Recreational therapists spend a lot of time thinking about leisure.
We assess interests. We plan interventions. We introduce new experiences. We adapt activities. We help people reconnect with things they once enjoyed.
But what do the people we serve actually enjoy doing for fun?
During a recent Rec Therapy Today giveaway, we asked our readers:
“What are things your patients enjoy doing for fun?”
We received 73 responses to this question. Because respondents could list multiple activities, many answers included several different types of recreation.
After grouping similar responses together, some clear themes emerged.
What Patients Enjoy Doing for Fun: Ranked
1. Arts, Crafts & Creative Activities — approximately 30 mentions
Painting, coloring, drawing, crafts, ceramics, fused beads, expressive writing, and other creative activities.
2. Games & Puzzles — approximately 28 mentions
Board games, card games, bingo, trivia, UNO, word searches, puzzles, and other games.
3. Physical Activity & Sports — approximately 25 mentions
Walking, exercise, swimming, basketball, soccer, pickleball, biking, bowling, and other active recreation.
4. Music, Singing & Dancing — approximately 22 mentions
Listening to favorite music, singing, karaoke, dancing, playing instruments, and enjoying live music.
5. Outdoor & Nature Activities — approximately 21 mentions
Gardening, fishing, hiking, boating, visiting parks, going to the beach, and simply spending time outdoors.
6. Socializing & Relationships — approximately 15 mentions
Talking with others, spending time with friends and family, social gatherings, peer interaction, and intergenerational activities.
7. Community Outings & Trips — approximately 14 mentions
Community outings, road trips, going to lunch, shopping, special events, and exploring the community.
8. Reading & Writing — approximately 13 mentions
Reading, journaling, expressive writing, and other literacy-based leisure.
9. Video Games & Electronic Entertainment — approximately 9 mentions
Video games, Minecraft, and other electronic games.
10. Movies, TV & Spectator Entertainment — approximately 8 mentions
Movies, television, watching sporting events, and live entertainment.
11. Animals & Pet-Related Activities — approximately 6 mentions
Pet visits, service animals, equine activities, and caring for animals.
12. Food & Cooking Activities — approximately 5 mentions
Cooking, food-based programs, and going out to eat.
13. Learning & Educational Interests — approximately 4 mentions
Learning about special interests, rocks and fossils, cultural programs, and other educational pursuits.
Five Types of Recreation Rise to the Top
Look at the five most frequently mentioned categories:
Creativity. Games. Movement. Music. Outdoors.
Those five categories alone represent a tremendous range of possibilities for recreational therapists.
Painting can become an opportunity for self-expression.
A board game can provide social interaction and cognitive stimulation.
Walking can support physical wellness while providing an opportunity for conversation.
Music can evoke memories, encourage emotional expression, or simply bring enjoyment.
Gardening can provide sensory stimulation, responsibility, accomplishment, and a connection with nature.
Of course, an activity isn’t automatically therapeutic simply because a recreational therapist provides it.
The important questions remain:
Why this activity? Why this person? And what are we hoping to accomplish?
Sometimes Fun Is About Connection
Another theme deserves attention: people enjoy being with other people.
Respondents mentioned talking, socializing, spending time with friends, seeing family, participating in intergenerational programs, attending social gatherings, going into the community, and meeting peers.
That reminds us that recreation doesn’t always have to be elaborate.
Sometimes the meaningful experience is sitting outside and having a conversation.
Sometimes it’s laughing during a card game.
Sometimes it’s singing a familiar song with other people.
Sometimes it’s going somewhere in the community and feeling like you’re part of the world again.
Connection can be recreation, too.
RTs and Their Patients Have More in Common Than We Might Think
We also recently asked recreational therapists what they do for fun.
There was considerable overlap.
RTs told us they enjoy being outdoors, exercising, spending time with family and friends, reading, creating, traveling, listening to music, playing games, cooking, watching movies, and spending time with pets.
Sound familiar?
The people we serve may have different abilities, needs, diagnoses, environments, resources, and opportunities—but many of the things they enjoy aren’t very different from the things the rest of us enjoy.
We all want opportunities to choose, connect, create, explore, move, play, and experience enjoyment.
But What If Someone Doesn’t Know What They Enjoy?
Perhaps the most thought-provoking responses weren’t about activities at all.
A few recreational therapists described people who don’t seem to have many leisure interests or who may not know how to have fun.
One respondent working in a psychiatric setting said many of the people they serve don’t do much and expressed a desire to introduce them to healthy leisure outlets.
Another described people who had spent much of their lives serving others and now struggled to identify what they personally enjoyed.
That’s where recreational therapy can become especially powerful.
Sometimes our role isn’t helping someone return to a favorite activity.
Sometimes there isn’t a favorite activity yet.
We may be helping someone try something new.
Discover an interest.
Develop a leisure skill.
Experience success.
Reconnect with an old part of themselves.
Or simply realize:
“I enjoyed that. I’d like to do it again.”
Helping People Discover Their Fun
Recreational therapy isn’t about deciding what someone else should enjoy.
It’s about creating opportunities for discovery, choice, participation, and meaningful engagement.
And that may be one of the most important lessons from these responses:
Sometimes recreational therapy isn’t about helping someone do more of what they already enjoy. It’s helping them discover what they enjoy in the first place.
So here’s a question worth asking the next person you serve:
What do you do for fun?
And if they don’t have an answer yet?
Maybe that’s where the recreational therapy begins.
— Rec Therapy Today
Continuing Education Through Innovation