Be Playful. Blog written by Danny W. Pettry II, M.Ed., LPC, NCC, CTRS
Week # 11 out of 52. Goal one blog entry every week in 2022.
Put away your smart phone and play a game (that isn’t on your phone).
So that means – no playing candy crush, angry birds, pong or whatever is popular now.
You must do one of the following 50 activities this week to add a bit of play to your life. Your age doesn’t matter. Some of them may sound childlike, but do it anyway. It might help us to stay young and fun.
- Play catch
- Play alone
- Play sports
- Play Bingo
- Play a song
- Play indoors
- Watch a play
- Play a video
- Play charades
- Play dominoes
- Play hopscotch
- Play outdoors
- Act in a play
- Play Simon Says
- Play the radio
- Play marbles
- Play tic-tac-toe
- Play with a pet
- Play with costumes
- Play a new game
- Play hot potato
- Play in the sand
- Play with paper
- Play freeze dance
- Play in the water
- Play 20 questions
- Play a board game
- Play with bubbles
- Play with plah-doh
- Play with balloons
- Play a card game
- Play at the park
- Play with friends
- Play improv comedy
- Play an instrument
- Play role-play games
- Play hide-and-go-seek
- Play rock, paper, scissors
- Play with home-made slime
- Play a game on your own
- Play with building blocks
- Play pin the tail on the donkey
- Play with finger paints
- Play with make-up
- Play a game of tug of war
- Play a prank (just kidding—don’t do that)
- Play with glitter (just kidding – that’s a bad idea too). Laugh aloud.
- Play in the snow (yes – it snowed here in West Virginia today 3/12/2022)
- Play an old school video game like Atari or Nintendo. (just not on your phone).
- Pay Elf on the shelf (with someone besides the elf – and not your co-workers keys).
Practice Activity: Do this now:
Play Pretend. I really want you to do this.
Pretend that play didn’t exist in our world.
Imagine if it was all work and responsibilities.
No games, fun or enjoyment during our lifespan.
None of the games listed above would be in our world.
Sigh. That world sounds a dull and depressing.
Reminder: Your Goal for this Week:
Be playful in your communications with people this week.
Be easy-going, fun, and make a real connection with someone.
Be sure to play at least one of the activities listed above this week with someone you care about.
Take a photo of you playing with your family, friends, cat or community. We’ll post it at our blog.