Why Play Feels So Hard Right Now (It’s Not Because You’re Doing It Wrong)

If play feels harder than it used to, you’re not imagining it.

Many of us remember play as something simple. Children played. Adults watched. Sometimes we joined in. Sometimes we didn’t. Somewhere along the way, play became something else entirely - another thing to plan, prepare for, and get “right.”

Today, play often arrives tangled up with pressure. Pressure to be educational. Pressure to be screen-free. Pressure to look engaging, enriching, and intentional. Pressure to make the most of the limited time we have with our children.

And when you’re already tired, overstimulated, and juggling a hundred invisible tasks, that pressure can quietly turn play into something heavy.

The truth is, play hasn’t changed - but the context around it has.

🌱 The modern parenting backdrop

Most parents today are parenting in conditions that make play harder:

• Less extended family support

• More information (and opinions) than ever before

• Constant comparison through social media

• Full mental loads carried quietly in the background

So when play feels overwhelming, it’s not because you’ve lost your creativity or motivation. It’s because play now lives inside a world of decisions, noise, and expectations.

🌱 When “doing play properly” gets in the way of play

Somewhere along the line, many of us absorbed the idea that play needs to look a certain way to be valuable.

That it needs:

• A learning objective

• A neat setup

• A clear outcome

But children don’t experience play that way. They experience play as:

• Exploration

• Connection

• Repetition

• Being seen and responded to

The most meaningful play moments often happen when things are simple, imperfect, and unplanned.

🌱 Why fewer choices can feel better

One of the biggest barriers to play today isn’t lack of ideas - it’s too many of them.

When everything is possible, deciding becomes exhausting. And exhaustion kills curiosity.

That’s why guided play often feels like relief. Not because parents don’t know what to do - but because having a starting point removes the heaviest part of the work: deciding.

🌱 You’re not doing it wrong

If play feels harder right now, it’s not a failure. It’s a signal.

A signal that you might need:

• Less pressure

• Fewer decisions

• More permission to keep things simple

Play doesn’t need to be impressive. It needs to be shared.

And often, the best play is the kind that feels doable - not perfect. 🌱