Why Playtime Benefits Adults, Too

Remember when you used to play outside and meet up with your friends? Remember playing games before bedtime? If you do these things today, well that’s good for you. As adults, society expects us to respect commitments and work to make a living.

Sometime between childhood and adulthood, some of us may have stopped playing and started taking life seriously.

Playtime for Grown-Ups

What many grown-ups fail to realize is that play is important for them too. Playtime can mean joking around with co-workers, playing dress-up on Halloween, or playing outdoors with friends. These activities allow us to forget about work for a moment and enjoy the benefits of play.

The word “play” means it can be done in many mediums. Playing a board game, playing video games, playing sports, the list goes on. This also means playing has many benefits:

• Thinking and Creativity. Games like crosswords and chess stimulate brain activity to help reduce memory issues. Learning while having fun not only applies to children but adults too. When you’re in a playful mood, you’ll be eager to learn new things and solve problems better.

• Stress Relief. A good sport or tabletop game with friends or family should reduce your stress and make you feel good. Playing also encourages social interaction, so your feelings of loneliness go down as well.

• Cooperation and Social Skills. Playing team activities outdoors means working together and playing nicely with others. Play also encourages socialization to break the ice and improve your relationships.

• Healing Wounds. No, not physical wounds in our bodies, but emotional ones that caused harm to another. Playing a game makes it easier for people to mend broken relationships and reconnect again. This is because playing shifts our focus on the activity while being in contact with another.

Fun Games to Play

Adult games can be more fun when other people join in. Playing on your own is good, but having people around you encourages socializing and healthy competition. Here are some games to play with family, friends, or even co-workers.

• Playing Cornhole. It’s as simple as it sounds. Toss a bag of corn in a hole. Cornhole is a fun group activity played anytime, anywhere. Visit Cornhole Worldwide to buy cornhole equipment and have them customized for fun!

• Badminton/Tennis. You don’t need to be in a court to enjoy this classic and competitive game. On a backyard or in a parking lot, badminton can be enjoyed anywhere with the right gear and the right company. For the more dedicated, tennis can be done inside a court where it’s played properly.

• Your Nerves When you Play Jenga. Jenga is another simple yet exciting activity that messes with your anxiety. With friends, this can be a fun and nerve-wracking game you can enjoy at a party. When you thought the standard-sized Jenga was fun, wait until you play the jumbo version of this game.

• Volleyball/Spikeball. Volleyball is a beach favorite game and can be enjoyed with a large group of friends. Spikeball has the same concept, except you replace the net with a trampoline. If you can’t picture that, it’s best to see it for yourself and your friends as well.

When work and stress get us down, playing a game with yourself or with friends can be more than passing the time. It’s an opportunity to reconnect and ask for forgiveness. It’s spending quality time with the ones we love. If you are in a new city and don’t have any friends in the area, you can always find friends online. You can talk with people online and if you connect on a personal level then you can hang out and see how things go!

It’s creating teamwork and encouraging exercise. It’s relieving stress from a week’s extended stay at work. This is why adults should never underestimate the power of play.