When was the last time you played Go Fish, Old Maid, Uno, Candy Land, or pulled out a favorite board game just for fun? Somewhere between childhood and adulthood, many of us quietly pack away our sense of play. We become consumed by careers, caregiving, paying bills, and checking items off endless to-do lists. Yet that playful spirit doesn't disappear—it simply waits to be invited back. Every time we shuffle a deck of cards, roll the dice, or laugh over a silly game with family or friends, we're reconnecting with a part of ourselves that never really grew up. Isn't that why arcades still attract adults? Why escape rooms, miniature golf, trivia nights, and bowling alleys remain so popular? Deep down, we never stop craving opportunities to play.
Play isn't just entertaining—it's good for our brains and bodies. Research has shown that games requiring strategy, memory, attention, and social interaction help stimulate multiple areas of the brain. For older adults, regular cognitive activities such as card games and board games have been associated with maintaining thinking skills and may even help delay cognitive decline. Just as important, games reduce stress by encouraging laughter, conversation, and healthy competition. A few rounds of Yahtzee, Scrabble, Dominoes, or Sorry! can lower tension far better than another hour scrolling through social media. The goal isn't to win every game; it's to experience joy together.
Working with older adults in behavioral health has reminded me that play has no expiration date. I've watched patients who seemed withdrawn suddenly smile while matching cards in a memory game, become animated during a game of Bingo, or laugh out loud over a simple round of balloon volleyball. For a few precious moments, diagnoses, worries, and loneliness fade into the background. The same thing happens at family gatherings when grandparents teach grandchildren how to play Crazy Eights, or when adult siblings argue playfully over the rules of Monopoly. Games create connection across generations because everyone, regardless of age, understands the universal language of play. When my adult children come home to visit, we play THINGS, CONNECT 4, SCRABBLE. and UNO regularly. The laughter and sense of friendly competition fill the air with pure joy.
Perhaps staying young isn't about looking younger at all. Maybe it's about refusing to lose the curiosity, laughter, and imagination we had as children. The next time you have a free evening, resist the urge to turn on another television show. Pull a game off the shelf instead. Invite your neighbors over for cards. Visit an old-fashioned arcade and challenge your spouse to skee-ball. Let yourself be delightfully silly. After all, if we continue the thread of playfulness throughout our lives, we aren't clinging to childhood—we're honoring one of the healthiest, happiest parts of being human.
Go out and play. Go in and play. Create memories that will last and family traditions that will sustain generations.
Blessings,
KJ Landis
@superiorself on Instagram and X
@SuperiorSelf channel on YouTube
@superiorselfwithkjlandis on TikTok
[email protected]
Books available everywhere!
Play isn't just entertaining—it's good for our brains and bodies. Research has shown that games requiring strategy, memory, attention, and social interaction help stimulate multiple areas of the brain. For older adults, regular cognitive activities such as card games and board games have been associated with maintaining thinking skills and may even help delay cognitive decline. Just as important, games reduce stress by encouraging laughter, conversation, and healthy competition. A few rounds of Yahtzee, Scrabble, Dominoes, or Sorry! can lower tension far better than another hour scrolling through social media. The goal isn't to win every game; it's to experience joy together.
Working with older adults in behavioral health has reminded me that play has no expiration date. I've watched patients who seemed withdrawn suddenly smile while matching cards in a memory game, become animated during a game of Bingo, or laugh out loud over a simple round of balloon volleyball. For a few precious moments, diagnoses, worries, and loneliness fade into the background. The same thing happens at family gatherings when grandparents teach grandchildren how to play Crazy Eights, or when adult siblings argue playfully over the rules of Monopoly. Games create connection across generations because everyone, regardless of age, understands the universal language of play. When my adult children come home to visit, we play THINGS, CONNECT 4, SCRABBLE. and UNO regularly. The laughter and sense of friendly competition fill the air with pure joy.
Perhaps staying young isn't about looking younger at all. Maybe it's about refusing to lose the curiosity, laughter, and imagination we had as children. The next time you have a free evening, resist the urge to turn on another television show. Pull a game off the shelf instead. Invite your neighbors over for cards. Visit an old-fashioned arcade and challenge your spouse to skee-ball. Let yourself be delightfully silly. After all, if we continue the thread of playfulness throughout our lives, we aren't clinging to childhood—we're honoring one of the healthiest, happiest parts of being human.
Go out and play. Go in and play. Create memories that will last and family traditions that will sustain generations.
Blessings,
KJ Landis
@superiorself on Instagram and X
@SuperiorSelf channel on YouTube
@superiorselfwithkjlandis on TikTok
[email protected]
Books available everywhere!
RSS Feed