One of the major keys to not mal health and happiness in life is well balanced activity of body and brain. Too much of one and too little of the other, however ultimately make one unhappy and unhealthy too. Through play, Recreation and Leisure one can find not only healthful exercise for mind and muscles but happy satisfaction for the emotional longings and spirit.
Play:
The term play often refers to the free, happy and natural expression of, people. Play is a joyful, spontaneous and creative activity. Through play emotion in a crude or sublimated form is satisfied. That plays is wholly instinctive and based in automatic impulses, a result of a drive, appetite and inner urge. Play is pleasurable and relieves stresses and strains of the individual.
The play is an outlet for pent-up emotions; it is closely related to the theory of relaxation. Play can be physical, mental or a combination of both. John Dewey, the eminent philosopher in education, recognized the existence and importance of play and recreation. According to him play is an attitude of mind, which is attainable in any situation. Play and recreation may be regarded as pleasurable behavior patterns undertaken for no reward and conditioned by social attitude.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
Play is a factor which helps in the growth of the individual. According to Joseph Lee of United States, play is “Nature’s prescribed course of education. Child will be denied the opportunity lord play, and then there will be no satisfactory emotional and intellectual growth. Play is evident in lower forms of animal life too. A kitten, a dog and many different kinds of birds have been observed playing. The pre-school age child, the adolescent, the youth, the adult and the older folks express themselves in countless ways through play and recreation.
Work and Play:
Through work and play one seeks to express oneself creatively, Co fortunately the work is considered to-day as an irksome task and that is done in carder to earn the money to pay for such necessities of life as food, clothing and shelter. When an individual is engaged in useful work which commands his interest and enthusiasm, work is play. But much depends upon the inner attitude of the individual towards work. Even a monotonous job can be vested with interest when tackled with zest and a healthful outlook.
Work looked be either mental or physical. But play is a form of activity, which one can choose freely and can opt for it even when one is fatigue. The real function of play is to balance the stress of active living or the body and mind. But true play is more than a counter balance to work. It is also an outlet for creativeness. Play allows one to discharge the tensions generated by long hours of work. It stimulates co-ordination of the functions of body and brain. Seen in their proper light, work and play are but the reverse sides of the same coin .and a balanced indulgence in both is vital to physical and mental health and spiritual well-being.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
Infect there is no difference between work and play. The difference lies in the attitude and the spirit. If a craft work in the school is followed in a spirit of joy and curiosity, it is nothing but play. From this point of view workup-play as got immense educational potentialities.