Boys have short hair, girls have long hair
A story of a working theory about gender.
In this excerpt, Ange, a teacher at Northcote Baptist Community Preschool, takes time to gently encourage Jin (three years old) to rethink his working theory of how to tell boys from girls. By the end of the conversation, Jin appears to understand that his initial theory does not make sense anymore.
A small group of children are gathered around the rabbit cage. A conversation begins about whether the rabbits are boys or girls. This leads to a talk about hair length.
Jin (three years old): Girl’s hair.
Ange (teacher): My hair? If I cut my hair short, would I become a boy?
Jin: nnnnn ... yeah.
Ange: So, I am a boy if I cut my hair short?
Jin: Yeah (nodding).
Ange: How short? How about Chloe’s hair? (Chloe is another child nearby with short hair.)
Jin: Short.
Ange: So, is Chloe a boy or a girl?
Jin: A boy!
Ange: But she is wearing a dress, so is she a boy or a girl?
Jin: nnnnn ... A girl!
Ange: A girl? But she has short hair.
Jin: (Looks away. Pats his own very short hair).
Ange: And I am not wearing a dress. Am I a boy?
Jin: (Pauses, fingers on lips, thinking) Yes! (This time he laughs jokingly.)
About this resource
A story where questions and comments help a child rework their theory about gender.