Recreational Activity for the Older People: A Way of Personal Development

Abstract

The game or recreational activity is a manifestation of life, whose only motivation is the joy of playing. Bringing this idea to the group of older people with no other purpose would be to underestimate the holistic role of development of the game itself, and the group of older people, who can find in entertainment and leisure activities an area to promote creativity, artistic spirit, the benefits of physical activity... in short, their overall development. In this article we present the recreational activity of older people, in the context of leisure time, as a contribution to their personal development. We outline the pedagogical intervention that guides this process, and provide guidelines for the design of animation programs, according to the context in which they live. Priority is given to activities that promote self‑realization (in all dimensions of the person), participation and social relations.