Ignite Play
Sep 30, 2025Life often feels like a never-ending series of responsibilities, schedules and to-do lists—leaving little space for the lightheartedness we once knew so well. In the busyness of adulthood, it’s easy to forget that within each of us lives a spark of curiosity, wonder and boundless imagination—our inner child.
Reconnecting with this tender part of ourselves can be profoundly transformative. It invites back creativity, discovery, joy and spontaneity—the very qualities that help us feel most alive and remind us that life is not only about doing but also about being.
This inner spark is not lost, only waiting. It whispers through moments of laughter, through the urge to dance barefoot in the grass or in the delight of seeing the world with fresh eyes.
How often do we pause to truly consider this concept of the inner child?
How might embracing it shift the way we experience the world around us?
Get ready to dive into the magic of playfulness and spontaneity, while uncovering the deeper benefits of reigniting the spark of our younger selves.
The inner child isn’t a literal child. Instead, it represents the younger version of ourselves that resides within us, carrying the memories, emotions, and experiences of our formative years. It’s that tender part of our psyche that remains curious, creative and deeply authentic—untouched by the rules and restrictions of adulthood.
Psychologists often describe the inner child as the subconscious essence of our younger selves. It is the emotional imprint of who we were in our earliest years, still alive within us today. This part of us holds the innocent joy of childhood—the wonder we felt when we first explored the world with wide eyes and open hearts. Yet it also carries the wounds and unmet needs: the times we felt unheard, unsupported or misunderstood.
Your inner child is more than just an abstract concept; it is an emotional blueprint. It reflects both the playful exuberance that fuels creativity and the tender scars that quietly shape the way we move through life. By acknowledging and nurturing this inner presence, we create space for deep healing while also reclaiming the spontaneous, imaginative energy that so often gets buried beneath the weight of adulthood.
Reconnecting with your inner child is not only about tending to the tender parts—it’s about remembering who you were before the world told you who you “should” be. It’s an invitation to restore joy, embrace play and live with a little more lightness and love.
Play isn’t just for kids; it’s a vital component of human well-being. Research shows that play enhances creativity, reduces stress, improves problem-solving skills, and strengthens social connections. More than that, it reminds us to enjoy life in the present moment—free from the pressures of productivity or perfection.
Think back to a time when you lost yourself in play as a child. Perhaps you were building sandcastles, drawing fantastical worlds, or climbing trees. These moments weren’t about achieving something—they were about experiencing pure joy and freedom. When we reconnect with this playful energy, we open ourselves to a life that feels lighter, more vibrant, and more aligned with our true essence.
Playfulness is often dismissed as frivolous in adulthood. Sadly many of us grow up believing we need to “act our age” or prioritise productivity over joy. However, science and psychology tell a different story.
Play is essential for human well-being, no matter your age. It’s a powerful tool for:
Reducing stress: Engaging in playful activities lowers cortisol levels and increases feel-good hormones like endorphins.
Boosting creativity: Play fosters out-of-the-box thinking and opens space for new solutions.
Strengthening relationships: Shared laughter and fun deepen bonds, creating trust and connection.
Living in the moment: Play invites us into presence—free from distractions and outcome-based thinking.
Children naturally live in a state of play. Their worlds are filled with endless opportunities to explore, imagine and create without fear of failure. As adults, we can learn from their example and give ourselves permission to reconnect with this magical state of being.
As a vision therapist, I witness the magic of play daily. Sessions often look like games, but underneath they are powerful tools for growth—blending cognitive challenges, visually guided movement, and playful engagement that helps both children and adults build essential skills. Through these activities, confidence grows, coordination improves, and learning feels joyful rather than forced.
Just yesterday, I used attribute blocks with a 40-year-old medical practitioner. Watching her shift from analytical mode into a more curious, problem-solving state reminded me that play isn’t about age—it’s about access to creativity. Today, I will be doing the Randolph Shuffle with an Occupational Therapist who is courageously recovering from an Acquired Brain Injury (ABI). Even in the midst of healing, there is room for laughter, rhythm and fun.
Throughout my day, I will also be weaving in games like Spot-It, Marble Trap and a few visualisation processes with my younger patients. These activities aren’t just “games”—they are pathways into stronger visual skills, sharper focus and deeper joy.
