Play is a very important way for kids to hone their social and mental skills fend off stress and build a healthy bond with parents. And to boost this claim the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) recently said that playing hones kids' social emotional language and thinking skills ones the next generation will need to compete in a world that requires collaboration and innovation. We're recommending that doctors write a prescription for play because it's so important said the report's lead author Dr. Michael Yogman. He's an assistant clinical professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and a pediatrician in