Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/from-i-want-it!-to-i-can-do-it!-promoting-healthy-development-in-the-consumer-culture/5015934/
One day Joel walked into kindergarten and held up an action figure (based on a popular movie). It was missing a leg. He indignantly told his friends that he had gotten it for his birthday; it was his favorite present. The second time he played with it the leg fell off. It wasn’t fair!Several other children heatedly jumped in to describe their own experiences with toys and other prized objects that had broken. The teacher saw that the children had a lot of intense feelings about their broken toys. She suggested they bring them in the next day to talk about at a class meeting.
Bringing marketing issues into our work with children
This teacher’s decision to pick up on the children’s distress and make it the focus of a formal class discussion may seem surprising. The situation is one many teachers might not notice. Children often share an experience from home with each other in group settings without it becoming something that enters into their interactions with adults. And when we do pay attention, experiences that involve acquiring coveted objects are sometimes viewed with discomfort or even disdain, but rarely as providing an opportunity to work with children on an ...