As an intuitive guide, I weave play into my sessions in a different way. Sometimes it looks like a spontaneous dance break, other times it’s laughter bubbling through a release exercise, or lighthearted moments between deep insights. Yes, tears may surface, but there is also a whole lot of fun, because healing doesn’t always have to be heavy—it can be wonder-filled, too.
To support you in this journey, I have created a divine download for you to explore the Wonder-Filled Guide to Connect with Your Inner Child. Inside this guide you will find gentle practices, journaling prompts and playful rituals designed to help you soften into joy, rediscover curiosity and reconnect with the part of you that has always known how to imagine, create and play.
Life is not just about responsibilities—it’s also about remembering how to wonder.
As we grow older, it’s common to lose touch with that playful, tender part of ourselves.
Responsibilities, expectations and the fast pace of life can bury our inner child under layers of “shoulds” and “musts.” Your inner child is still there, waiting for you to listen.
Here are some signs you may be disconnected from your inner child:
🌀You struggle to experience joy without feeling guilty or unproductive.
🌀Playfulness feels foreign—you can’t remember the last time you laughed until your belly hurt or did something just for fun.
🌀You avoid emotions by staying busy, distracted, or detached rather than allowing yourself to feel.
🌀Self-criticism runs strong, echoing old voices from childhood that told you to “be better” or “not enough.”
🌀You find it hard to trust, fearing rejection or abandonment when you open your heart.
🌀Your creativity feels blocked, as though imagination is something for children, not adults.
🌀You carry a sense of emptiness, as though something inside is missing or forgotten.
These signs are not flaws—they are invitations. Invitations to pause, reflect and gently reconnect with the parts of you that crave freedom, softness and wonder.
Take a moment to breathe deeply, place a hand on your heart and explore these prompts in your journal—or simply in your thoughts:
When do I feel most alive, most playful, most free?
What did I love to do as a child that I rarely allow myself to do now?
What emotions or needs from my childhood still feel unacknowledged?
Where in my life am I silencing joy in the name of productivity or perfection?
If my inner child could speak, what would they ask me for today?
Reconnecting with your inner child doesn’t require grand gestures. It begins with small, intentional steps to invite fun, spontaneity and wonder back into your life.
Here are some simple ways to invite your inner child to come out and play:
Give Yourself Permission to Be Silly
Many of us hold back from being playful out of fear of judgment. We worry about looking childish, out of place, or not being taken seriously. But the truth is, silliness is liberating. It’s not about immaturity—it’s about freedom.
Sing in the car at the top of your lungs, dance like nobody’s watching, or laugh so hard that tears stream down your face.
Let yourself play.
Let yourself play.
Let yourself be goofy.
Let yourself feel the joy that comes from releasing control.
As adults, we often feel the pressure to always be serious, composed, and “grown up.” Embracing silliness cracks open the door to a different kind of wisdom—the wisdom of lightness. Dance in your living room, sing loudly in the shower, pull a funny face in the mirror, or playfully joke with a friend. These simple acts remind us that life isn’t just about responsibilities, it’s also about joy.
When you give yourself permission to be silly, you’re giving yourself permission to be unapologetically you—free, alive, and open-hearted.
Revisit Childhood Activities
What did you love to do as a child? Was it finger painting, riding your bike, colouring outside the lines, or building castles in the sand? Maybe you spent hours creating stories about fairies and fire-breathing dragons, or stacking blocks into towers that felt like skyscrapers.
Revisiting these activities as an adult can be like stepping through a doorway into a time of carefree creativity. These simple pleasures carry with them a sense of wonder, play and nostalgia—reminding you of who you were before the world told you to “grow up.”
Pick one of those childhood joys and try it again, this time with curiosity and openness. You may discover that what once sparked your imagination still has the power to ignite joy and reconnect you to your most playful, creative self.
Adventure, Discover and Explore
Children are natural adventurers—always curious, always eager to explore something new. They dive in without fear of failure, seeing the world as an open playground waiting to be discovered.
You can channel this same spirit by stepping out of your comfort zone. Sign up for a dance or pottery class, try a new sport, or explore a different corner of your town. Take a hike on a trail you’ve never walked before, or experiment in the kitchen with a recipe you’ve never tried.
These little adventures don’t have to be grand or far away—they’re simply invitations to stretch, grow and rediscover joy. Curiosity and play often walk hand in hand, and every new adventure is a chance to see the world—and yourself—with fresh eyes.
