Although there are efforts to equalize educational methods and materials, some differences between males and females may be better served by emphasizing rather than neutralizing gender. One such point is in the area of visual imagery. Studies have shown that imagery preferred by males and females differs in certain visual characteristics. The purpose of this paper is to: (1) review characteristics of gender-based imagery preferences of children identified in the literature; (2) relate these characteristics to a taxonomy of aesthetic-developmental stages; and (3) present research guidelines and considerations for selecting images based on imagery preferences and gender-based influences with respect to aesthetic awareness and art experience. Girls tend to prefer colorful, detailed images of people (especially female characters), plants, and animals, and those that are peaceful. Boys prefer images that imply action, suspense, danger, or rescue, and/or that include male characters and vehicles. A child's prior knowledge of art should be considered as a factor in imagery preference because aesthetic development can be accelerated by strong art education programs. When selecting instructional images based on gender, certain artistic factors must be considered: the artistic style of the image; the subject matter; prior experience or exposure to the image; and the cognitive-perceptual abilities of the learner. Further research is also needed to understand the impact of gender-based visual imagery in learning and the appropriateness of catering specifically to gender preferences. (DGM)