101 Ways to Play~ Jenny Ward

Jenny encourages us to get creative in getting more fun out of life.

1. Roll around in the grass, and don’t brush the grass off.
2. Drive/walk a different way to work or wherever else you usually go.
3. Wear glitter underneath your clothes.
4. Wear a bright orange tie.
5. Smell a flower fully, and thank it for its beauty.
6. Smile for no reason.
7. Smile at a stranger for no reason.
8. See how long you can have eye contact with someone.
9. Go to a toy store.
10. Buy a toy.
11. Do cartwheels outside.
12. Say yes when you usually say no.
13. Say no when you usually say yes.
14. Stand in front of the mirror and say “I am king/queen today!”
15. Climb up the slide at the playground.
16. Turn the volume of your “to do list” in your head...DOWN.
17. Turn the volume of your heart UP.
18. Stop.
19. Breathe.
20. Giggle.
21. Look around you with awe.
22. Remember that it’s never too late to be what you always wanted to be.
23. Take yourself out on a play date.
24. Laugh at your self as much as possible.
25. Don’t take yourself too seriously.
26. Don’t take anyone else too seriously.
27. There is nothing you have to do to be better…just be yourself.
28. Buy stickers.
29. Put stickers on all of your bills.
30. Play with your partner’s hair.
31. Be a super hero for a day.
32. Find time to laugh.
33. Watch kids -- they are masters at not taking themselves too seriously.
34. Put marshmallows in everything you eat for one day.
35. Jump up and down.
36. Invite a friend to a picnic…where you can only eat finger foods.
37. Write your name in your food with your fingers.
38. Celebrate being alive by thanking your body for all the cool things it can do for you.
39. Erase ‘should’ from the dictionary (your mind) for one day… or longer!
40. Finger paint your “to- do” list.
41. Be confidently playful.
42. Mow the lawn in fun patterns.
43. Plant colorful and big flowers in your garden.
44. Watch lady bugs.
45. Watch a football game and imitate each touchdown dance.
46. Order a banana split with extra whipped cream and cherries.
47. Eat your banana split without a spoon!
48. Interview kids on what they want to be when they grow up.
49. Ask your partner if she/he enjoys what they are doing.
50. Finish the sentence: “I am….”
51. Make pictures with your food.
52. Eat dessert first.
53. Make a playful pile of love with your family.
54. Every Friday at work, take one hour to play mad-libs.
55. Ask your boss if he/she is happy.
56. Buy bath tub paint.
57. Take a bath and paint 5 things you love about yourself.
58. For one hour a week, do something you love, not something you have to do.
59. Erase ‘perfect’ from your dictionary.
60. Make a list (in crayons) of your priorities in life.
61. Play the game Twister with your partner.
62. Pretend it is Halloween for a day.
63. Applaud your partner when they wake up for just being them.
64. Write ‘I love you’ everywhere in the house.
65. Count the stars.
66. Hang a blank piece of poster board up in the kitchen.
67. Every day write what you love about yourself on it (in crayon.)
68. Listen to others without judgment.
69. Keep learning.
70. Redefine responsible.
71. Lose the labels, and see people as you see yourself.
72. Be messy.
73. Give with a playful heart.
74. Receive with a playful heart.
75. Eat whipped cream right out of the can!
76. Send someone a bucket of crayons for no reason.
77. Buy play dough.
78. Bring play dough to work.
79. At work, give a round of applause for each colleague that comes in the office.
80. Get a lunch box.
81. Stop telling kids what they need to do in order to grow up.
82. Listen to kids about being young.
83. Allow your sandbox (views in life) to keep expanding.
84. When you are on the playground, race, gender and religion don’t really matter, it’s all about having fun.
85. Lighten up mentally, and you will lighten up physically.
86. Life is not hard.
87. P-assion in your L-aughter will A-ffect others and Y-ou.
88. Time-outs still work.
89. Choose to “skip by,” not “get by.”
90. Results aren’t always in numbers.
91. Throw away your scale.
92. Exercise playfully: when we were young, we weren’t trying to get in a half hour of cardio.
93. If you are trying too hard, it’s not play.
94. Life is not the same - - - - different day, unless you believe that to be true.
95. Put yourself first, others will benefit from this.
96. Ask always “what if…?”
97. Hear your answer.
98. Give thanks for your health, life, past, and your power.
99. Always follow your heart, it knows more than your ego.
100. You are enough.
101. You are not broken, and you don’t need to be fixed.~ Jenny Ward