The aim of this paper is to compare how boys and girls play, ie whether there are differences in the way of playing and choosing toys with regard to the sex of the child. The paper presents explanations of the concept of play, classification of games and how play affects the physical, cognitive, social and emotional development of the child. Furthermore, the role of adults in children's play is described, especially the role of parents, educators and teachers as persons in charge of raising and educating children. The paper conducted an anonymous survey intended for educators in order to investigate whether they notice differences in the way of playing and choosing toys for preschool children with regard to gender. The results of the survey showed that most educators notice gender differences in children’s spontaneous play. The prevailing opinion was that boys prefer physical and competitive games while girls choose calmer games in smaller groups. Also, girls are more inclined to symbolic play, and boys to the game of construction. When choosing toys, it is noticed that girls choose art accessories, dolls and cooking utensils, and boys choose ball and toy vehicles (cars, trucks, trains, etc.). The conducted research confirmed gender as a predictor of spontaneous play, ie the existence of certain differences between boys and girls in the way of playing and choosing toys. However, the results obtained should not be generalized since each child is unique and exceptions always exist.