The fight against stereotypes, such as ready-made ideas and stereotypes, begins at an early age. But what could be more effective than the toy and the moment of play to convey the really important messages? Small selection of gender-neutral toys … to progress towards equality
September 2019, a “Charter of voluntary commitments for a mixed representation of toys” was signed by Agnès Pannier-Runacher (Secretary of State to the Minister of the Economy and Finance), manufacturers, toy distributors and retailers. associations.
Its goal: to push back gender stereotypes in the world of toys. Through this charter, the entire industry is committed to providing “measurable” efforts to improve the mixed representation of toys.
While we wait for toy stores, brands and licenses to offer us truly mixed toys, not excluding and conveying ideas of equality between girls and boys, here is a small selection of games, toys and books that work for equality. .
What if, in order to better deconstruct gender stereotypes, we did everything in our power to not let them take hold?
On the same subject
Card games
They are the most numerous and they can make the difference. These card games advance equality or prove to the youngest that women can do exactly the same as men. Against clichés, they educate through play.
The games that teach equality in the trades
The equality memo – trades
To show that one can be a stuntman, a dancer or even a president. 24 pairs to assemble, whoever spots the most wins
From 4 years old, € 12.90 on Amazon
The turfu game
A game in which you have to find 26 pairs of trades (women-men) and do everything not to inherit the “sexism” card.
From 4 years old, € 17.90 MeufParis
To get it
Mistigri Girl power
With 22 Barbies doing 22 different jobs, this game inspires children by showing them that there are no limits to their dreams.
From 4 years € 13.90 Topla
To order it
Games that teach equality in everyday life
The Equality Memo – Emotions
A game where boys and girls can feel all the emotions, there is no reason! Everyone can be proud or proud, ambitious or ambitious, angry or angry… In this memo game, children must find the 25 pairs of girl-boy emotions.
From 3 years old
€ 12.90
Top here
Feminist battle
A battle game where the king is no longer superior to the queen. The king is the equal of the queen, the duke of the duchess and the viscount of the viscountess.
From 6 years old, 12.90 on Amazon
Games that restore balance by highlighting the women who mattered
Because women have often been ignored or their action has been minimized throughout the history of the world, here are four games that allow us to discover or deepen the knowledge we have on these great women who have had major contributions. very often passed over in silence. These games make it possible to re-establish a certain balance, a certain equality between famous women and famous men … enough to start off on a good basis.
7 inspiring families
A game of 7 families dedicated to the remarkable women who changed the world.
From 6 years € 12.90 on Amazon
Women come out of the shadows
Designed as a game of chronology, it allows you to discover 50 portraits of women who have distinguished themselves in all fields, at all times and on five continents: artists, scientists, women politicians …
From 12 years old, from 15 €
To get it
French bluff – tall women
A bluff game to get to know the 50 women who made France.
From 8 years old
€ 12.90, Topla
To order it
You know her ?
A card game to help children (and older children) discover women who have marked history, in all fields and at all times, on the principle of a game of 7 families.
From 6 years old, from 7 €
To get it
The dolls
The non-gendered doll
New arrivals in the toy world, here is Mattel gender-neutral dolls – Creatable world.
A range of dolls made to open up possibilities for children. Designed to overcome standards, they allow all children to create the characters they want. A doll that is a neutral basis for inventing their own girl or boy characters according to the games and the imagination. The choice of characters is limitless: each kit allows you to create more than 100 looks.
To be found on Amazon, priced at € 34.12
The doll
Each doll can be used to promote equality, it all depends on how you use it. Remember, Barbie doesn’t have to be a princess who wears a wide, sparkly evening dress, she can be too. astronaut, marine biologist, entomologist, astronomer and so many other things …
When in Ken, he takes part in household chores in this ken box and washing machine (and yes !).
Books that do good to consume without moderation
There are some books that are perfect for smoothly or with humor to convey certain messages that promote equality between girls and boys.
Fight against stereotypes around the colors pink Vs blue
Fed up with pink
“Usually girls like pink; only me, the pink, it comes out of my eyes! And it’s the same for princesses, princess tralalas, ribbons and also dolls. But when in addition it’s pink, there, it comes out of my nose holes! Mom says I’m a tomboy. A little girl who refuses to be locked into tastes that are not her own.
From 3 years old, € 5.50 on Amazon
Nathalie Hense and Ilya Green Éditions – Albin Michel Jeunesse
The blue world & the pink planet
In the blue world there is the teacher, the schoolbag, the conservatory … On the pink planet, there is the teacher, the case, the library … It’s all very pretty, but not very easy to live. This must change! The world is colorful …
Marizabel and Cyril Hanh – Cache Cailloux
From 3 years old
€ 8.40
Koki’s choice
On the planet Dragona, each dragon is born either blue or pink, and behaves according to its color. It has always been like that. Young Koki does not agree: he would like to be able to do what makes him happy, no matter what color he is!
