Boys bodies in early childhood

This paper is based on qualitative research data from a project investigating early childhood boys' constructions of masculinities in relation to sport, health and the body. The focus group data, with 33 boys, has been collected in each of the boys' first three years at school. It is part of the data that will be collected over eight years with the same cohort of boys, as they continue through their primary school years. The paper will highlight important issues the boys raise about sport, health, masculinities and the body, including descriptions and interpretations of how the male body should look and how it should perform. These are pivotal in terms of how these boys in early childhood perceive the hegemonic masculine male body. Given the challenges in accessing qualitative data from boys in early childhood, the paper will also highlight methodological processes by which the data was attained.