The Box Battle

It was a human vs. cardboard box battle for the ages. The story will be told for generations to come.

On a walk, I spot Neighbor Girl, age 5, proudly missing her two top front teeth. With vigorous joy, she’s busy battling a beleaguered cardboard box. She jumps, spins, leaps, and lunges while repeatedly whacking the box with a neon green water bottle.

I know her well enough to say hello, but we don’t know each other’s names. She does, however, know the names of both of my dogs.

She sees me see her.

The box battle pauses.

She explains, “It’th not a box. It’th a fur-o-thus beast. I’m tryin’ ta van-quith it.”

“Good luck. Ferocious beasts can be hard to vanquish.”

“Yeah, they can. Glad I hath thith lighthaber!”

Then, with a chilling battle cry, she eagerly reengages the menacing beast with her glowing saber.

I get a few steps closer to home and hear, “Tell GeeGee and Thlinky I thed hello!”

Box Battle Reflections

A few thoughts on this play sighting.

A couple of minor things to start. First, kids who have lost their two front teeth look and sound adorable; that’s just a fact. Next, it was nice to see a kid playing outside. Maybe your neighborhood is abuzz with active outdoor play. Mine isn’t. That’s sad because active outside play is an excellent opportunity for things like heavy work, power play, and the development of the vestibular system.

This is another example of how valuable loose parts are in play. Neighbor Girl wanted to do battle, and the box and water bottle helped make that happen. Loose parts are tools. I’ve seen many a box battle but have never seen a water bottle used as a lightsaber.

Her vocabulary surprised me. Ferocious and Vanquish are words I rarely hear five-year-olds toss around. I’m guessing she has an older sibling interested in beasts and battles. It’s obvious she’s living in a language-rich environment. Good for her and everyone contributing to that environment.

Finally, I like the Girl Power aspect of this play scene. In my experience, too many settings shut down loud, aggressive, boisterous power play for boys and girls. And some, even in 2022, create environments where girls are (intentionally and unintentionally) steered away from such play. That’s a shame because such play has great value.

Your thoughts and reflections are always welcome in the comments.

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