How to Play As an Adult and Reconnect with Your Inner Child

With all the responsibilities and stresses of daily life, play can feel like a distant memory—a relic buried in the treasure chest of our childhood. But as this NPR article is so aptly titled, adults need recess, too. Reconnecting with a sense of play can be a powerful way to embrace joy and spontaneity, which often gets lost in the shuffle of paying bills or finishing a work deadline. Today, I want to share some creative ways to bring that childlike sense of wonder and fun back into your life.

The Importance of Play

Like being unable to hear bells jingle in The Polar Express or forgetting about Neverland in Peter Pan, there is evidence in real and fictional life that reinforces that we lose our wonder as we age. And when adults do reconnect to that? Well, we’re slighted as being Disney adults or weebs or some other negative term that implies, “Grow up.” 

There are plenty of articles online that will tell you that play is just as important for adults as it is for children. What many won’t tell you is that in order to truly enjoy play, we have to set aside whatever biases we have about kids and their “behavior.” Do we consider play solely a distraction to occupy children so the adults can get back to talking? Do we get easily frustrated by honest mistakes?  

I have had to do a lot of unpacking about the formerly negative way that I saw children. I realized that it had nothing to do with other kids and everything to do with the inner child within me that needed to be accepted as she was.

How to Play as an Adult

The tips below are not a comprehensive list but may be a fun jumping-off point for you to explore reconnecting with your inner child.

1. Find your play personality. 

Ah, the good old days of filling out personality quizzes in teen magazines. Take this “assessment” (the adult word for “quiz”) to find out your play personality type.

2. Read your favorite childhood book.

If you’re in a deep reading slump like I was, the best way to get back on the horse is to reread a childhood favorite. The best part is that it is still just as good now as it was then. 

3. Have a movie marathon from a particular year in your youth. 

To me, movies are portals into different chapters of my life. It brings up memories of where I was when I first saw them, the people I watched them with, and how those films made me feel.

(Be warned that not all films will hold up. The early 2000s was a wild time.)

4. Start a slam book with some friends. 

Slam books walked so text messages could run. Use a Passion Journal and write letters back and forth with one or a few of your close friends. 

5. Color. 

Traditional adult coloring books overwhelm me. I prefer to commit to just one sticker at a time from the Let’s Color Sticker Book. 

Be Kind to Your Inner Child

The inner child inside us never grows up. They will always crave the validation and attention that children have the gift of asking for with gusto. As adults, it is our responsibility to parent them with kindness and to love them to the point of peaceful coexistence. 

Passion Planner is just as much about squeezing play into our schedule as it is about juggling our adult responsibilities. For more encouraging tips like this, please follow us on Instagram and tell us about how you’re reconnecting with your inner child. 

AUTHOR BIO

Paula Palomar is a Digital Marketing Copywriter who loves using words to uplift the messaging of mission-driven companies and organizations. In her spare time, you’ll find her practicing yoga or eating churros at Disneyland.