(Background: I am a researcher on play in preschoolers, and I am known as Miss O to all the preschoolers. )
A little girl sat next to me, “Miss O, let me tell you a story!”
Me, “Great! What’s the story about?”
The little girl using her storytelling voice, “Snow White. Once upon a time, there was a Snow White…”
A little boy jumped in enthusiastically, “I KNOW!! A prince kissed a princess, and then…”
The little girl was a little bit annoyed, “Not that soon, you listen to me first…”
I said to the little boy, “Let’s listen to her story then we can listen to yours.”
The little girl went on, “Snow White’s mother is dead, and her new mother is a witch…”
The little boy interrupted, “I know. The prince gave the princess a big kiss!”
The little girl was frustrated, “I am speaking!!”
The little boy, “You don’t need to talk so much, the most important part is the prince kisses the princess!!”
(Seems girls care more about the process and boys care more about the results in such an early stage…)
A little girl said to a little boy, “I want to sit with you!”
The little boy shook his head, “No!”
The little girl held out her hand, “Please touch my hand.”
(The little boy touched the little girl’s hand for a while…)
The little girl, “Let’s sit together?”
The little boy, “Sure!”
A little boy shouted to a little girl, “You always pretend to be a princess!”
The little girl shouted back, “You always pretend to be a superhero!”
The little boy shouted back, “I am the transformer! Not a superhero!”
The little girl shouted back, “You always pretend to be … to be… a performer?”
A little girl wore two braids to preschool. During class, the little boy sitting next to her covertly touched her braids. After a short while, the little girl discovered the little boy was playing with her braids, she was mad and shouted, “STOP IT!”
