ABSTRACT
The middle years have been called ‘the afternoon of life’ and are sometimes seen as marking the start of a slow amble toward decrepitude. However, this life stage may also be conceived as a pivotal point linking childhood experiences with health in middle age and lifestyle choices in the middle years with health in old age. As the demands of work and family life take center stage, play can be squeezed off the schedule, but there is a wealth of evidence that the continuation of play into adulthood is essential for our physical and mental wellbeing and can have a transformative effect on our working lives. In the face of reported increases in mental health problems in the middle years, play offers a route back to full health through its enactment in the creative arts, physical exercise, and reengagement with the natural world.
