Recreation

Recreation is an activity done during free time, which is time when you can choose what to do. It is very important for humans because our bodies and minds need it. People usually do recreational activities because they enjoy them, find them amusing, or they simply bring pleasure. These activities are often thought of as fun ways to spend time.

Etymology

The word recreation first appeared in English in the late 1300s. It originally meant "refreshment or curing of a sick person" and comes from Latin words meaning "again" and "to create."

People spend their time on everyday tasks, work, sleep, social duties, and leisure. Leisure is the free time we have when we're not doing things we must do. This free time is important for recreation. Over time, people have had more leisure because they live longer and work fewer hours. Some feel we are busier than ever, though. Other reasons leisure and recreation have grown include having more money, changes in population, and more places to play and have fun. While some think leisure is just extra time, others believe it helps us think about important values and ideas we miss in daily life. Leisure is even considered a human right.

Recreation is closely linked to play, especially for children. Play helps children learn and grow, and it can be a way to use extra energy in fun ways. Traditionally, people thought work needed recreation to help them do better. But sometimes work can be fun, too, and what is work for one person might be play for another. Over time, activities can change from recreation to work and back again. Recreation is also good for health. It can help with things like obesity and some diseases, though some outdoor activities can have risks.

Forms and activities

See also: List of recreational and outdoor exercise activities

Recreation is a big part of life, and it comes in many forms. These forms change based on what people like and what their world is like around them. People can do recreational activities alone or with others, inside or outside, and in ways that are good for health or not. Some activities, like recreational drug use or certain behaviors, might not follow rules or laws. There are many kinds of things people can do for fun, and the list can seem endless.

Hobby

Main article: Hobby

Many fun activities are called hobbies. A hobby is something a person does regularly just for enjoyment, usually in their free time, not to earn money. Hobbies can include collecting things, being creative, playing sports, or doing other fun activities. Doing hobbies helps people learn new skills and knowledge. What people consider a hobby can change over time as interests and trends shift. For example, stamp collecting was popular a long time ago when letters were the main way to communicate, but today, many people enjoy video games more because of new technology.

Bricolage

Main article: Do it yourself

Bricolage and DIY mean building, changing, or fixing things without professional help. People do this for many reasons, like saving money, getting something they can’t find, or just because they want to. This can include many crafts that need skills, like home improvement, electronics, robotics, and 3-D printing. People also enjoy more traditional crafts like metalworking, woodworking, and arts and crafts. This kind of activity helps people learn new skills and use them in fun projects.

Games

Main article: Game

Games are structured ways to play. People play games for fun, to achieve goals, or sometimes to win prizes. Games can be played alone, in teams, or online, by people of all skill levels. Some games are played by professionals for entertainment. Games can include board games, puzzles, computer or video games.

Outdoor recreation

Main article: Outdoor recreation

Outdoor recreation happens outside, often in nature. Activities like fishing, hunting, backpacking, and horseback riding depend on the environment. These activities may be sports, but they don’t always need a participant to be an athlete. Competition is usually less important than in team sports. When these activities are very exciting or challenging, they are sometimes called “adventure recreation.”

Other examples of outdoor activities include hiking, camping, mountaineering, cycling, canoeing, caving, kayaking, rafting, rock climbing, running, sailing, skiing, and surfing. New activities, like mixtures of older ones, also appear, such as coasteering, canyoning, fastpacking, and plogging.

Performing arts

Main article: Performing arts

Dance

Main article: Dance

Dance, whether it is a folk dance, a social dance, a group dance like a line, circle, chain or square dance, or a partner dance as in Western ballroom dancing, is done mainly for fun, meeting people, or exercise, by the dancers themselves rather than for an audience. Dance provides fun for people of all ages and cultures.

Music creation

Main article: Music

Music is made and performed for many reasons, including fun, religious or special events, or entertainment. In the past, when music was only available in books called sheet music, people would buy these books to play music at home on instruments.

Playing video games

Main article: Video game

Video games are experiences where players can explore and decide how things look, while the creator decides the rules.

Visual arts

Main article: Visual arts

Woodworking, photography, moviemaking, jewelry making, projects like Photoshopping and home music or video production, making bracelets, artistic projects like drawing, painting, and creating costumes based on existing ideas (called Cosplay), as well as making models from paper (called papercraft) are all part of the visual arts. Many people do these activities just for fun.

Drawing

Main article: Drawing

Drawing goes back at least 16,000 years to pictures of animals painted in caves, like those in Lascaux in France and Altamira in Spain. In ancient Egypt, people drew on paper made from plants, often showing people. Drawings on pots from ancient Greece started simple and later showed people. With paper becoming common in Europe around the 15th century, famous artists like Sandro Botticelli, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci used drawing as an art form.

Literature

Writing can include letters, journals, and web blogs. In the US, about half of all adults read one or more books for fun each year. About 5% read more than 50 books per year.

Painting

Main article: Painting

Painting also started a very long time ago, with pictures on cave walls and rocks. Some of the oldest paintings, thought to be 32,000 years old, are in the Chauvet and Lascaux caves in southern France. These paintings show animals like bison, cattle, horses, and deer, in red, brown, yellow, and black. Paintings of people can be found in tombs from ancient Egypt. In important temples, paintings show people and gods. Art from ancient Greece and Rome, like paintings from Pompeii, helped create traditions that continued in Byzantine art. Today, people enjoy making and displaying models of things like airplanes, boats, cars, tanks, and even superheroes.

Photography

Main article: Photography

An amateur photographer does photography as a hobby or because they love it, not to earn money. Some amateur work can be very special or cover many different subjects. Amateur photography became more common in the late 1800s when hand-held cameras became popular. Today, photography is done everywhere using many kinds of devices, including cell phones. With cell phones, anyone can easily take clear pictures.

Organized recreation

Many fun activities are organized by different groups. Public institutions, volunteer groups, private clubs, and businesses all help plan and run these activities. Examples include the National Park Service, the YMCA, the Kiwanis, and Walt Disney World. Public spaces like parks and beaches are important places for people to enjoy these activities. Tourism also benefits from these recreational spots, such as the areas around Venice Beach in California, the Promenade de la Croisette in Cannes, the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, and the lungomare of Barcola in Trieste.

Governments play a big role in creating and maintaining places for recreation. This helps create jobs and supports many businesses. For example, outdoor recreation alone adds a lot of money to the economy and creates many jobs.

A recreation center is a special place run by local governments where people can swim, play basketball, lift weights, or visit kids’ play areas.

People can study recreation management in school and get a degree. These graduates often work in parks, recreation centers, and community projects. They help plan fun activities for people to enjoy.

Since the 2000s, more websites have appeared where people can book tickets for fun activities online. These platforms make it easier for people around the world to find and enjoy recreational activities. One example is TripAdvisor.