What’s a Teacher to Do? Superhero Play: Television and Children’s Play; Aggressive Play
What’s a Teacher to Do?
By Karen L. Bauer and Ernest Dettore
The dilemma over whether or not teachers should allow superhero play in their classroom continues. This article examines adults’ beliefs about superhero play and suggests some potential benefits of such play. The authors offer examples of ways they have incorporated superhero play in their classroom
KEY WORDS: superhero play: television and children’s play; aggressive play
Introduction
“I’m the White Ranger. You be the Goldar. You’re the bad guy and I beat you up.” This is the theme Noah, age 3, uses when he plays “Power Rangers: with his older brother, Josh. Scenes similar to this are enacted in homes, childcare programs and schools across the country. The phenomenally successful Power Rangers have captivated children’s interest. In 1994 alone, over $1 billion in Power Ranger toys and merchandise was sold in America. Prior to that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles intrigued children and accosted our bank accounts. The proliferation of merchandise associated with aggressive television programs has increased dramatically since deregulation of the television industry in 1984, say Levin and Carlsson-Paige (1995). Other toys linked to aggressive movies, some of which were never intended for young children’s viewing, line the shelves of many retail stores and influence children’s play and behavior.
Our society is faced with a generation of children exposed to more aggression and graphic violence than ever before. Television contributes significantly to this exposure. Eighty-two percent of the programs children watch contain at least some violence with the incidence of violence in children’s programming especially high at 32 violent acts an hour (waters, 1993). Programs featuring superhero figures continue to emerge.
Since it is unlikely that programming and merchandising will change in the immediate future, adults must provide support for the development of pro-social behavior amidst the current aggressive models to which children are exposed. Why are superheroes so appealing to children? How do adults view superhero play? Are there any potential benefits to playing with these toys? How do we live with superheroes in our classrooms?
Appeal of Superheroes to Children
Interest in superheroes and superhero play is primarily limited to young boys, although girls may be interested in superheroes and engage in such play. What makes these characters and this play so appealing to children? One characteristic that intrigues children is the power superheroes possess.
They demonstrate extraordinary strength and are capable of incredible feats. They can “morph” into different beings, fly, or lift enormous objects. Superheroes possess powers children wish they had (Carlsson-Paige & Levin, 1990). Adults can often think back to times when they wished, as children, to be able to do what fictional characters could do. Being “able to leap tall buildings in a single bound” like superman is quite an appealing ability. Through superhero play children have access to this power. While they have limited control in many areas of their real lives, assuming the role of a superhero provides an opportunity to be strong, powerful, and able to control any situation.
A second reason superheroes appeal to children is that they allow children to assume roles and try out different persons. Through their play children experiment with the kind of person they can become. Superheroes are always good. They do the right thing in every circumstance (Greenberg, 1995). How appealing this is to young children struggling to do the right things as they encounter new experiences!
Children attempt to meet adult expectations. Although supportive adults recognize children’s efforts, children may experience doubts about their abilities and feel frustrated when they are not successful. Assuming the role of a superhero eliminates these feelings because superheroes never make mistakes or have weaknesses. People look to superheroes for leadership and to solve problems. They are the ones others rely on. Superhero play provides a release from tension and frustration as well as achievable success and accepted ways to exercise leadership (Walsh, 1995). Transforming into superheroes or “morphing” into Power Rangers is exhilarating because these transformations offer instant power and easy-to-access capabilities.
Young children enjoy vigorous physical activity. Superhero play appeals to children because it allows for running, jumping, wrestling, and shouting. The themes in such play provide children with a setting in which to incorporate active physical behaviors. These behaviors are an integral part of the role children assume.
Adults’ Views of Superhero Play
Adults struggle with the issue of children’s aggressive play and debate the pros and cons of permitting or banning such play at home and elsewhere. Their concerns are related to what will be support children’s optimal development.
Adults may view superhero play as meaningless, bizarre, aggressive, and frightening. Sometime adults oppose superhero play because of its violent content. According to Carlsson-Paige and Levin (1995) people holding this sociopolitical viewpoint see permitting superhero and other aggressive play-as tacti approval of violence or force to attain goals. These individuals argue that aggressive play should not be permitted because of the inappropriate concepts and attitudes children may learn.
Other times adults oppose superhero play because children’s behavior becomes out-of-control. These feelings are not unfounded since children, in their exuberance to act out superhero roles, often do hurt themselves and others and sometimes accidentally destroy property. Recently, while playing Power Rangers, an 8-year-old boy accidentally hit his 4-year-old brother in the mouth and loosened one of his teeth. No permanent damage was done but both children were upset and frightened by the incident and their mother was frustrated and angry as she again had to deal with the consequences of excessive aggression in superhero play.
Teachers may view superhero play in school and child care as disruptive and threatening and find it easily escalates into noisy, rough, and chaotic play. Even those children who normally do not display loud, aggressive behavior exhibit such traits when engaged in superhero play. Trevor is normally a considerate child who enjoys playing with the other children in his childcare center. However, when he once again assumed the role of Spiderman in his childcare center last week, he jumped from chairs, grabbed two children playing with puzzles, and pretended to tie them up in his web. They were frightened by Trevor’s abrupt intrusion and began to shout at him. It is only during such play that the caregiver must intervene to remind Trevor of appropriate behavior.
