Making Play Fun Again: Release Your Inner Child

Making play fun again is not about reverting to our inner child; it is about allowing our adult selves to let go and have fun. Adult play has multiple wellness benefits.

One of my fondest memories during a two-year road trip was discovering campgrounds that had play equipment, from swings to seesaws to… a merry-go-round that made us dizzy with joy and laughter.

When was the last time you rolled in the grass? Swung on a swing and jumped off like you were flying? Played a round of miniature golf? Rode your bike for the fun of it? Built and flew paper airplanes? Threw a frisbee? Danced an afternoon away?

Somewhere along the way, many of us stopped playing.

We got busy.

We became responsible.

We started measuring our worth by our income and productivity.

And without realizing it, we left behind one of the most important ingredients for a healthy and joyful life. We often get mired in adulthood and the amount of time for play evaporates, but growing evidence supports the idea of play as primal.

I am here to tell you, to encourage you, and to exhort you … to make time for play.

Your inner child hasn't disappeared. They've simply been waiting for an invitation to come out and play again.

Play is essential for adult mental health. It helps boost creativity and problem-solving, reduces stress and cortisol levels, strengthens social bonds, enhances emotional well-being and satisfaction, promotes positivity, and helps us feel young again. Regularly making time for play can help us while on a healing journey, aid in reducing burnout, mitigate anxiety, and relieve rigid OCD thought loops.

There’s even a growing body of research in psychology, neuroscience, and education that reveals that play remains crucial throughout adulthood, as highlighted in Dr. Stuart Brown’s book, Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul.

Research even suggests that playful activities can support brain health by increasing levels of BDNF, a protein that helps our brains learn, adapt, and stay healthy as we age.

Finally, play can also lead to flow, a state of deep immersion where you lose track of time and perform at your best. Flow is linked to increased productivity, enhanced creativity, and greater life satisfaction.

So, when was the last time you had an unstructured fun time? We cannot let the pressures of adulting – jobs, bills, laundry, cooking, etc. – stop allowing our inner child to come out and play.

Ways to Make Play Fun Again

It first starts with a mindset. It is not just about the physical act of playing; we have to be all in and make play part of our daily lives.

Everyone has to create their own vision of play, but for me, it almost always starts outside in nature, which makes sense because I spent countless hours as a child playing outside, riding my bike to nearby parks and playgrounds, and climbing trees to hide and spy on neighbors.

To help spur some of your own ideas, here are some different categories of play:

1. Physical Play. Any activity that gets us moving and produces endorphins. This can include dancing, hopping, skipping, jumping, active games (kickball, obstacle course, frisbee), and most sports (as long as they are played for fun and not competition).

2. Social Play. Any activity in which we work in teams to have fun. Examples include musical chairs, hot potato, karaoke or lip sync battles, mystery dinners, truth or dare, etc. Remember the goal here is to have fun and socially engage with friends and loved ones.

3. Creative Play. Any artistic activity, hobby, or tinkering that is for fun – and not for performance that also grows skills and brings joy. The list is endless, but includes artistic endeavors (painting, sculpting, drawing), pottery, photography, woodworking, sewing, crocheting, jewelry-making, journaling, writing, songwriting, etc.

4. Adventure Play. Any activity that involves thrilling, exciting activities with uncertainty. This can include hiking new trails, paddleboarding, geocaching, rock climbing, exploring new places, and unplanned road trips

5. Mental Play. Any activity that challenges the brain, including puzzles, riddles, strategy games, or language games. Examples include chess, sudoku, crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, role-playing, improv theater, trivia quizzes, strategy video games, book clubs, etc.

6. Work Play. Any activity incorporating elements of play – such as creativity, experimentation, curiosity, and fun – into professional or everyday tasks. Also called playful work or gamification of work. Examples include made-up time challenges and rewards for completing tasks, team challenges, improv workshops, and icebreaker games.

Play, Inner Child, and Trauma

One of the hidden costs of past trauma is that it often steals our ability to experience joy, curiosity, spontaneity, and play.

Thus, if our inner child has been lost or buried beneath years of adulting and trauma, starting a play practice is a great tool to begin showing your inner child that it’s safe to come out and play. Adult play can help increase self-awareness, bring more joy, reduce anxiety, and deliver a sense of freedom and safety.

Is your inner child wounded? See if some of these common signs of a wounded child ring true to you:

• harsh self-criticism

• self-sabotaging behaviors

• trust issues

• rigidness and perfectionism

• fear of abandonment

• sense of inadequacy

• conflict avoidance

• people-pleasing

• unhealthy or destructive coping patterns

• emotional overreactions

Getting back to play is a wonderful start to rediscovering yourself and a glimpse into what life could be like if you take a healing journey and truly integrate your younger self with your present self. When you’re ready to explore healing beyond play, here are some of my articles:

• Are You Affected By Past Trauma? A Self-Assessment

• How to Move From Victim to Survivor

• Journaling for Healthy Healing and Personal Growth

• To Truly Heal, We Must Reconnect With Our Inner Child

• What is a Healing Journey? How Do I Start One?

• What's Holding You Back From Healing?

Final Thoughts About Play

It’s time to make play not only fun again – but something we incorporate into our adult lives.

Adults need play, so if you start feeling guilty because play is unproductive or a waste of time, it is further proof that you need a playdate more than ever.

Beneath the responsibilities, deadlines, bills, and endless to-do lists is an inner child who remembers what it felt like to laugh without a reason, explore without a goal, and create simply for the joy of creating.

Play is not a luxury. It's part of being fully human… Perhaps that's why some of our happiest memories have play at their center. Remember, play also has so many benefits for both the body and the brain.

Here are some final brainstorming ideas when thinking of play:

• Play in nature

• Bring back childhood favorites

• Find new hobbies

• Invite loved ones to join in on the fun

• Incorporate pets into play

Please start today:

• Take a walk without a destination

• Fly a kite

• Swing on a swing

• Play with your pet

• Throw a Frisbee

• Dance to a favorite song

• Laugh until your stomach hurts

Because healing isn't always found in hard work, deep reflection, or serious self-improvement.

Sometimes healing begins when we simply remember that play is for all ages… no permission needed.

Additional Adult Play and Inner Child Resources

Here are some additional articles and tools to help you with bringing play back into your life:

• The Power of Play: Why Adults Need It Too

• Why It's Good for Adults to Play Too

• Creating Space for Play as Grown-Ups and Why It Matters

• The Importance of Play for Adults

• Can Adults Learn to Be Playful Again?

• 10 Ways Adults Can Be More Playful

• Why You Need to Play Today

• Why Is Play Important for Adults? What Science Shows

• The Power of Play: Reintroducing Fun and Spontaneity into Your Adult Life

• Healing the Inner Child: How Adults Can Support Their Younger Selves

• 25 Signs You Have a Wounded Inner Child (+ How to Heal)