Question
Why do young boys often struggle in ECE programs?
Answer
Why do we have this discrepancy? Why do we have a problem where more boys are struggling in our programs than young girls? This question also implies that this is a problem that should not be occurring. If we want young boys to be successful in school, we need to make early childhood experiences positive. They need to feel good about themselves and need to feel good about how they interact with teachers. They need to feel good about their potential to learn because they have many years ahead of them in school. It's critical that the early childhood period is a positive period for all of our children, including our boys. The statistics suggest that many boys struggle and for many boys, the early childhood years are a failure, which is simply unacceptable.
More and more research shows that as a group, young boys and young girls are simply different. They learn differently and they develop differently. What do we know about young boys in general? Those of you who work with young boys, those of you who have your own young boys know exactly what I'm talking about. Young boys' language development tends to be delayed compared to young girls, and this has to do with the development of their brain and their interaction with adults in their life. Young boys' emotional regulation is delayed compared to young girls. Young boys have poor impulse control and are prone to inattention and distraction. Many young boys are hyperactive. Further, in general, young boys need to move all the time. They simply seem incapable of learning something without moving a part or all of their bodies. Many young boys are messy and disorganized. Many young boys are more physical than young girls, whether it's interacting with materials, whether it's playing on the playground, or whether it's interacting with each other. Young boys have more accidents than young girls. This is shown in statistic after statistic. More young boys seem to struggle with following rules than young girls.
This Ask the Expert is an edited excerpt from the course, Meeting the Needs of Young Boys in Early Childhood Programs, by Francis Wardle, PhD.
