Mothers' and fathers' views on the importance of play for their children's development: Gender differences, academic activities, and the parental role

Gender Differences in Caregivers' Attitudes to Risky Child Play in Britain: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND

This study examines gender differences in parental attitudes toward risky play for 5- to 11-year-old boys and girls in Britain.

METHODS

Analyses use data from the cross-sectional, nationally representative British Child Play Survey. Survey respondents were caregivers of primary-school-aged children living in Britain. Parent self-reported their risk tolerance in play via the Tolerance for Risk in Play Scale (TRiPS) and the Risk Engagement and Protection Survey (REPS). The REPS includes subscales that assess caregiver attitudes around "Protection from Injury" (PFI) and "Engagement with Risk" (EWR) in relation to children's play. Multiple linear regression compared caregiver gender differences in TRiPS, REPS-PFI, and REPS-EWR at the item level, and overall. Associations between child gender and these scales were also examined.

RESULTS

Among 1919 caregivers, no significant gender differences emerged in mean TRiPS (P = .72), REPS-EWR (P = .58), and REPS-PFI (P = .34) scores. Activity-specific differences were evident in caregivers' tolerance for individual risky play activities (15/31 activities). Parents of boys exhibited higher risk tolerance (B = -4.48, P < .01) and willingness for their child to engage in risky play (B = -0.63, P < .01) than parents of girls.

CONCLUSIONS

While there was no difference between male and female caregivers overall attitudes, gender differences were prominent for specific play activities and attitudes, with male caregivers demonstrating higher tolerance for the riskiest activities. Parents of boys expressed more permissive attitudes toward engagement in risky play. Further work is needed to identify why there is gender-related variation in these attitudes and should be considered in interventions that support parents in enabling adventurous play opportunities for children.

The role of parents in the motivation of young athletes: a systematic review

Objectives

Parents are one of the main social agents that shape young athletes' experiences and participation in sports, but they are also the least explored group in the literature. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of research on the role of parents in the motivation of young athletes.

Method

The systematic literature review consisted of four electronic databases from which 29 articles published in English and in full-text form in peer-reviewed journals between 1999 and 2023 were retrieved.

Results

A total of 29 studies met the eligibility criteria. These studies collectively surveyed 9,185 young athlete participants and 2,191 parent participants. The sample comprised 26 quantitative studies and 3 qualitative studies. The findings underscore that parents play both unique and synergistic multidimensional roles in motivating young athletes. Parents' positive goals and values, autonomy-supportive parenting styles, moderate parental involvement, positive parent-child relationships, and a parent-initiated task climate are identified as optimal parenting strategies.

Conclusion

While parents undeniably play a crucial role in motivating young athletes, the manner and extent of their involvement are key.

Mothers’ and fathers’ engagement in math activities with their toddler sons and daughters: The moderating role of parental math beliefs

Parents’ beliefs about the importance of math predicts their math engagement with their children. However, most work focuses on mothers’ math engagement with preschool- and school-aged children, leaving gaps in knowledge about fathers and the experiences of toddlers. We examined differences in mothers’ and fathers’ (N = 94) engagement in math- and non-math activities with their two-year-old girls and boys. Parents reported their beliefs about the importance of math and literacy for young children and their frequency of home learning activities. Parents of sons did not differ in their engagement in math activities from parents of daughters. Mothers reported engaging more frequently in math activities with their toddlers than fathers did, but the difference reduced when parents endorsed stronger beliefs about the importance of math for children. Even at very early ages, children experience vastly different opportunities to learn math in the home, with math-related experiences being shaped by both parent gender and parents’ beliefs.