A play-based recreational program and its impact on developing creative thinking among female students at the College of Education

Abstract

Games, in their various forms and activities, represent one of the most effective means of stimulating thought, as they provide individuals with opportunities to acquire new knowledge, skills, and experiences that foster creativity and enhance the development of creative thinking abilities.

The present study aims to examine the effectiveness of a proposed game-based recreational program in developing innovative thinking skills among female students. The research sample was randomly selected and consisted of 35 female students from the College of Education for Women, Department of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, who were divided into experimental and control groups.

The experimental procedure was conducted during the 2025–2026 academic year. The findings revealed that the proposed recreational program had a significant positive impact on the development of innovative thinking among the participants, as evidenced by the superior performance of the experimental group compared to the control group.

In light of these results, the researcher recommends adopting and implementing the proposed game-based recreational program within university settings, owing to its demonstrated effectiveness in enhancing students’ innovative and creative thinking skills.