Gun play in the classroom

From: Linda Schmidt
Email: lschmi0420@nl.edu
Date: May 24, 2006

Comments

Hello Mary Louise Hemmeter, I am a teacher in a Head Start program with twenty children in my classroom and I have a question about gun play. Everyday I have this one particular child who has been playing out shooting scenerios with the other boys who decide to get into the play with him. This has been going on for over a year. The teachers have tried to redirect him to other areas of the classroom. His primary interest is gun play. This is a child that will be going to kindergarten very soon and the new environment will be a shock to him when he is unable to play with guns at all in the classroom. I have tried one on one with activities and projects, making books, reading stories, playing math and science games. The child's attention span is short and again he displays very little interest except to engage other children in playing guns. Any suggestions about this repetitive behavior.