Evaluating small‐scale simulation for training firearm safety skills

Maxfield et al. (2019) taught firearm safety to three preschoolers.

They used toy guns and tiny furniture in a tabletop play set.

No real guns were shown until the final test.

All three kids learned the safety rules in play.

Later they used the same rules when they saw a real gun.

The skills moved from toys to real life.

Dugan et al. (1995) first used computer games to teach behavior concepts to college students. Maxfield shows the same idea works for little kids and deadly topics.

Bordi et al. (1990) gave adults with brain injury written checklists to spot home hazards. Maxfield swaps paper for toys, proving preschoolers can learn safety without reading.

Matson et al. (1994) coached parents to cue coping breaths before medical sticks. Maxfield skips parents and still gets generalization, hinting that tiny props alone may be enough for simple safety rules.

You can run the whole lesson on a carpet square. Bring a toy gun, a dollhouse chair, and a plastic phone. Practice the three steps: Stop, Don’t Touch, Tell Adult. After two short rounds, test with a disabled real gun in the hallway. No extra staff, no big budget, and the skill still transfers. Try it next week during free play.