A n artful sign hangs in The Yard – Biddeford’s massive, indoor playground nestled inside a former mill – which quotes Einstein: “Play is the highest level of research.”

Another nearby sign illustrates a playground, captioned simply: “Because no one ever remembers their best day of TV”.

Stacy Maguire, pediatric occupational therapist, owns and operates The Yard in its Pepperell Mill Campus location.

As she puts it, play is children’s “instinct, their art form, their job.”

“A child’s primary occupation is to play, learn and socialize,” she continues, “Through play, children learn communication skills, problem solving, and social skills. They develop gross and fine motor skills.”

Maguire designed her space so caregivers can engage with their young ones during those early developmental milestones.

She also kept in mind that there are various forms of play when she developed The Yard’s layout.

“Some love rough and tumble play, some love messy play, and some love quieter play,” she said last week.

“Kids can generally always find a way to play!”

And oh, how vital it is. According to education.com, school success depends enormously on kiddos’ ability to interact positively with peers and adults. Play is infinitely vital to children’s social development, as it helps them practice verbal and nonverbal communication skills, respond to peers’ feelings while waiting each their turn, and experience others’ points of view by working things out. In short, those playground days are nothing to scoff at. As it turns out, playing nicely in the sandbox now could boost tots’ confidence, grades, and people skills later. Even the big leagues – The United Nations High Commission for Human Rights – has recognized play as a right of every child. It’s official.

But yet according to a survey by the National Assoc. of Elementary School Principals, recess in schools has somehow decreased substantially over the past two decades, perhaps due to academic pressure schools face.

There’s considerable focus on classic old-school lessons – reading, ‘riting, ‘rithmetic – all truly integral to a solid education foundation.

But let’s not forget the unsung hero of the ‘R’s – recess – to round out those dear old golden rule days.

Playtime has shrunk in the home too these past 20 years, as kiddos are more plugged in to electronic devices in lieu of fresh air and monkey bars. Family schedules are more hectic, too.

And this is a huge bummer, because play – according to the American Academy of Pediatrics – helps kids also develop imagination, dexterity, and physical, cognitive, and emotional strength.

But because our culture as a whole is shifting toward less play, more anxiety, it doesn’t mean caregivers can’t offer a good work/play balance when opportunity strikes.

The AAP recommends that kiddos be given ample time to be creative, reflect, to decompress.

Push for active play rather than its easier counterpart, passive entertainment such as screen time.

Buy toys such as blocks or dolls that promote using one’s imagination.

Tune in to when your tots feel burned out or over-scheduled, and let them help decide which extracurriculars to sign up for.

My husband and I recently toted our kiddos to The Yard, our easy fix to beat the heat on a hazy, humid, sticky day.

The children and we unanimously agreed nothing could beat its air-conditioned comfort in such a convenient location, so we decided to take advantage of The Yard gift cards we’d received and made our way over.

No sooner had we arrived and de-diaper-bagged, did my husband and I quickly realize another fantastic benefit to indoor play: confinement. In a good way.

The kiddos darted in different directions – one toward hula hoops, one toward an enormous wooden jungle gym structure. They couldn’t go too far; it was one giant, 7,200 square foot room.

Cozy, artful couches are tucked in different areas, a practicality for we parents to sit and take in the cool comfort, but my husband and I didn’t sit long. We too found ourselves testing out jump ropes, helping our kiddos along pint-sized ropes courses. Heck, it was playtime for everyone.

We met young families we knew, and families we didn’t. This was playground in a totally new neighborhood, after all.

Afterward, we tucked a pre-packed picnic basket and blanket under our arms, skipped around the corner outside the mill and ate by the cool river under trees’ shade.

Suffice it to say, the boys napped well upon our return home. They’d played hard.

And we knew we’d return to the temperature-controlled venue next time humidity struck, or when winter’s nastiness arrived.

Play is different today. As parents, we play it so safe. We hardly let our children out of sight for minutes, let alone out and about ‘til they return home knees skinned and pants grass-stained. Perhaps that’s a column for another day.

But ample playtime still counts. We recently celebrated our 5- year-old’s birthday outdoors with several yard games set up, and how truly fascinating to watch him and his friends’ imaginations at play, unstructured.

Fred Rogers once said that play is really the work of childhood.

Etched upon one of the signs that hangs in The Yard is a playground by the message, ‘A child’s first office’.

How true it is. And they don’t even know it.

So keep calm and play on, kids. It’s good for you.

— Michelle Cote is the creative director of the Journal Tribune and a nationally-syndicated columnist. She can be contacted at mcote@journaltribune.com.