"You're dead, get down, get down...you're dead", came the shout from an extremely eager and enthusiastic 6 year-old who was pointing a long stick of Beech Wood directly at me. I dropped to my knees, rolled onto my side and let out a gut-wrenching, "aarrrghhhhhh'.
Before I started delivering Forest School this wasn't the tranquil ambient woodland soundscape I'd anticipated! I also had no intention of letting children 'shoot' each other amongst the trees, why would I want to be a part of something that would surely lead them to pursue a career of crime and a future behind bars?
Or maybe that assumption is misplaced?
In recent years, the concept of allowing children to engage in "gun play" has sparked a significant amount of debate among parents, educators, and child development experts. In traditional school settings, the mere mention of toy guns can often evoke concerns about violence and aggression. However, when it comes to Forest School, a unique outdoor learning environment, the perspective on gun play takes a different turn.
Understanding Gun Play
First and foremost, it's essential to understand what we mean by "gun play." In the context of Forest School, gun play typically involves the use of sticks, branches, or other natural materials that children fashion into imaginary firearms. These "weapons" serve as props for imaginative scenarios, such as playing as hunters, soldiers, superheroes or adventurers. Importantly, gun play in this setting is entirely symbolic and devoid of any real weapons or violence.
Play Types and their Benefits
At its core, gun play is a form of imaginative play, which is crucial for children's cognitive and emotional development. Through imaginative scenarios, children explore different roles, situations, and emotions, enhancing their creativity and problem-solving skills. At Forest School, where the natural environment serves as a companion for play, gun play can spark endless adventures and narratives, allowing children to immerse themselves in imaginative worlds of their own creation.
One of the key principles of Forest School is to provide children with opportunities for managed risk-taking in a safe and supportive environment. By engaging in gun play, children learn to assess risks, negotiate boundaries, and make informed decisions. Educators play a vital role in 'protecting' and 'nurturing' this play space, ensuring that children have ownership over the rules governing the boundaries of safe play and respect the physical and emotional well-being of their peers. But, gun play doesn't have to be about competition and can often involve collaboration and teamwork as children work together to plan and execute their imaginative scenarios. In the forest environment, children learn to communicate effectively, negotiate conflicts, and cooperate with their peers. These social skills are essential for building positive relationships and navigating social situations both inside and outside of school.
Ultimately, imaginative play, including gun play, provides children with a safe space to explore and express complex emotions. Through role-playing scenarios that involve conflict or confrontation, children learn to understand and manage their feelings of anger, fear, or frustration in constructive ways. Educators can use these opportunities to facilitate discussions about emotions, empathy, and conflict resolution, helping children develop emotional intelligence and resilience.
While the idea of gun play may initially raise concerns for some parents and educators, it's essential to recognise the valuable developmental benefits it can offer when conducted in a safe and supportive environment like Forest School. By embracing imaginative play, we empower children to explore, create, and learn in ways that foster their holistic development. At Forest School, gun play isn't about promoting violence—it's about nurturing responsible imagination and helping children grow into confident, compassionate individuals who are capable of navigating the complexities of the world around them.
During play every interaction, every scenario, becomes a canvas upon which children paint their interpretations, piecing together fragments of experience to form a cohesive understanding of the world at large. Play is not merely a frivolous pastime; it is a fundamental aspect of childhood through which children navigate and internalise the intricacies of their environment, paving the way for growth, development, and ultimately, wisdom.
Preventing children from engaging in gun play may limit their opportunities to explore these themes in a controlled setting. As a result, they might have fewer outlets for processing and understanding the complexities of conflict, potentially leaving them less equipped to navigate related anxieties or concerns.
When children engage in gun play, they often use it as a way to process and make sense of the world around them, including concepts like conflict and power dynamics. By engaging in imaginative scenarios, children may explore themes related to conflict, authority, and justice in a safe and controlled environment. This can help them develop a better understanding of these complex issues and develop coping strategies for managing related emotions.
At Forest School we promote and protect meaningful play; if a child picks up a stick, points it at you and shouts, "you're dead", that's your 'cue' to join in! From this moment on you have permission to put down your over adulterated view of children's play, embrace your inner-child, fall onto one knee, roll onto your side and let out a gut-wrenching, "aarrrghhhhhh!"
Thanks Danny, gun play is a strong play drive with a group of children I work with and this has helped me explain to TAs that they should not be telling children that "we don't pretend sticks are guns" or "we don't shoot people" 🙂