Leisure

Leisure (or free time) is when a person can choose what to do. During a person's leisure time, they do not have an obligation to be at school or work at a job. During leisure time, people can do fun activities, family activities, or other non-work activities, such as hobbies.

Two girls playing

Common forms of recreation or leisure are:

• Playing sports, such as football or hockey
• Playing games, such as chess or cards
• Exercising (e.g. running or lifting weights)
• Watching television and movies
• Listening to music
• Hobbies, such as playing piano or guitar, knitting, or sewing
• Travelling
• Reading
• Drawing
• Painting

A vacation or holiday is one example of a setting that is specifically for leisure. During vacation, some people travel to a different region or country and stay at a hotel so that they can do things they could not do near home. Other people prefer to spend their vacation time at home in their own community.

In rich industrialized countries such as the US and Canada as well as in most European countries, workers are allowed to stay home on the weekend (usually Saturday and Sunday) and use it as leisure time. People in poorer developing countries usually have less leisure time, as they have to work longer hours and more days per year.