The Inner Child Experiment: Part I
Winters can be gloomy and depressing in my hometown of Seattle. In winter of 2025, I decided to take on an inner child experiment in hopes of adding a little joy and play into my days.
I had met up for coffee with a dear friend who talked about his love for Pickleball. (Fun fact: Pickleball was invented on Bainbridge Island, a 30-minute ferry ride west of Seattle.) He noted that the sport brings out the inner child in people.
This triggered an idea. What if we did a one-month inner child experiment? Here is the text I sent him:
“Each day we do one thing, that fits in our daily routine (so doesn’t cost us extra time) and we approach the activity the way we would have as a child. So for instance, one could be eating a meal with only your hands. Or when you first walk out of your door in the morning, hopscotch to your car. Each day we could trade off texting each other a new ‘inner child activity’ for the day. What do you think?”
My friend graciously accepted the invitation. Here are the first seven ‘experiments’ we did over the next month:
For our first one, let’s do five twirls in place with a smile and hands up, in public (with at least one person around). No explaining to anyone. :)
Let’s eat one meal with our hands only. (I ate oatmeal for breakfast with my hands.)
Every time we go to our cars, let’s skip our way there.
Draw a stick-figure picture of your family. Just spend five minutes. Bonus points for putting it on your fridge after you finish.
Chew bubble gum at some point in the day and blow bubbles.
Smell flowers and take a good look at them. No judgement or stories attached to it. Just a neutral observation.
For today/tonight, howl at the moon (or the sky, if it’s too cloudy).
Do you have a loved one with whom you’d like to try the inner child experiment? What are some of the activities you come up with? I’d love to hear what you create – feel free to share your activities and experiences in the comments section.