Create Without Rules
Grab some art supplies, a journal or even a pile of clay or dirt and just create. Not for approval. Not for an outcome. Not to make it “perfect.” Simply for the fun of it.
When you let go of rigid expectations and release perfectionism, something beautiful happens: creativity flows freely. Paint a picture, write a messy poem, splash colour on a page or build something with your hands. What matters isn’t the end result—it’s the process, the play, and the presence you bring to it.
Creativity without rules is a doorway back to the imaginative spirit of your inner child. It reminds you that joy doesn’t come from producing something flawless, but from giving yourself permission to explore, experiment and express without barriers or boundaries.
Engage in Playful Movement
Hop, jump, skip, slide, run or roll down a grassy hill just for the fun of it. Remember how your body felt when you moved as a child, without tracking calories burned or steps counted? Back then, movement wasn’t about metrics—it was about joy.
Playful movement is an invitation to bring that spirit back. Dance barefoot in your living room, hula hoop in the backyard, bounce on a trampoline, or simply let your body move in whatever way feels free. It doesn’t have to be structured, it just has to be fun.
Reconnecting with playful movement is a way of honouring your inner child, reminding yourself that your body was made to move with lightness, freedom and delight.
Laugh Often
Children laugh hundreds of times a day, while adults often let that lightness slip away. Yet laughter is one of the simplest and most profound ways to spark joy and shift your energy.
Make a conscious effort to welcome more laughter into your life. Watch a funny movie, spend time with people who bring out your giggles or laugh at your own silly mistakes. Let yourself be amused by the absurdities of life—it’s often in those moments of humour that we find relief and connection.
Laughter truly is one of the best medicines. It lifts the spirit, softens the heart and reminds us not to take life too seriously.
Connecting with your inner child isn’t just about fun—it’s also about healing, releasing and growing. Many of us carry unresolved emotions or unmet needs from childhood. When you engage in play as an adult, you’re not only inviting joy into your life, you’re also gently showing your inner child that it’s safe to feel freedom, lightness and wonder again.
Your inner child may still hold memories of times when you felt unheard, unloved or unsupported. By leaning into play—whether it’s painting, skipping, laughing, or simply allowing yourself to be silly—you offer reassurance. You let that younger part of yourself know: you are safe, you are loved, and it’s okay to express without fear of judgment.
To deepen this healing, try journaling as a way of opening a dialogue with your inner child.
Ask tender questions like:
What did you love to do when you were little?
What do you need to feel safe, happy, and loved?
What have we forgotten about that once brought joy?
How can I bring more play into our life today?
Listen to the answers with compassion and curiosity.
This practice builds trust with your inner child, heals old wounds and offers insight into what may be holding you back from fully embracing joy in the present moment.
The beauty of reconnecting with your inner child is that it not only brings joy, it also fuels creativity.
When we allow ourselves to play, we naturally step into a state of flow—a place where ideas spark with ease, where inspiration feels effortless and where imagination has room to breathe. Play invites us to loosen the grip of those “shoulds” and “musts” and to remember that life doesn’t always need to be measured, structured or serious.
This playful energy doesn’t just enhance art, writing or music—it expands into every corner of our lives.
It gives us fresh perspectives in work, helps us approach challenges with curiosity instead of fear and infuses relationships with lightness and joy.
Play is the reminder that our spirits were never meant to be weighed down by endless responsibility—it was always meant to be balanced with wonder.
Reconnecting with your inner child isn’t about regressing; it’s about integrating. It’s the sacred blending of the wide-eyed wonder of youth with the wisdom you’ve gathered in adulthood. When you allow yourself to embrace spontaneity, curiosity, and fun, life becomes richer, lighter, and infinitely more creative. You remember that play isn’t wasted time—it’s soul medicine.
Go ahead and colour outside the lines, chase butterflies, roll down a grassy hill, or laugh until your belly aches.
Take a quiet pause today and ask yourself:
When was the last time I played just for the joy of it?
What small step can I take to invite more playfulness into my life?
Your inner child is always with you—waiting patiently, whispering reminders of the magic tucked into the simplest of moments. By embracing play, you not only spark joy in the present, you also ignite a wellspring of creativity, freedom, and connection that ripples through every aspect of your life.
Share in the comments how will you reconnect with your inner child today?
