Tapping into Your Inner Child For Your Child 

One of the greatest gifts of raising children is the opportunity it gives you to experience childhood again. You most likely don’t remember taking your first steps, but you get to watch your child go from crawling to walking to running. Your first day of kindergarten might be a little fuzzy, but you’ll remember what it was like to walk your child into their first day of school. This time, you’re the one responsible for them—which is less fun. But on the days when you’re present, being a parent gives you the opportunity to play. It’s great to connect with your children in this way, on their level. But it’s important that we incorporate play in our lives whether we’re with our children or not.

Check out the ways to bring more play into your life—you can decide if you want the little ones to tag along or not.

Coloring
While you’re trying to teach your little ones to color in the lines—or not—take the time to reignite your love for coloring as well. As a child, you might have been trying to concentrate; it may have been a little stressful before you got a handle on it. Now, as an adult, coloring is relaxing. You watch as your efforts help craft something beautiful.

Slide Park
Slides aren’t just for the children. Beyond the slides on the playground, there are entire facilities dedicated to slides for children and adults. You’ll feel just like the child that’s still living within you when you hit those safe slopes.

Puzzles
Once your kids get to an age where they won’t scatter your pieces—or if you have a table they can’t reach—you might want to try puzzling. Like coloring, you can daydream, listen to a podcast, have a glass of wine, and feel a sense of accomplishment once it’s all over.

Collage Making
Are you creative but don’t necessarily have a specific medium of expression? Test your hand at collage making. Pull out those old magazines—or buy a stack at Half Price Books—grab the good scissors, and get to cutting. Whether you’re creating your dream life or just making art, you’ll be better off for taking the time to make something memorable.

Game Night
In these times, we need community more than ever before. Invite the homies over. Have everyone bring snacks. Get the drinks flowing and pull out the games—Spades, Uno, Taboo, etc. You don’t have to wait for the cookout or the holidays to kick it with your friends. Everyone’s competitive spirit will come out. The conversations get good. And the laughter reminds you of the importance of not only friends but play as well.