Recreation, Leisure and Dance Activities – JSS1 Physical & Health Education Lesson Note (Third Term)

Recreation is any activity a person takes part in during leisure hours, alone or with others, to develop physically, mentally, emotionally and socially. It can be indoor or outdoor. Leisure is the free time after the day’s work, and people spend it on dance, rest, sleep and relaxation.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. define recreation and leisure;
2. distinguish between indoor and outdoor recreation and give examples of each;
3. describe dance, rest, sleep and relaxation as ways of spending leisure time;
4. state the benefits of recreation, leisure and dance;
5. list the characteristics of recreation, leisure and dance.

What is recreation?

Recreation can be defined as the activities which a person participates in, during leisure hours, either individually or collectively, through which one may better develop physically, mentally, emotionally and socially.

Scope of recreation

1. Indoor recreation: Indoor activities are activities that are performed inside the house, hall, or generally under a roof. Examples are playing music, watching television, playing ludo, draught, and snake and ladder, reading and writing.
2. Outdoor recreation: Outdoor activities are activities that are performed outside or in an open place such as parks and sports fields. Examples are swimming, gardening and jogging.

What is leisure?

Leisure is the free time after the day’s work. It is during leisure time that recreational activities take place in the form of games, dancing, singing and so on.

What are the ways of spending leisure time?

Ways of spending leisure time include dance, rest, sleep and relaxation.

Dance

Dance is an expressive movement of turning, twisting and rolling of the body (or body parts) to conform to the rhythm of a sound, beat or music. It involves body movement meant to achieve physical fitness through the five fundamental movements of walking, running, jumping, leaping and hopping. There are different dance steps for different beats, songs and sounds.

Rest

Rest is a state of inactivity that occurs when an individual is in a comfortable place and is not using any part of the body to do any work.

Sleep

Sleep is a complete resting state in which the eyes are closed.

Relaxation

Relaxation is the state of being free from stress and anxiety.

What are the benefits of recreation, leisure and dance?

1. Refreshment of both body and mind.
2. Room for fun and enjoyment.
3. Carry-over of the values of skills learned in physical education classes.
4. Promotion of mental alertness, and social and emotional stability.
5. It helps to correct bad posture.
6. It prevents crime among young people.

What are the characteristics of recreation, leisure and dance?

1. It must be voluntary.
2. It must be enjoyable for the participants.
3. It does not require a great deal of skill.
4. It may or may not be competitive.
5. It must be beneficial and socially approved.

Evaluation

1. What is dance?
2. What is outdoor recreation? Give examples of outdoor recreation activities.

Assignment

1. List the ways of spending leisure time and explain two of them.