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fun

Pop Culture

14 things that will remain fun no matter how old you get

Your inner child will thank you for doing at least one of these.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Swings can turn 80-year-olds into 8-year-olds in less that two seconds.

When we’re kids, fun comes so easily. You have coloring books and team sports and daily recess … so many opportunities to laugh, play and explore. As we get older, these activities get replaced by routine and responsibility (and yes, at times, survival). Adulthood, yuck.

Many of us want to have more fun, but making time for it still doesn’t come as easily as it did when we were kids—whether that’s because of guilt, a long list of other priorities or because we don’t feel it’s an age-appropriate thing to long for.

Luckily, we’ve come to realize that fun isn’t just a luxury of childhood, but really a vital aspect of living well—like reducing stress, balancing hormone levels and even improving relationships.

More and more people of all ages are letting their inner kids out to play, and the feelings are delightfully infectious.

You might be wanting to instill a little more childlike wonder into your own life, and not sure where to start. Never fear, the internet is here. Reddit user SetsunaSaigami asked people, “What always remains fun no matter how old you get?” People’s (surprisingly profound) answers were great reminders that no matter how complex our lives become, simple joy will always be important.

Here are 14 timeless pleasures to make you feel like a kid again:

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The Schmidt family's Halloween photoshoot has become an annual tradition.

Two of Patti Schmidt's three sons were already well into adulthood when her daughter Avery was born, and the third wasn't far behind them. Avery, now 5, has never had the pleasure of close-in-age sibling squabbles or gigglefests, since Larry, Patrick and Gavin are 28, 26 and 22, respectively—but that doesn't mean they don't bond as a family.

According to People.com, Patti calls her sons home to Point Pleasant, New Jersey, every fall for a special Halloween photoshoot with Avery. And the results are nothing short of epic.

The Schmidt family started the tradition in 2017 with the boys dressing as the tinman, the scarecrow and the cowardly lion from "The Wizard of Oz." Avery, just a toddler at the time, was dressed as Dorothy, complete with adorable little ruby slippers.

The following year, the boys were Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Chewbacca, and Avery was (of course) Princess Leia.

In 2019, they did a "Game of Thrones" theme. ("My husband and I were binge-watching [Game of Thrones], and I thought the boys as dragons would be so funny," Schmidt told TODAY.)

In 2020, they went as Princess Buttercup, Westley, Inigo Montoya and Fezzik from "The Princess Bride."

Patti shared a video montage of each year's costume shoot—with accompanying soundtracks—on Instagram and TikTok. Watch:

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Is today going to be a bones day or a no-bones day?

Each year on Groundhog Day, Punxsutawney Phil—aka the world's most famous groundhog—peeks his head out and determines whether winter will last another six weeks or not based on whether he sees his shadow. There's a whole ceremony for the event and everything. (Ah, the hilariously bizarre things we people do for fun.)

Phil now has competition in the adorable animal prediction world, only instead of a groundhog, we've got Noodle the ground-dog.

Noodle is a 13-year-old pug who really, really loves the ground. So much so that on some days, he simply refuses to get up off it, which has turned him into a viral daily prediction sensation.

On his TikTok channel, Noodle's owner shares the senior puggo's decision about what kind of day it's going to be based on whether he "has bones" that day or not. If Noodle gets propped up and decides to stay standing on his own four feet, it's a "bones day." If he gets picked up and immediately flumps back down onto the ground, it's a "no-bones day."

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via Pexels

A 20-year-old TikTokker with the username @kegan_stiles shared an audio illusion that reminds a lot of people of the "laurel" and "yanny" debate from three years ago. The clip features a crowd chanting a phrase in what sounds like an English accent, and provides nine different choices for what they may be saying.

The crazy thing is that all of the phrases are very different, but when you read them while listening to the chanting they all appear to be the correct answer.

Are they chanting "Bart Simpson bouncing," "rotating pirate ship," "that isn't my receipt," "lobsters in motion," "that is embarrassing," "lactates In pharmacy," "I'm chasing Martian," "baptism piracy," or "that isn't mercy"?

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