Adults need to play too; 3 ways to be more playful everyday

SALT LAKE CITY — You're dragging. You just want your pillow and a good book, but new research suggests you might need more play.

Author and speaker Connie Sokol told the KSL Noon Show that new research supports what most kids already know: play isn't a luxury.

"They say adults that engage in playfulness, they have better coping skills for stress, they have higher levels of life satisfaction, and they have greater resilience in dealing with life challenges," she said.

The benefits domino into family life. Kids develop better, family unity increases, and families that play have greater overall well-being and happiness. Sokol gave three moments in life when you can be more playful.

Be playful in the moment

Sokol said to say yes to play when opportunities arise.

"I just think about this: how many times one of our kids comes to us and says, 'Mom, do you wanna ... ' And we say, 'Not right now, honey. Later,'" she said. We usually say no because we're tired, but Sokol said that play can actually give us energy, not take it away.

"If we will engage in play, that stress will be released, and we'll be able to feel a happier delight, a sense of joy," she explained.

Sokol shared an experience that happened to her and her 14-year-old son. On a Saturday, she had been thinking about cleaning and resting when he suggested going zip-lining. She took the opportunity to say "yes."

"We had a ball. We bantered. We laughed. We were adventurous," Sokol said. " I came home, I had energy to do other things and we still made the memory."

Play at their level

Sokol said adults overcomplicate play. Kids, though, have a natural gift for it.

"Sometimes we come in and play like an adult," she explained. "We say, 'Color in the lines,' and 'Don't get dirty,' and 'Don't get that wet.'"

She said to join kids where they are. During FaceTime calls, Sokol's 3-year-old grandson likes to put the phone in the bottom of a stroller and take her on a pretend walk.

"For like 10 minutes, all I see is the underside of the stroller," she said. "I don't say, 'Sweetie, I can't see you.'  He's 3, so he'll tell me rocks and bugs and I'll be like, 'That's so cool.'"

Sokol emphasized that when you meet kids where they're at and play at their level, you feel a lightness.

Schedule playfulness

Sokol said in order to make sure play happens, you might need to schedule it.

"If we will say to ourselves, 'I want to play once this week, and I'm gonna schedule it,'" she said. "Now, this is not a workout class to lose weight. It's not a program to make you productive. This is just something playful."

This story originally aired on KSL Newsradio/KSL TV and has been reformatted for a digital audience using artificial intelligence.