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Young Children's Play Fighting and Use of War Toys

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Jennifer L. Hart at University of the Sunshine Coast
Jennifer L. Hart
Michelle M. Tannock
Michelle M. Tannock
Michelle M. Tannock
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Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development 1
©2013 CEECD / SKC-ECD
Hart JL, Tannock MT
Young Children’s Play Fighting and Use of War Toys
JENNIFER L. HART, MEd
MICHELLE T. TANNOCK, PhD
University of Nevada, Las Vegas, USA
(Published online June 2013)
Topic
Play
Introduction
Adults often perceive young children’s play fighting and use of war toys as violent or
aggressive behaviour rather than beneficial to their development. Movies (e.g., Star
Wars), books (e.g., Harry Potter), national figures (e.g. military forces), community
helpers (e.g., police officers), professional sports (e.g., rugby) and commercial toys (e.g.,
Nerf guns) influence young children’s desire to engage in such play. In spite of that,
educational programs often either discourage or ban this controversial form of play
resulting in contrasting societal messaging for young children related to the
appropriateness of play fighting and war toys. For example, fencing, an international
sport, where those who excel are awarded medals, features three types of bladed weapons
maneuvered in actions representative of fighting. Further, police officers use stun guns,
firearms, and tear gas, yet are often recognized as instrumental for any society seeking to
protect citizens. A closer look at the characteristics of children’s play fighting and use of
war toys will indicate that the behaviour is voluntary, choreographed, enjoyable and
usually proceeds with caution and care.
Subject
Parents and educators struggle with the appropriateness of young children’s play
fighting,1 and interest in war toys (e.g., guns, swords, bombs, light sabers and blasters) in
home and school settings. Play fighting with symbolic weapons or war toys is a form of
socio-dramatic play predominantly observed amongst boys ages three to six years. Play
fighting is defined as verbally and physically cooperative play behaviour involving at
least two children, where all participants enjoyably and voluntarily engage in reciprocal
role-playing that includes aggressive make-believe themes, actions, and words; yet lacks
intent to harm either emotionally or physically. Play fighting encompasses superhero
play,2 “bad guy” play,3 active pretend play,4 physically active and imaginative play,5
rough-and-tumble play,6,7,8 and war play.
Problems
Educators are pressured to disregard the benefits of aggressive socio-dramatic play
resulting in prohibition of various forms of the play, particularly play fighting4,9 and
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Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development
©2013 CEECD / SKC-ECD
Hart JL, Tannock MT
2
engagement with war toys. However, the elimination of play fighting and war toys by
parents and educators may have a significant impact on young children’s development.
Research suggests that the optimal education and development of young children,
particularly boys, is not being met when playful aggressive tendencies are
forbidden.4,6,7,10 Further, educational programs that restrict play types may foster play
deficits, which inadvertently will leave children unprepared for future experiences.11
While educators are often uncomfortable with play fighting and with war toys, it can be
argued that the omission of these forms of play in early childhood programs limits
opportunities for development of social, emotional, physical, cognitive and
communicative abilities in young children.
Research Context
Play fighting generates central social learning experiences which support children as they
practice controlled and motivated competitive and cooperative behaviour among peers.6
Understandably, this form of play is controversial. Carlsson-Paige suggest that war play
is detrimental to child development due to its imitative nature rather than the creation of
novel play experiences.12 Nevertheless, research supports dramatic and sociodramtic play
as important to child development2,5 with two key elements of sociodramatic play being
imitation and make-believe.1
Professional organizations have influenced early childhood practice when considering
exposure to fighting and war toys. For example, developmentally appropriate practice,
the initiative by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC),
supports and encourages the presence of certain forms of uniforms and images in the
classroom, yet bans weapons and actions symbolic of, or believed to glorify, violence.
Educator training and development often does not delineate playful aggression from
serious aggression perpetuated by the aspiration to decrease violence in all forms13 and
promote legislative efforts for the standardization of manufacturing physically and
psychologically safe commercial toys.14 For example, Watson and Peng15 suggest that toy
gun play is not associated with many positive behaviours, while Fry16 noted that play
fighting and serious fighting can be categorized into separate types of behaviour in young
children. Hellendoorn and Harinck17 differentiated play fighting as make-believe-
aggression and rough-and-tumble since playful aggression should not be considered real
aggression. Educators may discourage or ban play fighting and war toys because they
perceive the play fighting as detrimental to child development rather than beneficial3,4,8
and the war toys as symbols of violence.
It is important to recognize that play fighting and play with war toys lack intent to harm.
