During childhood, we engage in countless activities, some more recreational than others. We break jump rope records, enjoy coloring within the lines, read comic books, and alleviate boredom by transforming the garage entrance into a roller rink. These pastimes, sometimes calm, sometimes daring, rarely last. Yet, we should rediscover these sandbox activities and dedicate a slot to them in our busy schedules.<\/p>\n
We all had a favorite pastime during our early years. The most dexterous sculpted modeling clay like Giacometti with plaster or poured their imaginations onto blank sheets of paper, while the self-confessed hyperactive performed acrobatic tricks in the skatepark or improvised a rollerblading obstacle course around outdoor toys. Children with a competitive spirit even pursued these hobbies at a high level, winning medals and parental admiration.<\/p>\n
But here's the thing: all good things come to an end, and as we reach adulthood, priorities change, and so do our desires. Instead of continuing with jump rope, skateboarding, and magic coloring books, we discover new distractions, more "in tune" with our age, like having drinks on a patio, complaining about the world, or doing Pilates under infrared lights. We give up these hobbies at the same time we close our toy box and leave the home where we grew up.<\/p>\n
Yet, flying a kite, making rollerblades squeal on the pavement without fear of dying with every fall, singing without waiting for the excuse of a karaoke night, or filling sketchbooks shouldn't be fleeting pastimes reserved for children under ten. Especially not the leisure activities of expressive minds like drawing, sculpting, writing\u2014anything that originates in the mind and finds expression on some medium. Science says so. According to a study<\/a> published in the journal Nature Communications, creative hobbies slow down brain aging<\/a> . This also echoes the concept of "neuroplasticity": the brain<\/a> 's ability to change and create new connections based on experiences, learning, and the environment.<\/p>\n Instead of chasing trendy Instagram activities like pickleball or hyrox, we'd be better off nurturing our childhood passions, the ones that sometimes made us forget the rest of the world or even dinnertime. We mistakenly believe these activities are better in our memories than in reality, and we fear disappointment, like that time we tried those famous Mammoth balls again. But first, reconnecting with childhood hobbies allows us a little lightness in a daily life punctuated by tedious tasks and overwhelming responsibilities. Second, while it takes a little practice to regain our former skills, and our joints might struggle a bit to keep up, the joy we experience remains intact.<\/p>\n When you manage to slalom around cones on rollerblades or write a poem with at least some coherent rhymes, you feel an immense sense of self-gratification. Resuming a childhood activity is a micro-achievement, a small symbolic victory, a tribute to the child you once were. It's also about braving feelings of failure or abandonment and rediscovering that spark that Pilates reformer and other "grown-up" games can't recreate. And these activities, like Proust's madeleine, are undeniably comforting as well as a source of personal growth.<\/p>\n Psychologists call this implicit memory. "The advantage of implicit memory is that it allows the mind to be, to some extent, free. We can perform tasks learned implicitly without thinking about them, which allows us to do other things. In this sense, accessing implicit memory can be very relaxing,"<\/em> explains Thomas C. S\u00fcdhof, MD, director of the S\u00fcdhof Laboratory in Stanford's Department of Physiology, to Vogue US<\/a> .<\/p>\n Revisiting childhood hobbies also means reopening a door that adulthood sometimes closed a little too quickly. It's the door to carefree days, spontaneity, and doing things "for the sheer joy of it," without any performance goals or concerns about profitability. In short, a place where you have nothing to prove.<\/p>\n In a daily life often dictated by obligations, deadlines, and productivity, these activities act as a mental respite. Drawing without the intention of exhibiting, running without a time goal, tinkering without striving for perfection: these are all simple gestures that reconnect us to a form of inner freedom.<\/p>\n Psychologists are particularly interested in this effect of "positive regression," where the brain rediscovers lighter, more secure emotional states. It's not about shirking responsibilities, but about reactivating neural pathways associated with play, curiosity, and immediate gratification. And this is often where the breakthrough lies: by revisiting past activities, we rediscover not just a pastime, but a more spontaneous version of ourselves\u2014one that hadn't yet internalized the fear of making mistakes or the judgment of others.<\/p>\n Ultimately, these recreational moments become much more than just leisure. They act as a mental breath of fresh air, a gentle way to slow down, release tension\u2026 and remember that pleasure, too, deserves a place on our calendar. There's no need to wait until you have a child to rediscover these fundamental pastimes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"During childhood, we engage in countless activities, some more recreational than others. We break jump rope records, enjoy...","protected":false},"author":8340,"featured_media":439162,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"disable_msn":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5639],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-439159","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bien-etre"],"image":{"medium":["https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/renouer-loisirs-enfance-200x113.jpg",200,113,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/renouer-loisirs-enfance-500x281.jpg",500,281,true]},"custom":{"td_video":"","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/renouer-loisirs-enfance.jpg","author":{"name":"\u00c9milie Laurent","avatar":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/cropped-2f5d8c00d5d5c27f8ce4d9b3f9015467-96x96.png"},"categories":[{"term_id":5639,"name":"Well-being","slug":"bien-etre","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":5804,"taxonomy":"category","description":" The Well-being section of The Body Optimist shares practical advice on staying active, sleeping better, managing stress and understanding everyday aches and pains. Written for women of every size and body type, it starts from a simple idea: taking care of your body works best through enjoyment and consistency, not pressure or guilt.