my mascara! They’re just toys at the end of the day and so many boys love the dolls pushchairs. I’ve always had all types of toys available for Cherry to play with and as it goes she does just love pink things and pretending to cook cakes but at least it was her choice and not me making the choice for her x
I always allowed my daughter to play with any toys that she wanted to and I will do the same with my son. I hate gender stereotyping, there is no need for it (same goes for clothes).