A Hong Kong study found that playing with toys made for boys helped kids learn spatial skills better than toys made for girls. This can give them an edge in studying science, technology, engineering or maths.
Professor Ivy Wong Wang, who leads the gender studies programme at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said that boys were usually given toys like cars or building models. This type of play helped them develop skills in understanding space. But toys for girls, like tea sets or dolls, focus more on taking care of others.
Wong’s research showed that if any child played more with toys usually given to boys, they were better at thinking about how things look when they are changed or moved.
“We can narrow the gender gaps in development through narrowing the gender gaps in play,” Wong said.
She said that spatial skills could help with reading maps, driving and playing sports, and they were important for careers in science, technology, engineering and maths.
Wong suggested parents and teachers observe how children pick toys and encourage girls to choose puzzles, building blocks, drawing or model building, which require spatial skills. She also said companies should make toys for girls that encourage spatial skills and reduce advertisements that promote certain toys to one gender.
