When was the last time you did something just because it was fun? Not for a lofty goal, not to be seen as productive, or even impressive—just because you wanted to.
That question might take you a minute to answer. Somewhere between too many responsibilities and the pressure to “make the most” of the day, our playful side gets overshadowed by activities that we perceive as being more useful.
But here’s the thing: Play is part of what makes life feel so bright and hopeful.
This Mental Health Awareness Month, we’re inviting you to Make Time for Play. Because those small, beautiful moments, like choosing to run through the sprinklers, laughing uncontrollably with a friend, or drawing a goofy doodle in a meeting, are the colorful moments on an otherwise bland day.
Here we break down why play should be embraced at every age, why your brain is wired for it, and how to make space for play in ways that feels realistic.
What You’ll Learn
- Why does play matter for mental health at every age?
- Why is your brain naturally wired for play?
- What gets in the way of play as you get older—and how can you reframe it?
- What is kidulting?
- How can you make time for play in your everyday life?
Quick Read
Play is often replaced by pressure, productivity, and the idea that every moment must be “useful,” but it’s actually essential for mental health. We’re wired for play, and research shows that i helps reduce stress, boost mood, increases well-being, and builds resilience.
Even though life stages and responsibilities can make play feel less accessible, it still matters at every age. By shifting your mindset and making space for small, realistic moments—whether through hobbies, creativity, or “kidulting”—you can reconnect with joy and bring more lightness into everyday life.
What Is Play?
Play is a state of mind—the experience of being absorbed in an activity that provides enjoyment and a suspension of the sense of time, says the National Institute of Play.
Play can be almost any activity that you do for the sake of enjoyment, curiosity, or creativity, not for pure achievement or productivity. And yes, play is for adults as well as kids.
By centering daily life around play instead of “the grind,” you can make your life better.
Examples of Play
The action or behavior isn’t what makes “play.” Instead, it’s the attitude you have toward the activity. And while an activity may seem playful to one person, it may not be to another.
Here are some examples of what constitutes play for many people:
- Interacting with a friendly, energetic puppy
- Throwing a ball with a friend outside
- Joking with a coworker during a break at work
- Doodling on a piece of scrap paper or in a notebook
- Chatting with an acquaintance about something you both love
What makes something play is purely a matter of preference and often early life experiences—so there’s no right or wrong way to have these positive moments. It’s about reflecting on what brings you joy, makes you curious, or takes you into a state of flow—and then finding ways to make space for it in your life.
The Brain Is Wired to Be Playful
Making time for play isn’t just fun—it’s actually one of the seven foundational human emotions, according to neurologist Jaak Panksepp. The “play circuit” in the brain is activated when we see playful elements in our environment, encouraging us to engage with them. For example, we feel motivated to kick a ball that’s lying in the grass.
When we engage with playful behaviors and embrace the play that exists in our lives, over time, with repetition, new neural pathways form. And these pathways help our brain adapt, learn, and build resilience.
When and Why Adults Lose Our Sense of Play
Most kids play—whether it’s a game of tag at recess, exploring a muddy pond, or imaginative games at a friend’s house. But by the time kids reach school-age, they’ve swapped play for grades, sports performance, college pressures, and other responsibilities. Somewhere along the way, we’re pressured to stop playing.
A few transition points may impact this change:
- Childhood: tough at-home situation, having to follow strict rules in school, taking on too much responsibility at a young age
- Middle school: increased academic pressure, social comparison, self-consciousness, possibly increased social media use, and goal aspirations that crowd out childhood play
- Late teens and early 20s: college admissions, jobs, financial worries, social influences, and pressure to be viewed as an adult
- Adulthood stressors: parenting, caregiving, debt, demanding careers
Cultural messages such as “Grow up” or “Don’t be childish” are internalized from childhood through adolescence. In many societies, hustle culture leads to unstructured play time being seen as lazy.
Benefits of Play Time for Mental Health and Well-Being
Play is crucial for child development, and it’s beneficial to people of all ages. Here are a few ways play supports mental wellness:
- Reduces stress by lowering cortisol levels
- Boosts mood through the release of dopamine and endorphins
- Improves emotional regulation, helping your brain function more effectively with challenges
- Supports creativity and flexibility, strengthening your ability to adapt
Just like a flow state, an individual who is playing will feel fully engaged and engrossed in the activity that brings them joy or relaxation. This “play state” can be highly enjoyable, helping children explore their curiosity or helping a working adult unwind from a busy day.
Importance of Play for Adults
Play is as vital for adults as it is for children, acting as a crucial tool for stress reduction, cognitive health, and social connection. Being a playful adult is a protective factor for mental health across the lifespan, supporting recovery from anxiety, depression, trauma, and burnout.
