As we watched him and listened to Kaya during play, we noticed a reoccurring theme – his play often involved looking for bad guys, “fighting” the bad guys, and eventually pretending to be the bad guys. He would sometimes approach a friend, we’re bad guys, right? 

Kaya would often peek through the classroom door, looking out at the playground. When another studio was playing outside, he would announce Bad guys! If the playground was empty, he would inform his friends, The bad guys are not there.

We had previously noted this with other children in Blue – when groups of children from other studios were spotted out at the playground or walking by the window, we heard them say The bad guys! Or if noticing children outside, the bad guys are at the playground.

Initially, labelling other children as “bad guys” seemed to serve two purposes: expressing a wariness around these big unfamiliar children careening around the playground, and, through an “us vs. them” scenario, creating a bond between Blue classmates. For them, it was a useful strategy to instill comfort and camaraderie.

As teachers, we acknowledge/validate the children’s curiosity about weapons and bad guys, but we also help children, who may become stuck in this play, discover other ways to form alliances that are more inclusive and sophisticated. This is the purpose of curriculum, especially in a Reggio-inspired environment; as educator Lillian Katz would say, curriculum “gives us something to talk about.” By enriching the airplane theme, we broadened Kaya’s and others’ options for connecting through play, and the airplane theme has touched much of the class as children share their knowledge, skills, and creative ideas, thus deepening in their comfort and camaraderie.