Using books to inspire positive masculinity in primary

The rise of influencers, such as Andrew Tate, has sparked increasing concern in secondary schools. Teachers and leaders are working hard to address this; speaking openly with students and engaging young people in the conversation.

With younger and younger audiences accessing social media, the age at which these views seem to have influence is moving ever lower. In fact, last year evidence suggested that 54% of children aged 6-15 had heard of Andrew Tate and 17% had a positive opinion of him (Yougov.co.uk).

Just as children are beginning to discover who they are, to question, to build their moral roadmap and to test things out – a time in their lives that can be vulnerable and nerve-wracking – along comes a wave of negative and controversial content about identity, success and the role of other people (especially, the role of women). It is no wonder that so many children, who want something to belong to, find the likes of Andrew Tate so appealing.

While the influence of these views is not felt in all primary schools, it is important that we start the conversation as early as possible. Prevention rather than treatment, so to speak; to help young children, especially boys, understand their own identity and role within society and to build the skills to recognize hateful online views.

With this in mind, we want to encourage children to understand ‘Positive Masculinity’. By this, we mean helping boys to:

– share and display emotion,

– be comfortable to express themselves in whatever way they feel,

– treat everyone with respect and empathy,

– view ‘being a man’ as a varied and diverse concept that means different things to different people,

Books are a wonderful way to do this. Using books with positive male role models helps children to build empathy and understanding. These types of books show children that asking for help, treating people with kindness, being able to talk about emotions is an important part of having a happy and cohesive life.

A note about our recommendations: Some of these books contain big themes, so we encourage teachers to read through them first before allowing independent reading. You know your class best; what topics they need guidance with and what they can read on their own.

Books about Showing your Emotions

EYFS – Tough Guys (Have Feelings Too)

KS1 – The River

KS2 – The Final Year

Being Yourself

EYFS – Pink is for Boys

KS1 – The Boys

KS2 – Glitter Boy

Thinking Critically about Social Media

EYFS/KS1 – Goldilocks (A Hashtag Cautionary Tale)

KS2 – How to be More Hedgehog

UKS2 – Staying Safe Online

Being an Ally and a Good Friend

EYFS/KS1 – The Boy with Flowers in His Hair

KS1 – Owl or Pussycat by Michael Morpurgo

UKS2 – How to Be a Boy

Positive Role Models

EYFS – Children of the World

KS1/KS2 – Stories for Boys who Dared to be Different 

KS2 – Marcus Rashford: You Are a Champion

Want to know more or need help for a young person? Check out some of these websites:

Progressive Masculinity Ltd

The Body Happy Org

YoungMinds