Guns And Preschoolers: Does A Gun-Play Area Make Sense? Part Two

Part One of this series describes how a concerned citizen reached out to me about a teacher at Evanston's Child Care Center creating a 3 ft. x 3 ft. area in her 2-year-old preschool classroom as a way to discourage gun-play behavior.

While waiting to get a statement from Lindsay Percival, the Executive Director of Evanston, Illinois' Child Care Center, I posted this question on Facebook, wondering what people thought of the teacher's choice: What are your thoughts about having a dedicated gun-play area in a 2-year-old classroom?

• Edd says: Did you move to Pennsylvania?
• Alexis says: um, no.
  
• Michele says: This sounds significantly more complicated than the way it is phrased. What's the back story?
• Elizabeth says: Ridiculous. While I don't have a problem with gun play in my house (PRETEND GUNS), I don't think it belongs in school. It's easy enough to tell kids, even 2 year olds, that gun play isn't appropriate for school.
• Robin says: Dislike

I added this comment:

• I've been told there's a 2-yr-old classroom in Evanston that has a dedicated gun play area (3ft x 3ft). I'm trying to learn the back story from the director and board members, but I've been told the parents haven't been told about it yet. As a former preschool teacher (and mother of 2 boys), I understand that boys will fashion guns out of anything, including their hands. There may be a very purposeful reason for setting up this area (ie., limiting abundant, overzealous, inappropriate gun play to a small area of the classroom with the intent to completely diminish it) but my gut instinct is to offer any other remedy than allowing gun play in this setting.
  

And the comments continued:

• Elizabeth says: Boys also like to wrestle and fight and that is not allowed in school. It seems totally silly to me.
• Tony says: um...no. it's the only thought i can have
• Michele: I think limiting gunplay in two-year-olds is more than a little silly - there is zero evidence that pretend play of this nature is anything other than that. Provided there's no physical contact, I don't see the harm in play-fighting any more than I do in kids playing "monster." http://www.webmd.com/.../toy-guns-do-they-lead-real-life...
  That said, I am bothered by the idea that a preschool would come up with a system to address any specific behavior without talking to parents about it first.
• Tony says: there are enough real guns in schools we do not need to advocate pretend ones...next field trip to the shooting range anyone???
• Susan says: NOT
• Elizabeth says: There are things that are appropriate for school and things that are not. Another example is that some preschoolers don't like to keep their clothes on. Unfortunately (for them) that isn't appropriate in a school setting!
• Sonja says: As a former preschool teacher myself, horrible idea to have dedicated gun play space. A lot of time is spent structuring the environment to maximize areas of learning. I don't believe this type of *reverse psychology* is appropriate, in my opinion.
• Audrey says: Please tell me that's someone's really bad idea and that they haven't actually implemented it!
• Mindy says: You're kidding, right?
• Lydia says: Whose on first?
• Tamar says: While there are kids who will make guns out of anything, I don't think this happens at 2. For a 2 year old to want to play with guns, it clearly means he/she had been taught about guns. There are so many things that are wrong with the concept of having a gun-playing area in a 2 year old classroom. Sigh...
• Michele says: I am not a supporter of real guns in any way - but I think it's important to make sure that we're basing what we do on evidence and not on our gut reactions or personal fears. I can see where real harm can be done to kids by shaming them about perfectly harmless and normal behavior, or pathologizing it. You're really going to make assumptions about the family life of a 2 year old you've never met by behavior you haven't seen? ...the real issue is the lack of disclosure on the part of the school.
• Candace says: Two year olds? Are they pointing fingers and saying "bang bang"? Exactly what are they watching on TV?
• Missy says: no
• Maret says: As a parent of two girls who started making their own swords out of plain cardboard at age 3, I totally "get" the natural child impulse toward battle games. However, if you create a dedicated gun play area, you're directing kids toward gun play. Let them have open-ended stuff and devise their own play.
• Linnea says: no. And this is from a mom whose 14 yo daughter has a gun.
• John says: This takes on different meanings based on the why behind it all and the actual implementation. Not enough info and most of the discussion in raising this issue this way probably won't be applicable to the actual situation once you have the full story.
• Phil says: I gather the "dedicated gun play" area is really a restricted area, so gun play isn't permitted elsewhere?
• Dan says: Hey now, in Pennsylvania we keep it out of schools. In fact 1st day of deer season is a school holiday.

I jumped in to clarify:

•  It's limited to a 3x3 area in the classroom.

