We explain what recreation is and why it is essential for human development. Also, examples of recreational activities.
What is recreation?
The recreation It is the time of leisure and distraction with which one replenishes energy after work and daily obligations. It is a word with Latin roots: re (“backwards”) and I will create (“create”), which means that it is an activity that replenishes energy, that is, it recreates the energy spent.
There is recreation time in practically all areas of life, such as work and study, for example, since without these periods of distraction and rest it would be impossible to guarantee the continuity of daily activities. So recreation takes place during free time or leisure time, and can consist of very different leisure activities, games, socialization, sports or spirituality. These activities are called recreational activities.
The recreation It is essential for people's mental and physical health, and also to allow learning and human development. The latter explains why it is so important in the formative stages of life, such as childhood or adolescence. In recreation, as in other types of activities, different values are put into play, lessons are transmitted and important social and cultural ties are built.
Besides, there is a recreation industry which covers the set of economic tasks that are supported by the recreation of third parties, such as professional sports, the tourism and travel sector, or the video game industry, among many others. So recreation is also a very important economic sector.
The term “recreation,” on the other hand, It can be used in a more literal sense, to refer to the restoration or a new version of some work or some valuable object. For example, the recreation of a play is a new staging of the story it tells, especially if it is a very old one; while the recreation of a patriotic battle is its staging as a way of keeping alive the historical memory of nations.
Another example is the Catholic mass, in which the sacred host is distributed to the parishioners, which constitutes a recreation of the last supper of Jesus of Nazareth before his crucifixion.
See also: Entertainment
Examples of recreational activities
Some examples of recreational activities are:
- Sports practice whether it is group sports (football, basketball, volleyball), individual sports (golf, tennis, bowling), table sports (ping-pong, chess) or contact sports (boxing, judo).
- The games whether they are stake and chance (poker, dominoes, roulette), table (monopoly, Parcheesi, Risk), physical (La Mancha, Cops and Robbers, arm wrestling) or video games.
- cultural consumption whether reading (novels, stories, poems), shows (cinema, theater, opera, ballet) or visiting museums.
- Tourism and travel both local and international.
- The hobbies (collecting, philately, painting miniatures).
- Social activities (go dancing, visit friends, go out for coffee).
References
- “Recreation” in the Language Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy.
- “Radication of the word Recreation” in the Online Spanish Etymological Dictionary.
- “Recreation: necessity and opportunity for human development from and for communities” on EFdeportes.com.
- “Recreation and its multiple benefits” in Gaceta CCH (Mexico).