Regular play stimulates the brain, improving cognitive flexibility and memory. A study examining playfulness in adults found that adults who reported higher playfulness had lower stress levels and used healthier coping styles.
With high rates of burnout, the importance of play for adults is heightened and could be a game-changer for one’s daily quality of life. Yet many adults feel they’ve “forgotten how to play,” and that loss carries real consequences.
What Gets in the Way of Adult Play as You Get Older?
As we get older, we take on more responsibilities, making it harder to pencil in time for our own joy. Play shouldn’t be one more thing to check off your to-do list, but reframing your perception of play can help you feel more empowered to pursue those moments of lightness and freedom.
Here are a few of the most common barriers to play and how to reframe them.
| Barrier to Play | How to Reframe Play |
| “I don’t have time.” |
That’s probably because you’re used to thinking it’s not something you need. Try starting small with five minutes of singing to music or 10 minutes of shooting hoops. Even small moments can help. |
| “It feels unproductive.” |
Play is a type of self-care. Plus, you don’t have to do it alone. Build it into the time you already set aside for your loved ones—like a good friend, your child, or even a pet dog. |
| “I don’t know what I like anymore.” |
Working at a demanding job, living with mental health challenges like depression, or becoming a parent can make play feel foreign. And that’s okay. Curiosity is the starting part, and any effort you make to be playful is a win. |
| “I’m not good at being creative.” |
Play isn’t about being good at something. It’s the process of engaging in the activity. Consider play a place in your life where you don’t have to care about the product or the results. |
Think of play as a way of finding the joy in daily life. Playful moments should never be a chore, but rather motivating and fun moments that help you get through the tough stuff.
What Is Kidulting?
Kidulting refers to adults engaging in playful, often “childlike” activities that bring comfort, creativity, or joy. From collecting toys that were popular in the ‘90s and early 2000s to cherishing a colorful array of markers for coloring books, playful adults often find that indulging in childhood whimsy is a huge benefit to their mental health.
Far from being “regressive,” these activities can actually be grounding. They reconnect us with parts of ourselves that existed before stress, expectations, and performance took center stage.
Examples of kidulting can include:
- Building extravagant Lego sets modeled after popular works of art, flower bouquets, or other styles
- Going to a theme park, like Disney World, to meet your favorite characters, eat themed food, and dress for the occasion
- Taking care of a Tamagotchi to relive your virtual pet from childhood
At the root, kidulting is about embracing playful wonder as a form of self-care.
Why Is Kidulting Popular? How Play Helps Adults
Kidulting is more than a trend. It reflects how people are redefining what adulthood can look like. Here are a few reasons why kidulting activities have become popular:
- Stress and burnout are high: Chronic stress is pushing people toward accessible forms of relief. Research in the American Psychological Association’s Stress in America reports consistently high stress levels, increasing the need for simple, restorative outlets.
- Nostalgia supports emotional regulation: Studies show nostalgia can increase positive mood, social connectedness, and a sense of meaning. This makes childhood-inspired activities feel grounding.
- Pushback against productivity culture: There’s a growing cultural shift among Millennials and Gen Z away from needing to constantly “level up.” Kidulting offers permission to do something purely for enjoyment and care, rather than being driven by career aspirations, wealth, or comparison.
- Desire for offline, tangible experiences: Driven by the digital fatigue of younger generations, more people are embracing digital detoxes and seeing time away from modern tech as a luxury. Hands-on activities like building, coloring, or collecting encourage presence in a way screens and devices often don’t.
Popular Ways to Embrace Play as an Adult
Many of today’s most popular forms of adult play are intentionally low pressure and straightforward. They all focus on stress relief, minimal expectations, and less tech.
Low-stress hobbies
These are calming, often repetitive activities that help regulate your nervous system. They don’t require much decision-making and follow a slower process, which makes them easy to return to when your energy is low.
Examples:
- Completing a jigsaw puzzle over a few days (or longer)
- Tending to houseplants by watering, pruning, and learning
- Baking a family recipe you know by heart, or trying a new one that’s not too hard
Low-stakes creativity
This type of play is about expression without pressure. The goal is to engage your imagination in a way that lets out what you’re feeling. Another key to low-stakes creativity is to choose guided activities, so there’s less room for error if you struggle with perfectionism.
Examples:
- Filling a page with doodles or abstract sketches
- Writing a short, unstructured journal entry or short story based on your mood
- Doing a paint-by-number or diamond art project, focusing on the process
Analog activities
These are offline experiences that offer a break from screens, scrolling, and notifications. Hands-on activities feel immersive and intentionally disconnected in an otherwise overly digital connected world.