Then more comments came back:

• Alissa says: First of all, 2 year olds have pretty limited skills for imaginary play and almost no cooperative play, so developmentally it makes no sense. I think there is a difference between self generated play (making a gun with Legos, toast, your hand...) and play that is prompted by the presence of a object. This holds true for any kind of play, not just guns. I do not as a rule discourage self generated play, but I might limit it in a school setting depending on the circumstances. I worry about this designated area and these toys for children who have been exposed to trauma . They need a much more controlled, therapeutic setting with carefully selected toys to engage in this kind of activity in a way that can be healing.
• Kristin says: How does a two year old know what a gun is? Where on earth are they exposed to that information? And if the area is only a 3x3, what is the message exactly? That if you want to shoot someone, do it at close range?

 I wrote:

• What if the kids are making guns out of Legos and other toys? Okay to let them play with those items in a designated area? The theory used by the teacher, apparently suggested by leaders at a GOAEYC conference, is not to have a "knee jerk" "no guns" reaction but to discourage gun play by making it "boring". The analogy I've been given is that "just as bathroom talk stays in the bathroom, these types of toys and behavior have a place."

And the comments kept coming:

• Candace says: A two year old can't put to Lego's together. Something sounds off here. A four year old, sure, but not two.
• Kate says: The four-year old class has a dedicated "toy cocktail bar" area that the two year olds get to bring their toy guns to as long as they get a concealed carry permit from the teacher.
• Peter says: My 5 year old son has asked on various occasions for either a Nerf gun or an old fashioned cowboy pistol or rifle, no different than what I played with when I was a kid. Part of me thinks it is harmless play, but the reason I always say no is because if there is ever a guy with a real gun pointed at him (god forbid), the bad guy or even police officer doesn't know if it's fake or real, and I am not interested in that game of roulette. So no play area, no you guns is where I come down.

I threw in an analogy:

• Is this supposedly well-intentioned gun play area any different than a "crack corner," where kids can pretend to snort crack cocaine (and run Toronto)?

Then more comments from others:

• Rachel says: I grew up in a religious pacifist home. We weren't even allowed a simple squirt gun. We still made guns with sticks, with legos, with our fingers.....I suppose it encouraged creativity on our part.(lol) My point is, we still played with "guns" whether we had them or not. Now, as a parent, my children and I together have had hours of nerf gun play, especially on a cold winters day- harmless enough and super fun...but for two year olds??? Not. Necessary.

 I added this:

• This article takes an interesting perspective. http://www.pbs.org/parents/raisingboys/aggression05.html

And these comments followed:

• Julie says: No!
• Audrey says: Do they also have hooker costumes for the dress up area? or serve candy cigarettes at snacktime? What's WRONG w/these people? and how do the parents NOT know what is going on in their child's preschool classroom? Do they not pick them up/drop them off or tour the school before placing them in this type of environment?
• Catherine says: crap. that's the crappiest idea i've ever heard. look at stats- look at violent video game stats- why start desensitizing kids at 2 WHY??
• Jennifer says: Um, no.
• Lauren says: I don't believe in Zero Tolerance policies where young children could be expelled or reported to police for imitating violence because even the youngest kids get a glimpse of big brother playing a shooting game or mom watching the news in the background. (I believe this is where the idea for this is coming from.) Young kids learn through imitation. However, I also think early childhood centers should have rules that are enforced but explained to children in age-appropriate ways. (It is not ok to pretend to shoot people at school and here is why.) Having a designated area for gunplay is ridiculous. Either allow it or don't, but don't make one area where breaking the rules is ok.
• Kimberlee says: No way!
• Karen says: I don't think a 3X3 area is going to make this boring. I'm not sure why the teachers think that a 3X3 area is going to make it boring. My point is if they have an area (big or small) they will play with whatever is allowed in that area. I personally think this is a HORRIBLE idea. I don't think 2yr olds need to know anything about guns.
• Julie says: I have no problem with weapons play for little kids, but a dedicated spot *in the classroom*?? For *2 year olds*?
• Lori says: You don't want to know...
• Carol says: So stupid
• Seth says: wrong...i'd send my child elsewhere
• Sophia says: I don't think that's a good idea, even remotely. I think the other comments on here sum that up quite nicely.

What do you think about small areas in classrooms to discourage behavior such as gun-play, particularly in 2-year-old preschool classrooms? What other age-appropriate ways are there to help young students make sense of guns?