Richard Hogan: Why play is so important for children — and adults

When I wanted them to eat vegetables, my left thumb became a joystick to steer the spoon in my right hand. "More!" they shouted as they commandeered the vegetables into their mouths. When getting them up the stairs to bed became a struggle, I devised a game called Hippopotamus and the Hare. 

Richard Hogan: "We must not forget how to play. It keeps us young and healthy, and immunises us to stress." Picture: Moya Nolan

The adult world can be predictable: Lunches to be made, uniforms washed, lifts here and lifts there, bedtime routines, filling and emptying the dishwasher, bringing out the bins.Oh, I could go on with the litany of banal acts we all get caught repeating as grown-ups.

But we should never consign ‘play’ to childhood. I sit with so many adults in my clinic who have lost contact with their playful self.