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Conejo Recreation & Park District Master Plan Section II <br />Play is the foundation for children's healthy development. The benefits of outdoor <br />play are maximized when developmentally appropriate equipment and materials <br />are provided. (Sawyers, 1994) <br />Preschool students exposed to a structured interventionprogram of a physical <br />education curriculum that included hopping, galloping, jumping, ball bouncing, <br />striking, kicking, catching and throwing demonstrated significantly higher <br />improvement in fundamental locomotion and object control skills than preschool <br />students who were only allowed to have unstructured physical play with limited <br />equipment. (Ishee, 2003) <br />Level of participation in sports and physical activities is positively associated with <br />psychological maturity and identity development for young women. Young men <br />tend to feel they must 1C prove" themselves through sports, so it is important to <br />structure recreation activities to allow them to feel the freedom to use sports and <br />physical activity as an exploration of alternative leisure activities and identities. <br />(Shaw, et al., 2001) <br />Because high levels of television watching by adolescents are related to low <br />levels of development (psychological maturity and identity development) <br />suggests that recreation programs in general are beneficial. (Shaw, et al., 2001) <br />Programs and services that allow youth to have input, involvement, and <br />ownership lead to positive human growth. Environments that are nurturing where <br />youth can have a sense of achievement and recognition as well as opportunities <br />for creative expression, physical activity, and social interaction provides the best <br />settings for them to achieve the five development competencies needed to be <br />successful as adults. The five competencies are: 1. Health/physical, 2. <br />Personal/social, 3. Cognitive/creative, 4. Vocational, 5. Citizenship. (Hudson, <br />1997) <br />• A significant relationship between high levels of physical activity and a higher <br />ability to integrate into peer groups, easier contact with parents and friendsand <br />a higher degree of life satisfaction were found in a year of 1 671 children , <br />, aged <br />11, 13 and 15. (PRFO, 1992) <br />b. Enhances Education <br />• Involvement in constructive, non-academic activities both at school and in the <br />community facilitates continued school engagement and academic achievement <br />as well as other aspects of positive development during adolescence and into the <br />early adult years. (Eccles, et al., 2003) <br />• Brain research confirms that physical activity enhances the learning process in <br />children. Recreational activities are powerful ways to refine children I s social, <br />decision-making, and problem -solving skills. (Isenberg and Quisenberry, 2002) <br />• Nearly 8 out of 10 teens who engage in after-school activities are "A"or "B" <br />students, but only half of teens not participating in after-school activities earn <br />11-19 <br />June 2, 2011 <br />