Enhanced PLY Improving children's experiences at the playground through collaboration By Tina L. Stanton-Chapman, Ph.D., and D. Michael Malone, Ph.D. P lay is critical to children's learning and development. It helps children build their confidence and develop many important skills, including cognition, language and social skills. Unstructured play, defined as play that isn't organized by an adult, offers additional skill-building opportunities - such as time alone to explore an environment; time to develop peer relationships and to work on physical, language, social-emotional and cognitive skills; and the ability to just play as the child wants to play without having to follow an adult's specific direction. The playground environment represents an unstructured setting that offers many play benefits for children. 10 Parks & Recreation | 2 0 22 PL A Y GROUND GUIDE | PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G A WARIDSARA/ADOBESTOCK