Some AACC students are embracing their inner child by spending time with old toys, visiting playgrounds and playing the video games they liked when they were younger.

Students told Campus Current they feel they lost part of their childhoods to COVID-19 because they spent so much time on social media rather than interacting with typical pre-teen activities.

Now those young adults are making up for what they missed.

“COVID and the current negative circumstances in the world kind of made people realize that life isn’t that long, and acting like kids isn’t something only kids should be allowed to do,” second-year education student Ellery Martin said.

“I think a lot of young adults are taking back their childhood,” second-year theater student Olivia Comeau said. “A lot of us had to grow up really fast.”

First-year film student Logan Symmes said some games like Legos are designed for all ages.

“That’s something you never really age out of,” Symmes said.

Legos are so popular with teens and young adults that the company in 2020 designed a set specifically for fans ages 18 and older. Approximately 15% of Lego sets are made for adults, the company said.

Likewise, Build-A-Bear Workshop introduced an adults-only collection of stuffed animals based on movie characters in 2019.

“I make a Build-A-Bear every semester,” Comeau said.