In January 1941, in Worthing, Sussex, England, children played at being emergency workers and nurses in response to German air raids on Britain during World War II.

　　In January 1941, in Worthing, Sussex, England, children played dress-up as emergency workers and nurses in response to German air raids on Britain during World War II. Even when serious topics like death and war are at the center, play and games can make those themes safer. This is one of the worst examples of the theme “little helpers in war.” Should the children who posed, the newspaper that published the photo, the Ministry of Information that encouraged it, or the general public who praised it be held accountable?

　　During the American Civil War, boys dressed up as soldiers and marched, while girls imitated nurses from the U.S. Public Health Service who provided medical care to soldiers. During World War I, miniature lead soldiers, cannons, and other military supplies flooded children's toy boxes. Anna Freud, a pioneer of play therapy and the youngest daughter of Sigmund Freud, observed that children placed in “war nurseries” on the outskirts of London during World War II frequently played war games, particularly those simulating the Blitz air raids.

　　There were cases of enslaved Black children in the United States reenacting the brutalities they and their families had endured. One account describes two enslaved children at an actual slave plantation in Richmond, Virginia, where one stood on an auction block while the other acted as an auctioneer. Children imprisoned at Auschwitz-Birkenau were recorded playing games such as roll call, doctor, and even gas chambers. Using play as a means to cope with complex situations is something children have done throughout history.