Oh Boy! Strategies for Teaching Boys in Early Childhood

P/B
ISBN 9780942702286

Oh Boy! suggests that many of the struggles young boys have in our early childhood programs and schools are not simply a result of bad behavior. Rather, boys struggle because of a much more fundamental problem: a mismatch between how most young boys develop, grow, and learn, and the kinds of expectations, outcomes, activities, and discipline approaches used in programs during the early years. “I think a radical change is needed in order to fully meet the needs of young boys. A place to start is recognizing that typical boy behaviors like lack of attention, risk taking, poor emotional regulation, full body movement, and messy exploration of the physical world, are the norm, and not the exception. This book hopes to aid programs as they begin to acknowledge and celebrate this norm.” – Francis Wardle “This is not just a book, it’s a story…a story of hope for young boys attending childcare in any type of setting. It’s a story that sends a message to our industry that we need a paradigm shift—to our thinking, our training, and our hiring—to recognize the gender imbalance that is putting young boys at great risk of failure. It’s a story that urges us as a field to better understand the specific complexities of caring for young boys so that we may fulfill our ultimate promise to provide the highest quality of care possible to all children.” – Jerry Parr, President/CEO Willow Tree Early Education Team.