Having a public playground in your neighbourhood can add value to your property. Every expert we asked talked about the importance of letting children take risks and explore in nature. But they also advised parents to supervise and set limits. When dads engage in active play with their kids they actually help them cope better with some of the challenges they'll face in life. And no reason why mums can't join in the fun as well. Play and learning are one and the same for Mbendjele children. Understanding happiness in chickens could tell us how to improve their housing. The digital overlays of Pokémon Go reinvented Sofia’s everyday experiences of mundane spaces. And she became an outstandingly super-cool grandmother in the eyes of her grandson, Diego. Teaching robots to care for us in old age will be child's play. Children need to play and discover the world for themselves without too much restriction. Here are some ways we can enhance children's opportunities to do this. Parents are more willing to let children do their own thing in parks. It's a chance for children to make their own decisions, explore their abilities and imaginations, and weigh up risks. An observational audit found almost all of the parks in Sydney's inner west were substandard. But perhaps even more important was the issue of access. Melbourne has its first playable art tram – a 32.5-metre-long musical score played via augmented reality. So what's the idea of playable trams and playable cities really about? British three- and four-year-olds spend around four hours a day on screen time. There’s so much more to video games than first person shooters. Parents often see reading as "school business" - something that teachers are responsible for. Recycled or scrap parts including tunnels, pipes, crates, foam, rubber and plastic parts make for better play equipment for kids than a fixed swing set. Health professionals need a dose of drama in their training to build clinical and interpersonal skills. Children feel less frustrated and are allowed to be creative and expressive in spaces where they make choices. Through games and household tasks, parents can help their children learn basic math skills like counting, geometry and algebraic thinking. Welcome to the wonderful world of kamishibai – a centuries-old Japanese storytelling tradition. Sports fans are of two types: purists and partisans. The attitudes of both can affect the game. An expert explains which one you are and what that means.