What is Play
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Definition
Benefits of Play
Physical Benefits
Emotional Benefits
Mental Benefits
Social Benefits
Activity
Benefits of Play
for Children with and without Disabilities
- It is through play that children grow and develop - individually, with others, and as part of a larger community.
- It builds self-esteem and self-worth.
- Collateral skills learned during play contribute to success in other settings, like school and work.
- Increases in leisure skills helps to reduce or eliminate negative, excess, and 'high-risk' behaviors.
- It helps children meet other kids in the neighborhood and at school and to develop relationships and friendships.
- It strengthens families.
- Recreation is the spirit of life. It revitalizes, energizes, stimulates, and relaxes us.
- Play improves one's quality of life!
(Source: Burkhour & Ray, 1998; Schleien, et al., 1995)
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This online resource has been created through a collaborative project of the National Center on Physical Activity and Disability (NCPAD) with content and design development by the National Center on Accessibility (NCA) and the Indiana University School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation. This project is funded through a grant from the Division of Human Development and Disability at the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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