Boys Need More Behavioral Support Than Girls

This week’s article summary is Why Boys Start Kindergarten Behind Girls.

As we complete the first quarter of the school year, this article serves as a helpful reminder that boys and girls begin their school years with different developmental strengths and challenges. On average, girls enter preschool with more developed executive functioning and social-emotional skills than boys, which often impacts their behavior towards and readiness to learn.

Many of the boys in our classrooms are more physically active, more easily distracted, and more likely to react before they reflect. These developmental differences are not character flaws—they simply mean that many boys require additional support as they learn and develop the executive function skills that lead to success in school. And, as we know, stronger self-regulation and positive classroom behavior are critical for learning in school.

During preplanning, we discussed the importance of developing trusting relationships with every student. We also talked about how every child has a deep desire to belong and to feel accepted. When students experience that sense of belonging, they are more likely to engage positively, persevere through challenges, and respond positively to guidance.

Boys are not imperfect girls. They typically need more intentional guidance in the skills we hope all students develop: self-regulation, self-awareness, self-motivation, and self-reflection.

In the classroom, I often found it easier to relate to many of my boy students because I remembered experiencing the same feelings, frustrations, and insecurities when I was their age. Since boys in elementary grades are taught primarily by women, I recognize that it can sometimes be challenging for a teacher to understand why a young boy behaves the way he does. There will be moments when you need to dig a little deeper, extend a little more patience, and rely on the relationship-building and behavior strategies we discussed during preplanning.

Ultimately, our boys will achieve their greatest academic, social, and emotional growth when they know they are genuinely known, cared for, and believed in by every one of their teachers. That investment in relationship is one of the most powerful teaching strategies we can provide.

Joe

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The idea that boys, in general, fare worse than girls in school is not new.

As more states use standardized assessments to measure students’ academic and social kindergarten readiness, some are finding that gender gaps start as soon as school does. While these gaps generally are not huge, they are not easy to ignore—especially as they tend to persist or grow throughout the school years.

Examples of gender-based learning gaps are growing, and some are gaining attention.

A 2025 readiness test in Virginia found that 48% of incoming male kindergartners met overall benchmark readiness standards, compared to 56% of incoming female students.

A 2012 analysis of data from the Early Child Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort found that better social and behavioral skills in kindergarten help positive academic outcomes through elementary school—and that girls edge out boys in these skills.

More recent analyses found that gender-based readiness gaps that start in kindergarten widen throughout elementary school. One national 2026 report drawing from major U.S. assessments showed specific gender-based skill differences as early as kindergarten, most notably in how girls and boys approach learning. Specifically, girls ranked higher in organization, attentiveness, and eagerness to learn in kindergarten. This gap grew by fifth grade.

Not only do boys tend to trail their female classmates in readiness scores early on, but they also are disciplined more frequently—even before they reach kindergarten.

Boys don’t have to be on the receiving end of disciplinary action to feel bad about school. Struggling socially, behaviorally, or academically from an early age can adversely affect a child’s overall confidence and attitude toward learning.

It doesn’t help that kindergarten has become more academic over the years.

Some educators, advocates, and policymakers are calling for a return to low-stakes, less academic, play-based kindergarten, an introduction to school that may work better for many boys. New Hampshire was the first to mandate change in this direction. Eight years ago, the state’s lawmakers, sounding the alarm on the “academization” of kindergarten, amended education law to structure this formal entry into school on a play-based model, A few other states have since introduced or passed similar legislation.