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Ranging from princess play to gun 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. Allowing and supporting these types of play, even when they may make adults uncomfortable, is key to fostering children’s identity and agency.
Find practical strategies for adults in early childhood settings to support this sense of power in pretend play and in real ways. The book 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. It 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.
Every early childhood educator needs to read The Power in Pretend. This book stands out as one of the most insightful and thorough explorations of pretend play available. Huber has crafted a brilliant and timely resource that clearly outlines pretend play's profound impact on children's growth and development. More than any other book I know, it captures what pretend play offers young learners. Bravo!
—Sally Haughey, Founder and CEO, Wunderled and Fairy Dust Teaching
This is a must-have book for those interested in understanding the complexity of play. Mike Huber shares his personal experience together with research to illuminate our adult responsibilities in curating dynamic spaces for children's agency and sense of community, that truly value children's play—all their play.
—Suzanne Axelsson, author of The Original Learning Approach and Riskfylld Lek och Undervisning (Risky Play and Teaching)
Mike Huber's new book provides an answer to the ongoing question posed by many early childhood educators, "So what do I do while they're playing?" This! You do this! The Power In Pretend reminds readers of the depth of what happens when children have time to play and when educators take the time to really see.
—Lisa Murphy, M.Ed., Author, Speaker, Early Childhood Specialist, and CEO & Founder, Ooey Gooey, Inc.
Like many of us who delight in the company of young children, I have a long-standing fascination with and belief in children’s pretend play and stories—for what they reveal about each child as an individual; for what they demonstrate about childhood as a particular culture; and for what they show us about what it means to be human. What I particularly like about what Mike Huber does in this book is that, while operating from this familiar disposition of delight and respect, he works so diligently to organize his careful thinking, extensive research and many years of experience into a format that helps the reader to do something he believes that pretend play allows children to do—to take many perspectives. He gives the scientific perspective and the pedagogical perspective; he invites us into the perspective of parents; and he is especially tender and adept as he invokes the perspective of teachers moving along their own developmental paths as they come to trust more deeply in themselves and in the children. But most of all, of course—relentlessly, unapologetically—with humor and generosity—he insists that we never forget the perspective of the children themselves.
—Donna King, author of Pursing Bad Guys: Joining Children’s Quest for Clarity, Community and Courage
Introduction
Understanding from the Outside
Othering Gun Play
Exploring Power
Power Play
Chapter One: Power
Agency
Self-Efficacy
Self-Regulation
Connection
Chapter Two: Imagination
Mental Imagery
Perspective Taking
Flow State
Imagination and Power
Chapter Three: Identity
Cultural Identity and Power
The Case Study of Q and A
Gender Schema and Gender Norms
Own-Gender Schema and Gender Expression
Chapter Four: Peers Sharing Power
We Listen to Our Bodies
We Check In with Each Other
We Get Permission
We Accept No
We Can Say No
We Are in Charge of Our Bodies
We Share Space
Chapter Five: Adults and Children
Participating in Decision-Making
Participating in Caring for the Community
Sense of Ownership and Power
Chapter Six: Your Own Power
Your Agency
Your Self-Effi cacy
Your Self-Regulation
Your Connection to Others
References