Introduction:
As we grow older we are subjected to so much stress. Whether it is school, work or even your personal life, life can get serious real quick. And we accordingly have to also become more serious too. As of late, I’ve been doing a lot of research about healing and a lot of the sources refer back to this metaphorical inner child. I believe that it is really important to listen and give in to the wants and needs of your inner child.
Every now and then I do activities that may seem childish to a lot of people but really help me let my inner child run free. Doing activities that let my inner child run free makes me feel less stressed and more joyful. It allows me to remember to take life less seriously and just enjoy it. And so in this blog I wanted to share these activities with you.
1. Do something you’ve always wanted to do since a child
This is something that I feel is so important for adults to do. For me the one thing I really wanted to do since a child was fly a kite. There is something so cool about flying kites. I’m even considering going to a kite festival in the near future.
Last summer I went to fly a kite with my brother and dad at Eastbourne. It was extremely fun. The highlight for me was when my dad started to fly the kite and looked so happy. I could tell his inner child was coming out.
Doing things you wanted to as a child can still be fun as an adult. There is no age limit when it comes to having fun. So do something this summer that you have always wanted to do as a child. Even if it’s as simple as flying a kite!
2. Make blanket forts
This was one of my favourite things to do as a child. Personally, there is nothing as comforting as a blanket fort. Unfortunately, this isn’t something I have done in a long time, but who knows maybe its something I’ll do this summer.
3. Chalk Drawings
When I was younger I used to love drawing things with chalk outside. It was a win win situation for my parents too because it meant I wasnt drawing on the walls.
I’ve seen a lot of adults on pinterest do chalk art outside on the pavements too which shows you how much fun this still is as an adult. You don’t have to be an artist (I certainly am not) just let your creativity run wild.
4. Shadow puppets
When I was in my dorm room at university this was something I did when I was just chilling at night and couldn’t fall asleep. There is something about making shadow puppets that makes me so happy. Maybe it’s because it was something me and my brother used to do a lot as kids.
I can vouch for the fact that making shadow figures with your hands is just as fun as an adult as it is as a kid. I would say that It would probably be more fun to do it with a group or friend. Why not create a little movie or something?
5. Arts and Crafts
When I was younger I loved making really random things. I would rummage through the recycling and pick out random boxes and pieces of carboard and configure them into something new. I remember using boxes to make a makeshift cats bed (which my cat miraculously loved) and room décor.
I know that there are a lot of adult art and craft kits available online, but I hardly know anyone who takes the time to actually do them. Arts and crafts is the one thing that I believe everyone (no matter what age) should do.
You honestly don’t even need to buy a kit but can look up different DIY’s on pinterest or youtube.
6. Baking Kits
Now I know baking is a universal hobby regardless of age but I cannot remember the last time I baked without the pressure to make something perfect. This is where baking kits can become handy. They just so easy and fun to do.
Also, kids baking kits look so fun. They’re so colourful and actually look good. Plus you hardly need any of your own ingredients. So next time you go to the supermarket, why not look for baking kits to do.
7. Read Children’s books
Okay here me out on this one. This may be the most unconvincing one on this list but I can assure you its actually one of the best ones. A few months ago I read this essay about Why adults should read children’s books. The study concluded that it promotes creativity and stimulates your imagination. I didn’t take much notice of the book itself until one stressful day prompted me to pick up my favourite childhood book. This book had been playing on my mind for a long time and as I no longer had it in my possession I decided to listen to someone read it on YouTube. I cannot express how amazing it felt to re-read that book. It felt extremely comforting.
I would definitely recommend reading your old favourite children books. I’d also like to add that some of my old childhood books are absolutely hilarious. Like the whole plot is so absurd I find myself laughing at it throughout the whole duration of me reading it. So you could even pick up your favourite childhood book to have a laugh.
8. Watch kids movies
Out of all the things on this list this is the one thing I do all the time. I find adult movies kind of boring. I think a lot of the time they lack creativity. Movies created with a younger target audience in mind are by far the best. I also think that children’s movies have a greater meaning behind their stories compared to adult movies. Plus the movies are always so cute. There is also something strangely comforting about watching your childhood favourite movie. Personally I have three; Eight below, the prince of Egypt and free willy. I’d love to hear about your favourite childhood movies.
9. Play your favourite childhood games
When I was younger me and my brother would make our own games up. My all time favourite game was when we would play ‘zombies’ and pretend that we were hunting them down in the dark. Although, it would take an enormous amount of convincing to get him to play this game with me again there are other childhood games we still play. A lot of them are online like Minecraft and call of duty. But it can even be board games like connect 4.
10. go to the park
I find it really unfortunate that there is this invisible age limit to parks. A few weeks ago I went to my local park with my borther and auntie in the evening. We had the whole park to ourselves and started recording ourselves going on all the equipment. I hadn’t had that much fun in the park in such a long time. Prior to that I went to a park near my University with my friends which was equally as fun. Even though it was a childrens park and we looked severly out of place, we were reminded about how fun parks can be.
Conclusion:
I hope you enjoyed this weeks blog post. This was a really fun post to make and reminded me that things I used to enjoy as a Kid are still fun as an adult. Even more so now that we get a lot more freedom to do what we want.
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