It’s extremely important to play, even as adults. Actually, especially as adults. As bad as I am with kids, I have a theory as to why they are generally happy: they play often.

I’ve talked about celebrating your weirdness before, but playing doesn’t necessarily have to be “weird”. It can be good for you to bring back activities you used to enjoy, that somewhere along the line you stopped doing because you became “too old”. There are actually very few things that have an age maximum. Here are some ideas to get you started.

 jump rope  draw with sidewalk chalk  hula hoop   target darts  sit on Santa’s lap  visit a playground  jump in a ball pit  wear party hats  visit the science museum, aquarium, or zoo  join in group sports  color pictures  play hangman  make fortune tellers  play dress-up  fly a kite  buy toys and stuffed animals  tell knock-knock jokes  buy vending machine toys  catch lightning bugs  finger paint  jump through a sprinkler  buy something from an ice cream truck  play board games  keep a pet rock  make s’mores  pop bubble wrap  visit a petting zoo  build a sandcastle  go on a scavenger hunt  splash in puddles  build a fort  blow bubbles  tie-dye  mud wrestle  build something out of Legos  have sleepovers  make holiday crafts  put together a puzzle  make a Playdough ice cream cone  create a city or rocket ship out of old boxes play the cloud game  believe in magic  wear Ring Pops  love and play with animals  use your imagination  take bubble baths  play Frisbee, mini golf, or go bowling  dance in public  sing loudly  pretend you’re a Disney or cartoon character  play egg shakers, maracas, or the triangle

What else can you do to play?