You may have heard the definition that “boys are noise…with dirt on it!”

Certainly boys have PLENTY of imagination, but they imagine things differently than girls typically do.

Boys tend to be more kinetic. When their imagination is at work, it involves movement and sound effects.

Boys tend to be problem solvers. Girls solve problems too, of course, but typically of a different sort and in different ways. (As a female with a degree in Architecture, I assure you that I don’t mean to be stereotypical here. Just speaking in generalities.) When boys tackle challenges, they’re typically more hands-on in their approach. I remember, for example, when my cousin, Daniel, wanted to know how my father’s new fishing reel worked. We never did get the line untangled and the pieces back together! My sister and I were horrified, but Daniel was completely satisfied with his new understanding of the mangled mechanism.

When girls’ imagination translates into writing, their stories tend to be fictitious and relational. Boys tend to write more often about physical feats, adventures, and derring-do. It’s not that they’re UNemotional. They just get emotional about different things.

SO…how does this translate into how we teach?

Be sure to build in a wide choice of reading about real events–the more adventurous, the better. And allow time for hands-on projects and outdoor activities. Unit studies and field trips are ideal opportunities to get physically involved with learning. Be sure to check out the Activities section in each Discover Texas volume!