Benefits of Recreational Therapy..

Recreational Therapy has so many benefits: 

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

Strengthened Friendships:

• 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

Refinement of Socialization Skills:

• 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

Improved Cognitive Skills:

• 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

Development and Improvement of
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
increase ability to chose non-chemical alternatives for achieving goals

Development and Improvement of
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

Improvement of Physical Health:

• 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:

• 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