Understanding Early Years Educators’ Perspectives on Imaginative Weapons Play
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Date
2025-04
Authors
Paulino-Liscano, Tara Camille
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Mount Saint Vincent University
Abstract
Play is a child’s inherent right as emphasized in Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989). The value of play is reinforced in Articles 28 and 29, stating that play is indispensable in children’s development as it fosters agency and learning. The Committee on the Rights of the Child (2013) underscored the importance of children’s play as it “promotes the development of creativity, imagination, self-confidence, self-efficacy, as well as physical, social, cognitive, and emotional strength and skills” (p. 17). Play should also be pleasurable and enjoyable for children when interacting with their peers and adults (Lansdown, 2022). Adult’s involvement in children’s play enables them to obtain a better understanding from a child’s point of view (UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, 2013). Imaginary play is beneficial to children as they create meaning out of their lived experiences by taking on a role, creating their own rules and rehearsing story lines (Burris and Tsao 2002). However, adults’ hierarchization of play (Heikkilä, 2021), especially when the play does not conform to curriculum standards and Imaginaries of a child (Rosen, 2015), tend to be curtailed by the teachers (Delaney, 2016). This research will explore the perspectives of educators on imaginative weapons play.