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Gillian from LittleHeroes.com wrote a post about children and reading readiness that really struck a chord for me.  Learning to Read: Boys are from Mars, Girls are from Venus points out the vast differences between boys’ and girls’ development. Teaching my first two boys to read was quite challenging, and I’ve often thought readiness was part of the issue.

We all know that boys and girls develop differently.  Gillian explains that these differences extend beyond the verbal abilities that we normally see first in girls and the spatial relations skills that boys exhibit earlier.  It affects how quickly boys and girls learn to read.

From the article:

What is means for later education is even more significant. Take reading and maths. Girls, advantaged by their earlier developing language skills, learn to read faster and more easily than boys. But boys, advantaged by their earlier developing spatial memory and targeting skills, learn to do maths faster and more easily than girls.

Is either better at the subject than the other? No. Each gender merely blooms at their own rate.

Knowing this offers a completely different perspective on how and when to encourage learning various subjects on a child. The principle is simple: don’t expect to run before you can walk.

Gillian cites some very interesting research in the blog post.  Feel free to click over and check it out.  My favorite part is the recommendation she makes at the end. What do you think?

Earnest Parenting: tips to improve your child’s education.