Final answer:
Children learn gender roles through socialization by observing and imitating models of the same gender. Parents provide boys with toys that promote motor skills and aggression, while girls are given toys that foster nurturing and role play. Children are more likely to choose gender-appropriate toys due to positive reinforcement from parents, and they may face negative sanctions for not conforming to gender norms.
Step-by-step explanation:
Children learn gender roles through socialization, a process in which they learn to behave in a particular way based on societal values and attitudes. In this case, children observe and imitate models of the same gender to learn what society considers 'masculine' or 'feminine'.
Parents often provide boys with toys that promote motor skills, aggression, and solitary play, while girls are given toys that foster nurturing, social proximity, and role play. Studies show that children tend to choose 'gender appropriate' toys even when cross-gender toys are available, due to the positive feedback they receive from parents for conforming to gender norms.
This process of learning gender roles through observation and imitation continues as children grow older, and they may face negative sanctions if they do not conform to the expected gender roles, such as being criticized or marginalized by their peers.