This article exposes the degree of perception of violence that children of the I cycle of the Basic General Education have, of one school in the Western Regional Bureau of Education, Costa Rica, based on the analysis of the everyday behaviors that occur in games and social interactions that take place during the breaks. This article is a product of a mixed type research, in which one of the data collection techniques employed was a questionnaire. The group of students selected for the study consists of two hundred and eighty-two students of I, II and III grade. Some of the findings show that: this group of students, in a high percentage identified the existence of violence in actions such as: pushing, hitting, and tripping, among others. In addition, a high percentage of them also indicates that there is violence when others intimidate them or harass them. About the psychological violence, a high percentage perceives its existence, in actions that were presented in the respective items. However, students of II grade and III grade consider that there is no violence in actions such as: when they are not allowed to play or someone takes their snack or school supplies. Also students point out that there is violence when they are insulted; nicknames are given to them and the use of swear or bad words. In addition a high percentage manages to identify the existence of sexual violence.

School violence; perception; school child; primary education; Costa Rica