SAPS76 – Thumb Sucking, Playing With Guns and Getting Your Little Darlings To Behave plus I’m in conversation with Ben Povey – from ‘Educating Greater Manchester’ on Channel 4

Answer – Quick Win Video – Soothing by Thumb Sucking

Answer My Quick Win Video covers all this in more detail. Guns & Imaginative Play for Boys

Studies show that boys and girls have different styles of play, especially between the ages of three and six. “Boys gravitate more toward active play with themes of fighting and weaponry. In general, girls are more interested in princesses and family-type stories that involve nurturing and caring for others.

While a generation of parents has been dutifully giving their sons baby dolls and their daughters toy trucks in attempts to break away from what many see as socially conditioned play patterns, the good news,is that a love for pretend weapons doesn’t mean your kid is turning into a violent person. In fact, there are developmental benefits. “The kind of imaginative play that boys are drawn to is choreographed—they’re learning role-playing and empathy, If there’s no intent to harm and if it’s fun and mutually enjoyable, it can actually teach boys self-control and self-regulation. Learning how to co-create a narrative with their play partner—pretend this, pretend that—is actually important for them.Most kids outgrow this behaviour by age six, and for many it morphs into sports.