The Power in Pretend

Understand power and identity in children’s play. The Power in Pretend questions and sheds light on the ways children play with ideas of power. Children’s play often tells a story of power through the roles they choose to play: exercising power over, power with, or power for peers, adults, or phenomena from the wider world. Most adults are comfortable with some roles children take on, such as dinosaurs, mothers, and firefighters. Other roles or types of play make adults uncomfortable at times, such as weapon or gun play, superhero play, or hyper-feminine princess play. Yet allowing and supporting these types of play is key to fostering children’s identity and agency. The book gives practical strategies for adults in early childhood settings to support this sense of power in pretend play and in real ways. It draws on an updated understanding of gender expression, as well as a nuanced approach to consent, and includes a contemporary understanding of the development of executive function skills and their impact on young children’s behaviors. The book also considers cultural influences on children’s play and adults’ reactions, as well as how peer interactions and play may be affected by differences among children.