*4.3.1 Examples of supportive EC practices*

In EC, when children are encouraged to explore a variety of toys and materials without constant gender signifiers, supported as they do so (rather than chastised by adults for not fitting cultural stereotypes), and allowed to engage with presumed opposite gendered peers, they tend to behave less in accordance with harmful stereotypes than children who are not, regardless of their later gender identity. Contextual factors in the classroom can provide natural opportunities for children to explore gender in their own way and on their own terms; some of the practices that support these opportunities are indicated in **Table 2** below [17–19].


#### **Table 2.**

*Practices that support gender diversity in EC.*

Many of these practices are complex, challenging to enact, and likely to be met with questions or resistance by those to whom they are unfamiliar or even threatening. For preservice EC educators to learn and implement these practices successfully, they must do so with the support of teacher education faculty in field settings where collaborative groundwork has been laid to support them.
