Recreational Therapy has so many benefits:
Development and Improvement of Communication Skills:
Decision Making and Problem Solving Skills:
Parenting Skills:
Development and Improvement of Communication Skills:
- expand interpersonal relationships
- develop trust
- make choices
- make requests
- express rejection and refusal
- reach developmental goals
- use alternative means of communication
- greet others
- follow instructions
- use manners
- respond to questions
- address psychosocial needs
- sustain conversation with others
- improve speech and hearing
- establish friendships with disabled and non disabled peers
- indicate preferences of friends
- increase acceptance by peers
- mutually sharing during play and interactions
- invites friends to engage in play and other activities
- increase skills for socializing drug and substance free
- expand support network
- initiate social interactions
- decrease social anxiety
- learn acceptable behaviors
- expand interpersonal relationships
- sustain social interactions
- increase skills for socializing drug and substance free
- prevent social isolation
- reduce inappropriate laughter
- follow directions / rules / procedures
- takes turns with others
- shares with others
- accept feedback from others
- accept assistance from others
- increase and maintain age-appropriate and socially acceptable behavior
- terminates social interactions
- improve social skill competence and retention of skills
- reduce recidivism rate
- reduce problem or delinquent behavior
- improvement in short and long term memory
- decrease confusion
- increase attention span
- enhance memory skills
- incerase organizational skills
- increase problem solving skills
- improve decision making skills
- increase mental awareness and alertnerss
Decision Making and Problem Solving Skills:
- express preferences
- increase independence for making choices
- selects activities from options available
- recognizes the need to prioritize
- develops planning skills
- evaluates the pros and cons before making a decision
- enhance self control
- increase problem solving skills
- enhance decision making skills
- understands the consequences of his or her actions
- improve use of free time and leisure planning
Parenting Skills:
- builds family unity
- increases appropriate family relations
- promotes positive and appropriate communication
- encourages parents and children
- reduce anxiety and impatience for parents and family members of hospitalized children
- increase and sustain a more active lifestyle
- decrease body weight and body fat
- improve rate of healing
- decrease risk of heart and lung disease
- reduce health care costs
- prevent secondary health problems
- contribute to overall health
- reduce a decline in health status
- reduction of decubitus ulcers and urinary tract complications
- enhance quality of life
- increase cardiovascular functioning
- reduce and prevent long term hospital stays
- avoid unnecessary medical care and reliance on medications
- manage and reduce chronic illness and pain
- improve physical conditioning
- improve mobility and coordination
- expand range of motion
- increase apetite and metabolism
- increase activity tolerance
- improve endurance
- reach developmental goals
- increase flexibility, balance and agility
- improve and maintain physical fitness through recreational activity
- reduce sleep disturbances
- increase muscular strength and endurance
- decrease high blood pressure
- improve immune system activity
- develop consistent activity routine for maintenance of diabetes and or weight
Development and Improvement of
Appropriate Coping Skills:
Appropriate Coping Skills:
- manage anger and stress
- develop strategies for relaxation
- improve conflict resolution skills
- decrease self-stimulating and self-abusive behaviors
- promote adjustment to disability
- increase understanding of illness or disability
- increase ability to cope with stress whithout chemical use
- increase problem solving skills
- decrease anxiety
- expand support network
- reduce depression and negative thinking
- develop natural supports
- learn to prioritize
- utilizes stress reduction techniques
- increase self-management skills and self control
- reduce recidivism rate
- reduce problem or delinquent behavior
- decrease inappropriate laughter
- practice planning skills
- increase tolerance for change
- reduce sleep disturbances
- increase coping with the side effects of surgery and medications
- build skills to minimize stigma of disability or illness
- reduce fear and anxiety for upcoming medical procedures
Enhanced Self Concept / Self Esteem /
Self Confidence:
- enhance sense of personal control
- increase assertivenss
- change attitudes toward disability or illness
- increase life and leisure satisfaction
- improve self reliance and enhance self efficacy
- develop self advocacy skills
- appreciates own strengths and abilities
- demonstrate confidence in abilities
- embraces humor
- heighten self awareness
- enhance positive body image perception
- development of advanced skills in areas of interest
- express opinons
- strengthen emotional well being
- express emotions in a variety of forms
- express ideas
- develop a sense of mastery
- experiences success through creativity
- recognizes rewards of creative expression
- aware of cultural, spiritual and ethnic self
- enhance overall quality of life
- increased sense of personal responsibility
- acceptance of challenge and adventure
Development and Improvement of Motor Skills:
- development of strength, mobility and coordination
- expand range of motion
- improve endurance
- reach developmental goals
- increase flexibility, balance and agility
- improve and maintain physical fitness through recreational activity
Reinforcement of Academic and Daily Living Skills:
- awareness of directionality
- ability to discriminate between colors, shapes and sizes
- aware of spatial relations
- use of resource materials (newspaper, telephone book, address book, public transportation, other community resources, computer and internet, etc.)
- use of a clock / watch
- application of money management skills and consumer math (budgets, comparison shopping, purchases, etc.)
- applies telephone skills (manners, answers, calls, uses public telephone, etc.)
- enhance independent living skills (cooking, cleaning, budgeting, etc.)
Successful Transition to Work and Community:
- promotes community integration
- ability to access a variety of community resources
- ability to follow a schedule
- maintain productivity
- increase knowledge of where to seek assistance
- increase active participation in community
- build skills to minimize stigma of disability or illness
- master skils to overcome physical barriers in community (curbs, stairs, non accessible enterances, bathrooms, etc.)
- improved knowledge of community resources
- ability to cope with less structured environments
- manage personal belongings
- improve time management skills
Other Benefits of Recreational Therapy:
- acquire knowledge and skills
- increase overall activity level
- improve quality of life
- improve athletic skills
- increase cooperation and teamwork
- improve conflict resolution skills
- increase ability to have fun while substance free (sober)
- improve use of free time and leisure planning
- improve independent living skills
- reduce recidivism rate
- increase participation in age-appropriate activities
