Gender stereotypes and elementary school children
Once they’ve started primary school, children already have a fairly advanced understanding of what it means to be a boy or a girl. In fact, by around 5 to 7 years of age, children understand that an individual’s sex remains constant in all circumstances and the same over time, and that it is defined by biology (Boyd and Bee, 2015).
Specificities concerning the connection to school in primary school pupils
Although the socialisation of children becomes gender-differentiated well before their arrival at primary school, it does not stop there. On the contrary, it continues and even becomes more accentuated as children contend with an educational experience that differs depending on their gender (Gagnon, 1999). This section deals with the ways in which gendered socialisation modulates the characteristics of the children’s connection to learning.
General recommendations
This information page provides a number of general recommendations that you can integrate into your pedagogical practice to deconstruct gender stereotypes with primary school pupils. To help you target your actions, this sheet deals with seven different themes: interactions with children, proposed activities and models, reading and writing, sex education and hypersexualisation, actions on the part of the team, actions to take with the parents and self-reflection.
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Suggested activities and models
“Only for…”

Suggested activities and models
“You can be” Activity

With your work team
A Guide for Gender Equality in Teacher Education Policy and Practices

Suggested activities and models
Activities targeting boys

Suggested activities and models
Activities targeting girls

Suggested activities and models
Avatars and Body Image

With your work team
Books and textbooks analysis

Suggested activities and models
Boys like, Girls like, Kids like

Suggested activities and models
Classroom activities on gender stereotypes

Suggested activities and models
Classroom decoration that emphasizes gender equality

Suggested activities and models
Create a Classroom Book to Combat Gender Stereotypes

Interactions with children
Diversity in the schoolyard

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Equality and Diversity Lesson Plan – The Paper Bag Princess

With your work team
Extracurricular activities and games analysis

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Father-and-son reading circles

Self-reflection
Film yourself to find your blind spots

Self-reflection
Finding stereotypical activities

Interactions with children
Fostering an equal oral participation in the classroom

With your work team
Gender and sexual diversity in physical activity

With your work team
Gender and sexual diversity: training sessions

Interactions with children
Gender identities at the elementary level

Actions with parents
Gender stereotypes and school retention

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Gendered Toys

With your work team
Inclusive Sex Ed Language Presentation

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Introducing Gender Identity

Suggested activities and models
Jobs for everyone!

Suggested activities and models
Learning respect for diversity

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Les 3 sex* – Sexuality Education Tools

With your work team
No more boys or girls: Can our kids go gender-free?

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Otis and Alice: A family with two moms?

Interactions with children
Prevent and act against bullying

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Reading and gender-equal role models

Suggested activities and models
Role Plays to Reduce Gender Stereotypes

Suggested activities and models
Selling “Boy” and “Girl”

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Sexuality, Stereotypes and Social Norms

Actions with parents
Talking about gender and sexual diversity with parents

Interactions with children
Talking to kids about gender stereotypes
Suggested activities and models
Teaching consent

With your work team
The History of Gendered Baby Clothing

Interactions with children
Using a gender-neutral language

Suggested activities and models
Videos explaining gender equality and stereotypes

Suggested activities and models
What are Gender Stereotypes?

Suggested activities and models
When I grow up

Suggested activities and models