Participants may sustain injuries, but such injuries are due to the nature of play, and not
the purpose. This is an important distinction when identifying serious aggression, where
the manifestation of behaviour holds the purpose of explicitly intending to injure or
destroy and such behaviour is directed towards another with the intent to harm.18,19
However, children who exhibit significantly higher rates of antisocial behaviour and
negative emotion display more violent actions during pretend play and engage in more
frequent antisocial behaviour outside the context of their play.20 Additional support is
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Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development
©2013 CEECD / SKC-ECD
Hart JL, Tannock MT
3
needed for young children who lack age-appropriate prosocial skills and emotional
regulation.
Key Research Questions
Smilansky21 suggests socio-dramatic play involves the cooperative interaction of at least
two children, who act out roles both verbally and physically, with two key elements:
imitation and make-believe. The acceptance or suppression of socio-dramatic play is
determined by the knowledge and perceptions of early childhood educators. For greater
understanding researchers should consider to what extent play fighting and war toys are
accepted in the home and educational settings along with the contextual components that
influence acceptance or suppression.
Recent Research Results
Parents and educators often misinterpret or are uncomfortable with play fighting due to
its resemblance to serious aggression and difficulty recognizing subtle differences
between the two.3,7 Playful aggression is a common component in socio-dramatic play —
typically among boys.6,10,22,23 If playful aggression is supported, it is highly beneficial to
child development.3 The act of pretending to be aggressive is not equivalent to being
aggressive.3 Role reversal, cooperation, voluntary engagement, chasing and fleeing,
restrained physical contact, smiling and laughing are common characteristics of playful
aggression.16 Within this framework of understanding, play fighting and war toys can be
considered components of socio-dramatic play.3 This suggests that early childhood
educators need opportunities to enhance their understanding of the benefits of pretend
play, including aggressive dramatic play themes such as fighting and war, in order to
more effectively support play.
Research Gaps
Although there is abundant literature supporting forms of socio-dramatic play commonly
perceived as appropriate (i.e., house keeping, community helpers), little is known of how
to support aggressive socio-dramatic play such as play fighting1 and the use of war toys
in the classroom. Research is needed to develop a cohesive terminology that clearly
identifies various types of aggressive socio-dramatic play, targets the developmental
benefits of each type, and distinguishes various toys and actions characteristic of
aggressively representative play. Research findings to date have supported the inclusion
of aggressive socio-dramatic play in early childhood education, yet minimal practical
guidance for educators is offered to aid in the development of strategies and clear tactics
for supervising play fighting and war toy play.
Conclusion
Research demonstrates distinct differences between serious aggressive behaviour and
playful aggressive behaviour, with intent to harm being the major factor of serious
aggression. Research further demonstrates playful aggressive behaviour as a neglected,
yet important element of socio-dramatic play, especially for young boys. Children who
engage in play fighting are simply pretending to be aggressive as they develop a fighting
theme that commonly involves symbolic weapons or war toys. They frequently exchange
roles, collaboratively develop storylines, and repeat sequences in an effort to perfect their
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Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development
©2013 CEECD / SKC-ECD
Hart JL, Tannock MT
4
physical movements and the social dynamics of their play. Participants enjoyably and
voluntarily engage in reciprocal role-playing that includes aggressive make-believe
themes, actions, words and weapons; yet lacks intent to harm either emotionally or
physically. However, educators must be cognizant of supervision, a key component for
supporting play fighting. As with learning to cut with scissors, writing with a sharp
pencil, and climbing on playground equipment, young children need the establishment of
clear guidelines and reinforcement or redirection from educators to ensure their safety is
assured within developmentally appropriate play.
Implications for Parents, Services and Policy
Without a full understanding of the distinct difference between serious and symbolic
aggression educators may react with conflicting messages to young children regarding the
appropriateness of engaging in socio-dramatic play involving play fighting and war toys.
This confusion often results in educators who are pressured to disregard the benefits of
aggressive socio-dramatic play by banning play fighting4,9 and war toys.
Inconsistent rules and guidelines relating to the role of play fighting and war toys in early
childhood education contribute to the struggle to recognize benefits and support
children’s engagement. Educators who hold a foundation of understanding will be better
able to communicate the importance of not only allowing playful aggression but also
supporting it with the inclusion of war toys in early childhood programs.
REFERENCES
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©2013 CEECD / SKC-ECD
Hart JL, Tannock MT
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To cite this document:
Hart JL, Tannock MT. Young children's play fighting and use of war toys. Smith PK, topic ed. In:
Tremblay RE, Boivin M, Peters RDeV, eds. Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development [online].
