| Violence is learned. If we cannot create a WORLD | | | | disrespect. As they adult in these children's lives, it |
| that is safe and peaceful, then we must be | | | | is our responsibility to move children away from |
| prepared to handle children that are trying to | | | | this type of exposure and play, and encourage |
| make sense of the hostility in their world, their | | | | more creative manners of play. |
| communities, and possibly even their families. | | | | Initially the creative play may look threatening. If |
| Instead of squandering children's expressions of | | | | you see a group of children building a school out |
| angst, we should acknowledge them as REAL and | | | | of blocks, and then destroying it by "bombing" it |
| try to create an environment where children feel | | | | with more blocks, the likely response is alarm. You |
| SAFE physically and emotionally. | | | | can actively become part of this situation by |
| The first reaction of many parents and educators | | | | asking the children what could be done to help the |
| to children engaging in violent play is telling the | | | | situation, or the possibility lies that they may |
| child(ren) to stop and to even punish their | | | | make their own hospital to care for the injured |
| behavior. However, most do not realize that this | | | | "people." Children do not chose what they are |
| is doing much more harm than good. We are | | | | exposed to, but the way in which the situation is |
| abandoning the knowledge that children are | | | | responded to can help the children involved make |
| cognitively very different from adults, and they | | | | sense of the larger world they are growing into. |
| must search for different ways in which to make | | | | So where does the adult being in working with |
| sense of their world. | | | | these situations? Stop hurtful language and actions. |
| Before looking into the significance of violent play | | | | Help children find ways to create resolutions in |
| specifically, we must first understand the | | | | other ways. Children NEED to feel safe in order to |
| occurrences behind any type of child play. It may | | | | have any type of healthy development. Make |
| seem trivial from an adult standpoint, but play is | | | | sure that even though troubling issues may arise, |
| an essential component to childhood development. | | | | it will never jeopardize the well being any of the |
| Children lack the cognitive ability that adults have | | | | children present. Promote development of |
| to dissect and make sense of the world around | | | | imaginative and creative play (rather than imitative |
| them. Since they are visual and concrete learners, | | | | play). To work through deep issues and needs, |
| children explore through play. They control the | | | | children need the help of adults. Help children |
| situation, making it safe for them, and then | | | | move beyond scripted play to more creative and |
| explore the facets of it. To put it simply, play is | | | | expressive activities that will help them develop. |
| exploration, thinking with your hands, control, | | | | Encourage children to talk with adults about |
| coping, and practice. | | | | violence in their lives. As children struggle to make |
| Children are small and dependent. They are | | | | sense of violent behavior, we need to let them |
| searching for ways in which to find power and | | | | know that we are there to support them with |
| control, and play is the perfect outlet for these | | | | the process. It is very important to legitimize |
| things. This type of play is an indicator of such | | | | what the child is expressing. Explain to the children |
| traits, and to squander this behavior is telling | | | | why grownups feel bad when children are |
| children that they must hide these feelings from | | | | pretending to hurt one another, and ask them |
| adults. | | | | what else they could use when they play. |
| The influence of violent, media-based toys is | | | | Involving the child validates their feelings, |
| perhaps the most harmful contributor to violent | | | | empowers them without the use of violence, and |
| play. Being that children are merely replaying | | | | helps them to find non-violent ways to work out |
| scripted actions, they are not being expressive or | | | | problems. |
| creative. Children with play with whatever | | | | When we ourselves our trying to make sense of |
| surrounds them. This imitated play not only strips | | | | the violence in our society, we can become very |
| the child of their imagination, but also can have | | | | sensitive to seeing the future of our world engage |
| devastating effects on the child. It can lead to an | | | | in violent play. It is through understanding of their |
| increase in aggressive behavior, desensitization of | | | | development, and close observation of their |
| violence, an increase in the appetite for violence, | | | | behaviors, that we can help them also make |
| seeing the world as hostile, dangerous, and | | | | sense of the world they are in. |
| threatening, and creating an overall culture of | | | | |