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Born identity?

How can you tell if a child really wants to belong to the opposite sex, or is merely playing at it? Mary Evans asks the experts The dressing-up box is a prized resource at any early years setting, as practitioners are aware of the boundless learning possibilities of pretend play and how a mundane item such as a scarf can transform a child into pirate or princess.

The dressing-up box is a prized resource at any early years setting, as practitioners are aware of the boundless learning possibilities of pretend play and how a mundane item such as a scarf can transform a child into pirate or princess.

However, sometimes early years professionals can become uneasy about a child's enthusiasm for dressing up and wonder whether it might indicate something more significant.

For example, take the case of a boy aged three-and-a-half who, on arrival, always goes directly to the box and dresses himself in girls' clothes. Or consider the little girl who prefers toy cars to dolls. Is anything more going on than a young child's interest in explorative play, and how should the adults respond?

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