Montreal, Quebec: Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Development and Strategic Knowledge
Cluster on Early Child Development; 2013:1-6. Available at: http://www.child-
encyclopedia.com/documents/Hart-TannockANGxp1.pdf. Accessed [insert date].
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Article
  • Apr 2007
Social play—that is, play directed toward others—is a readily recognizable feature of childhood. In nonhuman animals, social play, especially seemingly competitive rough-and-tumble play or play fighting, has been the most studied of all forms of play. After several decades of study, researchers of play fighting in laboratory rats have pieced together the rudiments of the neural mechanisms that regulate the expression of this behavior in the mammalian brain. Furthermore, the understanding of the organization, development, and neural control of play in rats has provided a model with which to examine how the experiences accrued during play fighting can lead to organizational changes in the brain, especially those areas involved in social behavior.
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Monsters, magic and Mr Psycho: A biocultural approach to rough and tumble play in the early years of primary school
Article
  • Jul 2007
This paper focuses upon the developmental role of rough and tumble (R&T) play with particular attention to the narratives that children use to underpin such activities. A review of the literature suggests that current early years research and practice pays scant attention to children's outdoor free play activities. A piece of original research is described in which playtime activities were ethnographically observed over an 18‐month period. A biocultural approach was used in the analysis of data, in an attempt to encompass the roles of biology, evolution and culture in human development. Findings indicate that the narratives underpinning R&T play were socially complex and highly gendered, and it is suggested that much developmental learning may occur within such free play activities.
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Superhero Toys and Boys' Physically Active and Imaginative Play
Article
  • Jun 2006
The influence of superhero versus nonsuperhero toys on boys' physically active and imaginative play was studied in 29 dyads (n = 58 middle-class preschool boys; M age = 54.95 mos, SD = 5.28 mos). Each dyad participated in two play sessions: 1) superhero toys (media related) and 2) nonsuperhero (nonmedia related) toys. Dyads were observed for the frequency and quality of roles, themes, level of physical activity in their play, and aggression. Parents reported on their children's favorite television shows. Results indicated that dyads engaged in more character/fictive (media related) roles in the superhero condition and more frequent familial, occupational, exploration, and no roles in the nonsuperhero condition. Dyads were more physically active in the nonsuperhero than superhero condition, and no aggression or violence was observed in either play session. Findings are discussed in light of children's development and implications for educators and parents.
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Rough-and-Tumble Play: Developmental and Educational Significance
Article
  • Jan 1987
The developmental and educational roles of rough-and-tumble play (R&T) are reviewed. R&T is defined and theories explaining R&T are critiqued. Factors affecting its occurrence (i.e., gender and ecological variables) are reviewed, and the functional significance of R&T is explored. Methodological problems are discussed, such as the confounding of R&T with aggression, in the recent work on R&T. Generally, it is concluded that R&T serves as a positive function in children's social cognitive development.
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The Relation Between Toy Gun Play and Children's Aggressive Behavior
Article
  • Oct 1992
To assess the relation between toy gun play and aggression, thirty-six 3- to 5-year-olds were observed in free play in their daycare center and coded for amount of real aggression, pretend aggression, rough-and-tumble play (R & T), and nonaggressive pretend play. Based on a questionnaire completed by the parents, the children were also coded for the amount they played with toy guns in the home, the rated aggressive level of their preferred television programs, the rated aggressive level of their most preferred toys, and amount of parents' physical punishment of the children. Of all children, 56% played with toy guns in the home, most of whom were boys. Multiple regression analyses indicated that amount of parents' punishment strongly predicted real aggression in both boys and girls, and amount of toy gun play strongly predicted real aggression in boys. However, when it came to pretend aggression, aggressive level of children's preferred toys was the strongest predictor, while toy gun play negatively predicted pretend aggression. Toy gun play did not predict nonaggressive pretend play, but parents' punishment negatively predicted nonaggressive pretend play. These results indicate that toy gun play and parental punishment are positively associated with a higher level of real aggression but not pretend aggression. This pattern is discussed in terms of a cuing effect theory versus a cathartic effect theory. It also argues for distinguishing between real and pretend aggression and other forms of play in future studies.
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Preschool Teachers' Views of Active Play
Article
  • Jan 2010
This study surveyed 98 teachers of 4-year-olds about dramatic play in their classrooms and about their attitudes and practices about rough-and-tumble play. Gender differences emerged in the nature of dramatic play reported and in the ways in which teachers interacted with children engaged in different forms of dramatic play. Teachers also reported their coursework in early childhood education as the greatest influence on their beliefs and attitudes about rough-and-tumble play. The findings have implications for curriculum planning, school behavior policies, and teacher education programs.
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