Read time: 4 mins
Children in England are assessed at the end of Reception year to see if they’ve achieved a ‘good level of development’ (GLD) across seven prime areas of learning. These Early Years Foundation Stage profiles provide a key national indicator for how well prepared young children are for school and fluctuate considerably across geographies and demographics. Of particular interest are the results for the academic year 2021/22, which reveal that 71.9% of girls achieved GLD, while only 58.7% of boys have achieved GLD.
The gender disparity in early development is a well recognised phenomenon and is observed internationally. Whilst there may be some biological factors that shape rates of development between girls and boys, a central question remains for how we can most effectively support young boys to develop a range of key capabilities: from expressing themselves through speaking and writing, being able to listen and respond well to others, understanding and managing their emotions, and sharing well with others. Ensuring that our boys grow up with these skills is central to ensuring equality for girls and boys.
A recent research study by the Education Endowment Foundation has shown that children who engage in EasyPeasy activities with their parents are more likely to achieve GLD. Both boys and girls, for example, were more likely to progress faster compared to their peers, in the development of personal, social, and emotional skills.
One particularly interesting finding from the study found that boys of parents who used EasyPeasy made more progress than girls in the area of communication and language, the equivalent of two months’ additional progress. This is one of the most interesting findings to come out of the research evaluation, which was conducted as a rigorous Randomised Controlled Trial with over 12,000 children involved. Through the study, parents of 3-4 year olds were given access to the EasyPeasy app and the children’s progress through the EYFS was tracked for over 16 months, at which point the administrative GLD data collected by Reception teachers was shared with the evaluation team at the University of Durham for analysis.
It isn’t clear why EasyPeasy is particularly supporting additional progress in language and communication for boys. One possibility could be that the activities in the EasyPeasy app inspire new types of interactions between parents and their sons. Research suggests that ingrained gender stereotypes about play patterns for boys and girls could be influencing parental choices. It's possible that some parents may have previously leaned towards activities that primarily nurtured physical development in their boys, rather than those designed to bolster communication skills. In any case, we are delighted that EasyPeasy is helping parents and carers to engage in positive and playful ways with their boys that are helping them develop the communication and language skills they need to thrive.
Below we feature a few of the language and communication activities from the EasyPeasy app. These activities are simple to set up and play whilst being effective in boosting key areas in children’s development.
ABC Stories is a fun and simple way to help children develop their communication and language skills with little resources. To play, parents simply tell their child to pick a toy, piece of clothing, and something else in the room. Then, they sit together and create a story or make up a song using their choices. To encourage creativity and imagination, parents can ask their child to make choices as the story or song grows. Doing this also gives children key communication skills such as storytelling.
Reading in Real Life invites children to take inspiration from their favourite books and explore them outside! For example, if their book is about nature, hunt for interesting leaves and flowers and talk about what makes them interesting! This activity will help develop children’s communication, problem-solving, and personal social skills, as well as make them more interested in stories and reading.
While the national EYFS profile results sheds light on the progress and challenges in early childhood education, we know how we can help improve the good level of development results of children by early intervention and improving the home learning environment. Armed with activities and tips from our community of parents and early years experts, we are ready to collaborate to help boost children’s GLD across the UK and to close the gap in gender.
