In order for gender boundaries in physical activities and sports to become less rigid, it is imperative to find the foundations for which these limits form. The purpose of this study was to explore the foundations of play in the home that might lead to participation in gender specific physical activities during childhood. In order to inquire about the foundations of play the home environment a qualitative study was performed. The participants included three boys and three girls ages six to eight. Two of the children were boy/girl fraternal twins. And except for the twins, all of the children had same-sex siblings. Data were collected four ways: observations, interviews, photographs, and the Physical Activity Stereotyping Index (PASI) (Ignico, 1989). The observations took place over a four-month period. Each child was observed on each day of the week at various times of the day to ensure a diversity of activities. Data from the study were analyzed qualitatively using several different methods. These included the coded transcriptions from the observations, the interviews, the room photographs, and the raw scores from the PASI tests. Before any coding or analysis occurred, two people acted as peer reviewers. Triangulation of sources and methods was used to ensure that the most accurate information was obtained for validity. Utilizing the parents as well as the children to access information was the triangulation of sources. Triangulation of methods was achieved by using a variety of methods in the study. Additionally, member checking occurred continuously when observing the children, as they were assured that they could ask questions at any time during the study. Results from the study showed that children’s perceptions about gender specific physical activities tended to reflect the family’s beliefs and role modeling of gender identity. Only the twins showed role-reversal in their play at home. However, the family’s beliefs and role modeling appeared not to affect the children’s choices in recreational sport activities. While perceptions and actions typically reflect one another, it was not the case in this study. This finding is likely due to the lack of cross-gender and co-recreational sport activities available to older children. It is important to offer more co-recreational sports and activities so that all children have the opportunity to sample and participate in a wider range of activities as a first step to change society’s beliefs about labeling specific activities for boys or girls Keyword(s): gender issues, recreation programming, youth sports