There is an opposing point of view regarding superhero play by children. Some adults view this aggressive play as a means whereby children address developmental issues. They suggest that such play helps children to resolve issues of power and control, allows them to resolve or reduce fears and anxiety, and permits them to act out their aggressive impulses in a safe, controlled environment (Kuykendall, 1995).
So the questions persist just as they have with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the He-Man crew before them. What should adults do about superhero play? What policies should childcare programs and schools adopt? Carlsson-Paige and Levin (1995) believe a perfect answer does not exist. It is unlikely that there is a resolution to the superhero play dilemma that will be accepted by everyone.
Many childcare programs and schools ban children from engaging in Power Ranger or similar play. However, according to Carlsson-Paige and Levin (1990)., such bans may result in several undesirable behaviors. Children may
- Hide interests from adults
- Feel guilty for engaging in banned play
- Learn to deceive adults
-
Fear discussing topics with adults
Benefits of Superhero Play
We support a more productive approach to superhero play that incorporates children’s interests in ways that promote positive development. This compromise between banning superhero play and allowing unrestricted play respects children’s interests and supports developmental issues without violating classroom boundaries. We suggest there are some possible benefits in superhero play and offer alternatives based upon actual experiences in one preschool setting.
Social-Emotional Development: Young children are developing concepts of right and wrong, good and bad. Since superheroes provide clear-cut models of good and evil (Greenberg, 1995), teachers can use superhero characters to point out positive or negative words or behaviors.
Superheroes can be used to help children develop cooperation. Teachers can employ the characters to motivate children to comply with requests. “Let’s see if you can clean up as fast as a Power Ranger.” “Can you tip-toe as quietly as a Ninja?” or “You were as brave as Wolverine to try broccoli for the first time!” elicit desired behaviors.
In our classroom, we frequently use superhero characters to point out specific behaviors. When Jason grabbed a marker from Raul, his teacher calmly suggested that behavior was something Lord Zed would exhibit. “Do you want to be like Lord Zed?” Jason was asked. His response was a resounding “no!” Likewise, when Michael offered to help pick up the Legos Jamie and Keniesa played with, the teacher said, “That sounds like something Tommy (Michael’s favorite Power Ranger) would do.” Needless to say, Michael beamed at the comparison.
Another strategy that can take advantage of children’s affinity for superheroes is to incorporate Power Rangers or other superhero action figures as “peach puppets.” When a seemingly unresolvable issue surfaces, use the toys to promote conflict resolution between children or in large or small groups. Because puppets and dolls can serve as alter egos, superhero action figures can encourage communication among children and adults that might be difficult to obtain under other circumstances. We used Luke Skywalker as a mediator when two children were arguing about the “correct” way to play astronaut in the dramatic play center. The children were willing to compromise when Luke, whom they viewed as an expert in space travel, intervened.
Aesthetic Development. Superhero play may seem unrelated to aesthetic development but it can become an avenue for children’s creative expression. Recently, several 4 and 5 year-olds were engaged in an episode of Power Ranger play. The excitement escalated and soon they were yelling that there was a monster in the classroom whom they had to catch. The running and screaming was not only disruptive to the other children but violated acceptable behavior in the classroom. Rather than completely terminate the play, the teacher asked the children to draw pictures of the monster so that other classrooms could be alerted. After the drawings were completed the children mounted the pictures on Wanted Posters designed by the teacher and distributed them to the other classrooms.
After announcing she was Michaelangelo, Karla began her usual ritual of posturing herself in martial arts positions. Unfortunately, her superhero play was generally stereotypical and repetitive. To redirect her behavior, the teacher asked if she had ever heard of the real Michaelangelo. When told that Michaelangelo did a very difficult thing – he painted on his back, Karla was hooked. The staff taped large pieces of paper under tables and encouraged her to draw with markers or crayons. Other children joined in the project. Books depicting Michaelangelo’s works were provided for children to examine.
Once our school nurse gave each preschooler a plastic ring after completing routine hearing tests. Within seconds the children were “morphing” into Power Rangers. While transforming into superheroes was exhilarating for the children, in their exuberance to act out the role of Power Ranger, it wasn’t long before our children were jumping on each other, wrestling on the floor and shoving one another. We gathered the children together and directed them to the playdoh table where we showed them how to make ring impressions. By punching, the dough, the children were able to redirect some of their energy and thinking. They became so intrigued by the impressions they began searching for other items to press into the playdoh. An extension of this project emerged when we showed them how to rub crayons over objects to get a print on paper. Making impressions and tracings were activities that children freely chose to do for several weeks.
We also encourage children to draw, paint, or use clay and dough to create their favorite superheroes. We respond to these creations by commenting on their use of color, line, or detail to focus their attention on the aesthetic elements of their artwork.
Cognitive Development. The ability to sustain a role in dramatic play and cooperatively develop a theme requires higher level thinking and creativity. Role playing that children do while engaged in dramatic play requires children to pay attention to detail, sequence their actions and understand their part in the play episode (Carlsson-Paige & Levin, 1990). Dramatic play provides opportunities for divergent interpretations of play themes (Carlsson-Paige & Levin, 1990). As disagreements or conflicts arise during play, children must solve the problems.
