Leisure Skills: Play and Recreation for Young Children

Leisure skills are what you do with your free time, both at home and in the community. In early childhood, learning play and recreation skills and discovering what you like plants the seeds for having a fulfilling life as an adult.

As an adult, no one is going to be there to structure their time, reminding them what to do when. We want to empower our children to learn these skills so as an adult they’re filling their day with things they enjoy, learn from and connect with others.

Building the ability to play independently as a young child gradually gives you as a family a little free time to get things done. It also helps your child figure out what brings them joy. Exposing our children to a variety of things helps them discover what they enjoy.

Picking Activities and Encouraging Their Interests

At a young age, children learn through play. They can start learning some leisure skills by giving them some play or activity choices and telling your child to pick something they like.

Encourage their interests. Give opportunities for activities and see what they gravitate to so you and your child learn what really interests them. Allow them to try activities so you know what is and is not of interest without being obligated to long term classes. Revisit things at different ages as they may like things they didn’t have interest in later on.

Not everyone has access to a variety of activities, the time or ability to pay for them. There are activities you can do at home on the weekend or when you’re not working. For example, doing an arts and crafts project, playing simple games like go fish or getting exercise like playing ball in the backyard. Visit different parks or trails for outdoor walks looking for birds or other sights.

Be aware that preferences as a person (i.e. drawn to music) vs autism preferences (which tend to be most rigid) are both at play and should be honored. Do not push into outdoor activities like little league sports if that is not their interest. Being outdoors can pose unique challenges for sensory issues like sounds, smells and insects buzzing, flying, and crawling.

Know that parent versus child’s interests can be very different. If you loved to do a particular activity as a kid it can feel so satisfying to imagine your child doing so but does it fit their interests and needs.

Daily Schedule and Breaks

Think about how your child’s day is scheduled from when they wake up to how the day flows into evening and bedtime, especially as they enter preschool and then kindergarten. What activities do they have after school, including therapy? Start at a young age helping your child plan for making time for and choosing when they will take a break.

Reflect on timing and how you manage activities for your neurotypical vs. autistic child. It can be challenging to give them each time. Of course you can engage your neurotypical siblings and other family members to play with and help with skill building for your autistic child but keep in mind how that may affect them.

Help your child identify when they're getting overwhelmed and coping strategies, so they start to build that self-awareness. Teach them to ask for help when something is difficult.

Preparation, Enrichment and Goals

Autistic people often struggle with or don’t seek out new activities. New can be challenging. Prepare your child for new activities and experiences with what to expect, using approaches like social stories or online videos.

Take an interest in your child’s activities or learn about your child’s interests. Watch for what is most interesting about the activity such as drawing certain types of pictures or playing a favorite app or game with your child.

Give your child the visual step by step with pictures of each part of activities. The Milestones Visual Supports Tool Kit provides information and tips. Websites like Do2Learn can be helpful with picture cards and images to make your own visuals.

Help your child learn by doing things together, such as fun activities, cooking or baking.

How can you use your child’s preferences, interests and strengths to build other skills you want them to learn? Are there opportunities for social skill, play or other goals you have? For example, use Thomas the Tank Engine to teach about how to share information with a friend or how to set the table. (For example, Thomas says, don’t forget to put out the cups.)