5 Tips for Making a Classroom and School Gender Inclusive for Young Children
By: Colleen Vesely & Hillary Gile
As we head back to school, consider these 5 tips to ensure gender inclusion in for our youngest learners.
Early childhood is a key developmental time when children begin to explore and understand their gender through interactions with their environment (i.e., school). For an increasing number of young children who are gender expansive, that is, their ways of understanding and expressing gender fall outside of societal gender norms, it is especially important that schools are emotionally safe and developmentally supportive. As such, school leaders and educators of young children might consider the following to make their classrooms gender inclusive to affirm all children:
Critically reflect on and make practices, language, and structures gender inclusive. Consider adjusting everyday directives and groupings like, “Girls go get your lunches and boys go get your lunches.” Use inclusive language like, “Children wearing blue, you may go get your lunches,” etc. Consider using “children” or a classroom name rather than “boys and girls.” Be cognizant of how the classroom environment is structured to ensure that cubbies, seating, coat hooks, etc. are not arranged by gender. Also examine gendered structures like restrooms, to consider creating all-gender restrooms.
Examine classroom books for gender inclusion. Review texts in your classroom (and in the school library) for the messages being sent to children about how they should express their gender. For example, texts that portray girls or boys in singular ways related to interests, activities, and dress do not allow children to see the range of opportunities for expressing themselves. See here for book suggestions. Also take a look at our Resource page for book suggestions as well.
Observe children with intentionality to understand how they describe themselves in terms of gender. Listen to how children refer to themselves in terms of gender identity and if they correct the ways others describe them. For example, if a child says, “Don’t call me girl” it is important to honor that, regardless of their assigned gender. Provide opportunities for children to engage in creating self-portraits to further understand how they see themselves.
Maintain open lines of communication with families. This is important for all children and families, and for children who are gender expansive facing potential challenges given our gender binary society, this partnership between school staff, teachers, and families is essential. These connections might include sharing examples of children’s expression of gender in the classroom and at home (see Tip #3).
Lean into dialogues about gender initiated by children. Create space for children to express their gender as they wish by being available and open to support dialogue about gender. Children sometimes say things like, “Girls can’t like Spiderman,” or “Boys don’t have long hair,” or they may question another child’s choice of clothing that does not align with the gender binary. Try to ask questions, “Tell more about why girls can’t like Spiderman,” or “Why do you think boys can’t have long hair?” or “Hmm, I have met many girls who do like Spiderman, how is that?” Leaning into this dialogue with questions can help children reconsider their statements from a less biased space.