Examples:
- Reading a hard-copy book or magazine at a coffee shop or park
- Knitting a new project while talking with friends or spending time outside
- Walking your dog without headphones and absorbing the sounds of the outdoors
7 Ways to Make Time for Play
If play has been missing from your routine, you’re not alone. For many adults and even young people, it can feel hard to find the motivation or the permission to be playful.
1. Lower the bar
Focus on activities that are easy to start and don’t require much skill or planning. Give yourself permission to be bad at something, to stop halfway through, or to change your mind. The lower the pressure, the easier it is to begin and to keep coming back to it.
2. Discover your play personality and style
Consider different play personality types: competitor, creator, explorer, or storyteller. Notice what feels energizing versus draining. Reflect on your favorite activities for clues to your natural preferences—do you love adventure, puzzles, stories, or physical challenge?might try skateboarding, drawing, singing, building models, or role-playing games.
3. Start with micro moments
Play can happen in a moment. A few minutes of doodling while drinking coffee, stepping outside and noticing your surroundings, or singing along to a song in the car all count. These small pockets of play can shift your mood without requiring extra time in your day.
4. Schedule it like any other important activity
Scheduling game nights with friends or setting aside time to focus on a solo activity helps ensure that play becomes a non-negotiable part of your routine. Incorporating planned play can be a powerful form of self-care, not something selfish.
5. Follow curiosity, not productivity
Play is guided by curiosity, not usefulness. Pay attention to what feels interesting, light, or different from your usual routine. What sparked you interest? Is there an activity you feel inspired by? Let yourself explore without having an overly specific outcome in mind.
6. Make a literal spot for it in your space
Creating a visible, dedicated space for play (or a highly accessible storage area) reduces the effort it takes to return to it. When play is incorporated into your living space, it becomes a more natural part of your day rather than something you have to go out of your way to do.
7. Invite in your loved ones
Play is a core way we build trust, reduce loneliness, and create community. Pickup soccer in your neighborhood, bingo with your grandma, joking with your kids—all of it is play with connection at its core. Including your loved ones also adds a layer of accountability and motivation that can help you build a healthy play “habit.”
Make Time for Play Today
Even a few intentional moments of silliness, creativity, or movement can shift your day and make space for joy—something many of us don’t realize we’re missing.
Here’s our challenge to you. This week, make time for one small moment of play—in whatever way that means to you. Maybe it’s 10 minutes of coloring or setting time aside to find a class on a new hobby. Make time for play, because you need joy too.
Mental Health Support in Minnesota
Making time for play can be a powerful way to support your mental health, but sometimes we all need some extra support.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, burned out, or not quite like yourself, reaching out for professional care can make a meaningful difference. Play can complement healing, but you don’t have to navigate struggles on your own.
At PrairieCare, we offer a full continuum of care for people of all ages throughout Minnesota. With locations in the Twin Cities, Mankato, and Rochester, we can support you or your loved one in finding brighter days ahead.
Call our team today at 952-826-8475. Or request a complimentary screening by phone using the button below.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does play improve mental well-being?
- Play supports mental health by reducing stress (lowering cortisol), boosting mood through dopamine and endorphins, improving emotional regulation, and strengthening creativity and flexibility. It also helps the brain build resilience over time by reinforcing neural pathways associated with joy, learning, and connection.
What is the meaning of kidulting?
- Kidulting refers to adults engaging in playful, often “childlike” activities, like building Lego sets, coloring, or revisiting nostalgic toys, that bring comfort, creativity, and joy. Playful adults see these activities form of self-care that reconnects people with curiosity and wonder.
What are the hobbies to reduce stress?
- Low-stress hobbies include calming, repetitive activities that help regulate the nervous system, such as doing jigsaw puzzles, playing sports, tending to houseplants, or baking familiar recipes. These activities are simple, low-pressure, and easy to return to.
What are examples of analog hobbies?
- Analog hobbies are offline, hands-on activities that offer a break from screens. Examples include reading a physical book, knitting, or taking a walk without headphones to fully engage with your surroundings.
What are Gen Z analog hobbies?
- Gen Z analog hobbies often center on digital detox and tangible experiences, like coloring, crafting, building (e.g., Lego sets), journaling, and other hands-on creative activities. This adult playfulness promotes presence and reduce screen fatigue.
What are examples of play for adults?
- Play for adults can include interacting with a pet, playing a board game, throwing a ball with friends, joking with coworkers, doodling, or having light, enjoyable conversations about shared interests. Even sitting down to play video games can benefit adults. The key is the mindset in adult playfulness—engaging in something for enjoyment, curiosity, or connection rather than productivity.