THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BOYS' AND GIRLS' ACTIVITY LEVELS DURING PLAY, AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THESE DIFFERENCES AND THEIR SENSORY PROCESSING PATTERNS

Abstract

Play is the primary occupation for young children. There is no evidence that explains if boys and girls prefer different body positions while playing or if body position might be used to measure their activity levels. The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in activity levels and sensory processing preferences between 53 typically developing preschool-aged boys and girls using observations of play and the Sensory Profile. Results revealed no significant differences between boys and girls in body position mean (p= .33) body position standard deviation (p= .19), total number of change position times (p= .28), and their sensory preferences for activity level, body position and movement (p= .89). However, we found a significant difference between children who have younger siblings in relation to these sensory preferences (p= .05). Future research should investigate children's play in outdoor playgrounds, and implement more rigorous methods in rating children's activity levels.