Unexpected Playtime Pleasures (Daily Prompt #1805)

I think as humans we are naturally a playful species. I can only hope that as I continue to age I still play as shamelessly as I currently do.

Funnily enough, my first question when planning my overseas birthday earlier this year was “Does London have a soft play venue for adults?” The answer was a resounding yes.

I’ll let these pictures speak for themselves…

On Stim Toys

Remember the fidget spinner craze? Or the bubble-popping whatsits in a variety of rainbow-coloured shapes and sizes? Those are some examples of popular kinds of “stim toys” (also sensory toys). Thanks to the internet and shifting attitudes to disability, they’re growing ever more normal and widely accessible (even if the methods used to produce them unfortunately aren’t always ethical).

Slowly but surely, I have started to embrace my neurodivergence and shed the layers of shame and cringe I once associated with some of the sensory aids known to help those with ASD, ADHD, and other diagnoses that impact the senses and sensitivity.* This has been possible through connecting with others like me, learning from my partner and online resources, as well as the divinity of the passage of time in diminishing my self-consciousness.

*Somewhat oxymoronically, I have never looked at other disabled peoples’ use of these aids as shameful or “cringey”, but we’re often own harshest critics, aren’t we?

I like to think of using sensory aids like stim toys as a form of play. Being an adult can be so dang stressful – where is the harm in squeezing a squishy ball, fiddling with a clicky cube, or bending a Jacob’s ladder?

To round off, my challenge to you is to think about what playtime looks like for you, and then do it. Be a bloody kid, even if it’s just for 15 minutes. You might feel silly at first, but it gets easier. Oh, and it certainly helps to play with actual kids, if you happen to have any handy.

Arohanui e te whānau whānui me ngā mihi tino nui ki te whānau kanorau ā-roro – me tākaro kotahi ētahi wā, nē?