Prepare preschool kids for a Gender Neutral Future
Gone are the days when blue was meant to be for boys and girls were always gaga over pink. Today’s generation is open-minded and unconventional. One unconventional approach that we have been adopting at Medhaam kid's day care & kindergarten is to teach kids how to be gender-neutral. And if you are willing to help us, then it’s important to teach your kids the same when they are home. Wondering how to go about gender-neutral parenting? This is the article for you.
What Is Gender-Neutral Parenting?
This is a way of raising children without the involvement of any preconceived gender-specific norms. This means letting your daughters wear cargo pants while your sons can go for a pink outfit, opting for gender-neutral room decor, and addressing your kid with a gender-neutral term. But is this healthy for your child? Medhaam
care preschool will tell you. It’s all about the mindset. But it is noteworthy that under gender-neutral parenting, a child gets the opportunity of growing freely.
How to raise your kid in a gender-neutral environment?
Raising children in a gender-neutral environment can be a bit tricky. Here are a handful of tricks:
Reduce gender restrictions.
Using the term “gender-neutral” can be a total disaster. So, avoid that. All you can do is reduce the gender-specific restrictions. And to start with, make amends in the way you address your kid. For example, replace ‘That’s like my girl!’ with ‘That’s like my kid!’’.
Rise above ‘pink’ and ‘blue’ themes.
Make sure that you don’t lay emphasis on the differences. Just rise above them! And nowhere to start better than with colors. Never associate pink with a girl and blue with a boy. This can change their thinking and behavior to adapt to norms early on. You can get them gender-neutral clothes, and encourage them to wear neutral colors. However, if your child naturally gravitates towards either pink or blue, don’t discourage them. The moral is to make them see each color as equal.
Encourage co-ed games.
Make it a rule that your kids should play with the opposite gender. This will make them comfortable and will leave a positive impact on their future relationships at work, at home, and in school. You can enter your child in mixed-gender activities, sports, and playgroups.
Don’t eliminate gender completely.
Don’t erase gender. Encourage your kids to explore gender norms and pursue whatever interests them. In this manner, you will be able to give them a sneak peek into all the genders.
Tell them that there are no exceptions.
It’s important to tell your kids that no career or interest sees gender as a barrier. Introduce them to role models like male nurses, female engineers and mechanics, and so on. Your child will be encouraged if they learn about people who challenge gender stereotypes and express themselves in a gender-fluid manner.
Individuality is important!
Don’t hide your kid behind mere gender identity. It is essential to see your kid as an individual rather than just a boy or girl.
Being different is acceptable and totally fine.
It is important to teach and reassure your child that being gender-neutral might be slightly different from others but is still completely okay, positive, and normal.
Toys have no gender.
If your daughter plays with a toy car and your son likes to braid that Barbie doll, it’s fine. Don’t limit your children by labeling their toys as gender-related. Let your child play with a wide variety of toys that are not segregated as toys for boys or girls.
We hope that these tips will be helpful in giving your child the requisite freedom and will make them grow into enlightened individuals.
