THE YARD IS OPEN!

Our 2025 season will wrap up on November 16th. You still have time to join us before we hibernate.

 
Fall Mini Camps
Adventure Play Club

Photo by Tova Friedman

10 years of play!

We’re thrilled to launch new limited-edition merch! Designed by Scott Teplin, in celebration of The Yard’s upcoming 10th Anniversary!

Tees (youth & adult sizes), and hoodies (adult sizes) available with an end of the year donation.

Shipped in time for the winter holidays, or pick them up at The Yard. 

Shop 10 Years of Play
 

2025 Site MAP by Andrea herrada

To celebrate our 10th season, Andrea Herrada (playworker and artist), has illustrated a gorgeous map of our site—a time capsule for 2025.

These limited edition, archival-quality prints are available with a donation to play:groundNYC.

Donate to 10 Years of Play

Drawn by Andrea Herrada

 

our history

play:groundNYC is a nonprofit dedicated to transforming New York City through play. The organization was founded by artists, researchers, and advocates for children’s rights who wanted to create the conditions for adventure play in NYC. This type of play has tremendous benefits for young people’s lives, and their future outcomes. We began with a series of pop-ups in city parks; in 2016, play:groundNYC was invited by The Trust for Governors Island to open The Yard, a publicly-accessible adventure playground. We have welcomed more than 60,000 children and young people to The Yard for free open weekends, after-school activities, field trips and summer camp.

2024 Annual report
play in public space
playwork training
VISITING THE YARD
play in schools
DOE educators, Sarah Lawrence College’s Child Development Institute and more have joined us in playwork