Want to add a little levity to your workweek? Classic childhood games can put some pep in your step and a smile on your face
What happens when otherwise sane, well-adjusted retail sales associates decide to revisit their childhood and play games such as kickball, dodgeball and hopscotch?
Well, in addition to the outcome you’d probably expect — pulled hamstrings, twisted ankles and bloody noses — there’s another outcome that apparently outweighs all the others combined: unbridled fun.
Welcome to the world of “adult recess,” a nationwide trend in which grownups are reliving their childhood memories — sometimes at the expense of their own health — by playing the games that defined their childhood, from kickball and dodgeball to four-square, tetherball and Twister.
The Wall Street Journal chronicled the unlikely trend in an Aug. 19 front-page article that told of adult recess periods being offered all over the country: Dodgeball in San Francisco. Kickball and tetherball — served up with chicken nuggets and grilled cheese sandwiches — in Seattle. Twister and hula hoops in Greensboro, North Carolina. Even Lincoln Logs, Tinkertoys and Play-Doh in Akron, Ohio.
It may sound silly, but it’s quite popular, The WSJ reported.
And get this: It may even have benefits in the workplace, according to an Oct. 1 Fast Company article.
“As grownups facing bulging inboxes, overflowing calendars and a whole range of adult responsibilities, playing around isn’t something we do much of, to say the least,” the article said. “But new research is tapping into the relationships between play, performance and productivity — and showing us there may be real value to taking a break from our work to, well, go out and play.”
So, go ahead and sign up for that kickball league. Join that Frisbee club. Play a few games of Twister with your colleagues. After all, it may be true that you’re only young once, but you can be a kid at heart forever.