Félix Rousseau with the contribution of the winning class of the Lire Egaux Competition – Éditions Talents Hauts
From 3 years old, € 12.50 on Amazon
Mister black
Mister Black lives on an island. Its neighbors are a witch, a skeleton and a few other monsters. In short, Mister Black seems to be a vampire like any other. Except that in reality, he has a secret … he loves pink … and not everyone likes it. Everyone has the right to be imaginative. Even the monsters!
Miguel Pang and Catalina Gonzalez Vilar – Red Ants Editions
From 3 years old, € 16.80 on Amazon
Fight against stereotypes around toys
Augustus’ doll
Auguste dreams of a doll. His brother and his friends make fun of him and his father gives him several electric trains and basketballs. Auguste plays these boys’ games, and continues to dream of his doll. One day his grandmother visits him.
From 3 years old, € 12.50 on Amazon
Charlotte Zolotow and Clothilde Delacroix – Éditions Talents Hauts
What are you playing at ?
Tired of preconceived ideas like “Boys aren’t dancing and girls aren’t a handyman”? Fed up with the prohibitions that lock up from an early age? Open the flaps of this book with your child: sacred surprises await you …
From 3 years old, € 15.90 on Amazon
Marie-Sabine Roger and Anne Sol – Sarbacane Editions
Girl’s menu or boy’s menu?
At the Hit-Burger, gifts are offered with the children’s menu: dolls for the girls and rockets for the boys. But if girls want rockets with their menu, then?
From 7 years old, € 6.20 on Amazon
Thierry Lenain and Catherine Proteaux – Nathan
Dinette in the backhoe loader
In the catalog, the pink pages of the girls ‘toys are well separated from the blue pages of the boys’ toys. Until the day when the catalog is torn and reattached in disorder. The Annabelle doll who dreamed of playing backhoe loader meets the Big Jim figurine who loves the dinette. Boys and girls finally share their toys and games in a catalog with purple pages.
From 3 years old, € 12.50 on Amazon
Christos and Mélanie Grandgirard – Éditions Talents Hauts
Fight against stereotypes around emotions and skills
Big boys cry too
It’s Tom’s first day at his new school, and the little boy is very scared! His daddy doesn’t know what to do to reassure him, so he tells Tom, “Big boys don’t cry.” However, on the way to school, the big boys show him something else …
From 3 years old, € 12.95 on Amazon
Girls can do it too / Boys can do it too
Even if it was adults who said them, they are false ideas! Because, girl or boy, EVERYTHING is PERMITTED! A double-sided album, with two covers, and two stories (one for girls, one for boys), to challenge clichés with humor and poetry, and invite the child to be who he really wants!
From 3 years old, € 12.95 on Amazon
Sophie Gourion and Isabelle Maroger – Gründ
Neither dolls nor superheroes
So that girls and boys go together in the hunt for stereotypes Neither dolls nor superheroes lays the foundations for egalitarian and anti-sexist behavior, without circumlocutions or metaphors, but with a lot of humor and fantasy.
From 6 years old, 15 € on Amazon
Delphine Beauvois and Claire Cantais – La ville Burns editions
My great anti-sexist activity book
An activity book full of humor and fantasy to cut out, color, have fun … and think!
56 pages of games that provide children with the keys to growing up by breaking free from gender stereotypes.
From 6 years old, 13 € on Amazon
Claire Canlais – Editions The city is burning
Initiatives to follow
#Unpoupon for a boy
To put an end to the gender clichés still present in the world of children’s toys, the feminist magazine for girls Tchika invites Internet users to offer a baby to a little boy they know and to post the photo on social networks. This challenge will begin on November 15 and encourages parents to give their children what they want. Because yes, every little boy has the right to want to nurture a baby … Just as every little girl can dream of being a site manager, or a firefighter!
The Moon Project, is a series of games on equality proposed by Topla with the simple ambition to change the face of the world.
Read also
Girl’s toy, boy’s toy … can play preferences really be explained?
Common sense
In order to teach children equality, it is above all necessary to learn to listen to their desires and not to direct their desires. So, don’t hesitate to give a workbench, a garage, a dinette, a doll, a science kit or a creative hobby game to a little girl or a little boy. There is something for everyone. The only risks to be feared? May children flourish in their games, in their bodies and in their relationship with others.