"It’s time to take a break.” This is one of the most pleasant and most popular phrases to a child’s ear. It means that you can now start laughing, playing and joking around with your friends without the fear of being punished for disrupting studies. During break time, some play games while holding conversations with their friends. This is called leisure and recreation.

Leisure and recreation are very important aspects of your life because they provide an opportunity to refresh your mind, discover and develop your talents and to make friends.

In fact, leisure and recreation are so important that they are included in the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. Article 12 says that children have a right to leisure, recreation and cultural activities.  

Leisure and recreation have always been part of life. In the dark ages (a period of time between the 5th and 15th Century), people were subjected to hard labour and bad weather, and there were many wars. Leisure and recreation was mostly used to train people in certain skills such as the art of warfare. This is according to the article "Leisure in the dark ages” by Chuck Chapa, a blogger and researcher.

In the article "The History of Leisure and Recreation”, Gary Pearson, an author agrees with Chapa’s assertion. However, Pearson says that even with the hardship of this period of time, many games such as chess and checkers were developed. It is also during this time that Greeks invented the Olympics which are now an important international event.

Ancient Egypt was very developed regarding leisure and recreation. This is according to the article "History of Recreation” by the University of Manitoba. There was a well-developed class system where the upper class liked to be entertained while the lower class participated in athletics and sports. Children played with marbles, bouncing balls and other toys.

This is to say that the recreational games that you know and love today were created a long time ago. Many studies show that most of the games originated from ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. Swimming, running, ball games and board games were all developed by 641AD.

With increase in technology, there have been many developments and additions to the list of recreational activities. For instance, you can now play computer games and watch movies as a way to relax and entertain yourself.

However, scientists continue to advocate for outdoor and physical recreation. While computer and phone games might sound cooler than outdoor activities, they do not provide nearly as many health, physical and social benefits as outdoor leisure and recreation activities do.