What if we considered summer an excuse to play? What if, instead of bogging our schedules down with endless commitments and needless obligations, we just took a cue from our kids and played instead?

The Playful City Designation in Eau Claire is a step in this direction. It shines a light on play deserts, starts a conversation about the importance of unstructured play, and gives adults an excuse to just let go and have fun. While the designation itself doesn’t change our day-to-day lives, it gives us a springboard to change them ourselves.

With an epidemic increase in screen time, kids are losing the opportunity to gain valuable skills that they’ll need in school, work, and life. Creative thinking is learned through pretend play.

Problem solving is learned by doing. Social skills come from human interaction. And something as simple as building the muscles and flexibility needed to hold a pencil is being lost.

As adults and parents, we complain about the incredible amount of stress we’re under, about the work obligations and the constant running. We need play, too. We need to laugh and move and see the world through the eyes of our kids. We need to make believe every once in awhile just so we can get through real life. Our kids can help us do that.

So before the summer is over and we’re headed back into another school year, I’m putting the call out to everyone (regardless of age) to get in some quality playtime. Hit up the parks (we have a fantastic map of all of them in Eau Claire, in case you need it), have a picnic, run around, and laugh. Splash on a splashpad, go for a hike, dig in the sand, and play a game of tag if you can. Blow some bubbles, ride your bike, and have a tickle fight with your kids.

Your entire life doesn’t have to be scheduled, connected to a wireless network, or perfectly organized to be good. You won’t find happiness buried in a screen or a blinking cursor. Fun doesn’t only come from flashing lights and images. Entertainment doesn’t need to be charged. It’s all right here, in our homes and in our hearts – it’s called play.