All of these benefits can be realized through superhero play. While the three dominant themes in superhero play are capture and rescue, submit or vanquish, and attack or flee (Carlsson-Paige & Levin, 1990), there are numerous variations on these themes, - Teachers can observe children’s superhero play and offer them opportunities to expand on their current knowledge.
Because the Power Rangers initially morphed into their dinozords, we took this opportunity to introduce a study of dinosaurs in our classroom. Children are naturally interested in dinosaurs but we found increased interest in those animals the Power Rangers became.
Occasionally we intervene in the superhero play be posing problems. We might suggest that a usual behavior won’t solve a particular problem in the play episode. For example, we have presented the problem of how Power Rangers can contact each other if their usual means of communication doesn’t work. The children have come up with ingenious solutions.
We have also audio-taped children’s superhero stories and published books complete with children’s illustrations. Teachers read the stories to the children and encourage children to read their stories to their parents and friends. Creating their own stories encourages children to develop a better understanding of what a story is (McGee & Richgels, 1996). Jalongo (1992) says there is a definite developmental sequence to children’s understanding of a story. Analyzing the elements of setting, character, plot, theme and style provides insight into children’s concept of story. The story of a 4-year-old boy shows characters as figures who perform an action but lack personality and a simplistic plot in which the events are arranged in an “and then” sequence with no elaborations. He begins his story with the literary “once upon a time,” uses past tense in the story, and ends his story by having one character in the sequence “come back alive.”
Although adults might be uncomfortable with the violent content of this story, they must recognize that children have a different, less realistic understanding of death and violence from adults and must focus, instead, on the child’s narrative abilities displayed in the story. In addition, at least one study by Dyson, a professor of education in language and literacy at the University of California at Berkeley, found that children’s superhero stories eventually replace the racial and gender stereotypes found in the television programs (Walsh, 1995).
Living with Superheroes
Teachers can develop strategies for managing superhero play and can redirect children’s actions toward appropriate expression. They can help children develop and clarify roles for superheroes, talk about the pretend world of acting, discuss real heroes, explore related concepts such as artists, help children to recognize the humane characteristics of superheroes, and perhaps, most importantly, give children control over their own lives by sharpening their conflict resolution skills to come up with alternatives to violence and aggression.
Once upon a time Tommy was sleeping. Then the Red Ranger came to fight the puddies. The Green Ranger came. Then the Evil Green Ranger came. Then Lizard Head came. The Dragon Head came. Then Rocky killed Dragon Head. Then Aisha came. Then Billy (blue ranger) came. Zack came. Kimberly came. Then Tommy became friends with the Evil Green Ranger. Then Cheerio head killed the good Green Ranger. Then Tommy went back to sleep. Then there was Rain Head came. Rain Head put so much rain. Kimberly couldn’t sleep. All the Power Rangers couldn’t sleep. Then Bubble Head came. Then the Red Ranger went to the karate school. Then Tommy killed Bubble head with his sword. Then Tommy got Bubble Head and brought a picture to kill him. Then the White Ranger came back. And the Green Ranger came back alive.
Conclusions
There are possible undesirable effects of superhero play. Children’s creativity can be diminished. Superhero play can glamorize fighting and killing and foster unnecessary aggression. Superhero play can be perceived by young children as frightening reality rather than pretend play. Superhero television shows can undermine conflict resolution skills and desensitize children to violence. There is no denying these possibilities.
However, children are likely to watch such shows and engage in superhero play. Our position is that caring adults must acknowledge this is reality and accept responsibility for facilitating and guiding children’s development by addressing superhero play in the classroom. We believe that as teachers of young children we must respect and allow their choices of themes and roles, but that we must provide the boundaries in which these themes and roles occur.
References
Carlsson-Paige, N. & Levin, D. E. (1990). Who’s calling the shots? How respond effectively to children’s fascination with war play and war toys: Philadelphia, PA: New Society Publishers.
Carlsson-Paige, N., & Levin, D.E. (1995): Can teachers resolve the war-play dilemma? Young Children. (50(5)62-62
Greensberg, J. (1995). Making friends with the Power Rangers. Young children. 50(5), L 60-61
Jalongo, M.R. (1992). Early childhood language arts. Boston: Allyn & Bacon
Kuykendall, J. (1995). Is gun play ok here? Young Children, 50 (5). 56-59.
Levin, D.E. (1994). Speaking of superheroes. Scholastic Early Childhood Today. 9(3), 53-63.
Levin, De. E. & Carlsson-Paige, N. (1995). The mighty morphin power rangers: Teachers voice concern. Young Children, 50(6), 67-72.
McGee, L. M., & Richgels, D. J./ (1996). Literacy’s beginnings: Supporting young readers and writers (2nd ed.) Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Walsh, M. (April 26, 1995). Mighty morphins affect classroom behavior. Education Week.
Waters, H.F. (July 12, 1993). Networks under the gun. Newsweek, pp. 64-166.
