Children's Play as a form of Resistance in the Classroom

Abstract

This study explores the resistance embodied in children's classroom play and the responses teachers make to such resistance. Children's definitions of work and play in elementary school reveal three varieties of classroom play: instrumental play, recreation, and illicit play. Each variety includes elements of both accommodation and resistance. Teachers respond to children's play in four ways: they ignore it, incorporate it, contain it, or suppress it. Each of these reactions serves to maintain their control of classroom events without banning play entirely from the elementary curriculum.