<\/p>\n When you return to physical activity, consistency matters more than intensity. A few ways to ease back in:<\/p>\n Everyday movement counts too: walking or biking to get around, taking the stairs and gardening all add up as physical activity.<\/p>\n Here, your body isn't a project to fix. We talk about exercise for pleasure, mood and health, never as a way to \u201cmake up for\u201d a meal or to lose weight, and every tip should work for you whatever your body type. The articles in this section provide general information and do not replace advice from a healthcare professional.<\/p>\n The World Health Organization recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week, such as brisk walking. It also stresses that some activity is better than none: every session counts, even a short one, and what matters most is finding a pace you can keep up over the long run.<\/p>\n Consistency is the first lever: go to bed and get up at similar times, weekends included. A quiet, dark, cool bedroom, less screen time in the evening and a dinner that isn't too late all make it easier to fall asleep. Loud snoring or waking up gasping for air is worth mentioning to your doctor.<\/p>\n Ongoing fatigue can have many causes: lack of sleep, stress or mental overload, but also iron deficiency, a thyroid disorder or depression. If it lasts several weeks despite rest, or comes with other symptoms, see your doctor to find out what's behind it.<\/p>\n Want to go further? Explore all our topics in the Health section<\/a>, follow moms-to-be in the Pregnancy section<\/a> and enjoy a varied way of eating, without restriction, with the Nutrition section<\/a>.<\/p>","parent":360,"count":1714,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":5639,"category_count":1714,"category_description":" The Well-being section of The Body Optimist shares practical advice on staying active, sleeping better, managing stress and understanding everyday aches and pains. Written for women of every size and body type, it starts from a simple idea: taking care of your body works best through enjoyment and consistency, not pressure or guilt.<\/p>\n When you return to physical activity, consistency matters more than intensity. A few ways to ease back in:<\/p>\n Everyday movement counts too: walking or biking to get around, taking the stairs and gardening all add up as physical activity.<\/p>\n Here, your body isn't a project to fix. We talk about exercise for pleasure, mood and health, never as a way to \u201cmake up for\u201d a meal or to lose weight, and every tip should work for you whatever your body type. The articles in this section provide general information and do not replace advice from a healthcare professional.<\/p>\n The World Health Organization recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week, such as brisk walking. It also stresses that some activity is better than none: every session counts, even a short one, and what matters most is finding a pace you can keep up over the long run.<\/p>\n Consistency is the first lever: go to bed and get up at similar times, weekends included. A quiet, dark, cool bedroom, less screen time in the evening and a dinner that isn't too late all make it easier to fall asleep. Loud snoring or waking up gasping for air is worth mentioning to your doctor.<\/p>\n Ongoing fatigue can have many causes: lack of sleep, stress or mental overload, but also iron deficiency, a thyroid disorder or depression. If it lasts several weeks despite rest, or comes with other symptoms, see your doctor to find out what's behind it.<\/p>\n Want to go further? Explore all our topics in the Health section<\/a>, follow moms-to-be in the Pregnancy section<\/a> and enjoy a varied way of eating, without restriction, with the Nutrition section<\/a>.<\/p>","cat_name":"Well-being","category_nicename":"bien-etre","category_parent":360}]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/439159","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8340"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=439159"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/439159\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":440578,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/439159\/revisions\/440578"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/439162"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=439159"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=439159"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=439159"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}} A great sense of personal satisfaction<\/h2>\n
A way to rediscover your inner child<\/h2>\n
What you'll find in the Well-being section<\/h2>\n
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How do you get back into exercise after a long break?<\/h2>\n
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Our approach<\/h2>\n
Articles to get you started<\/h2>\n
\n
Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n
How much exercise do you need each week?<\/h3>\n
How can you sleep better?<\/h3>\n
Why am I tired all the time?<\/h3>\n
What you'll find in the Well-being section<\/h2>\n
\n
How do you get back into exercise after a long break?<\/h2>\n
\n
Our approach<\/h2>\n
Articles to get you started<\/h2>\n
\n
Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n
How much exercise do you need each week?<\/h3>\n
How can you sleep better?<\/h3>\n
Why am I tired all the time?<\/h3>\n