Social Studies/Gender Studies

Grade Level: Kindergarten, 1, 2
Subject(s):
• Social Studies/Gender Studies
• Health/Family Life
Duration: 20-30 minutes
Description: Children look at the daily activities of their parents to determine if some jobs are for "women only" and "men only," or if most activities can be performed by both men and women.
Goal: To discover young children's sex-role concepts and expand their thinking, if limited.
Objective: As a result of this activity, children will identify most household activities and jobs as being the shared responsibility of men and women (mom and dad).
Materials:
• marker
• large piece of chart paper
Procedure:
As a group, have children brainstorm a list of activities that their parents do at home (playing with kids, cooking, feeding the dog, etc.) Record each activity on the chart as the children contribute them. After the chart is filled with several activities, ask the children who in their household performs each job, either mom, dad, or both. Explain to the children that next to each job you will be writing either M, D, or B according to their responses. As the children discuss who performs each task in their household, it is likely that most of the activities listed will have a B (for Both). This is a good time to point out that not all households have a mom and a dad, and that in many families one parent does everything. At the end of the lesson, point out that most household responsibilities can be handled by both men and women.
Assessment: Have the students draw pictures of their parent(s) engaged in an activity at home. Let the children present their pictures to the class. Did the children stick to stereotypical sex-roles for their drawings, or did they draw their parent(s) doing a variety of activities?