The Concept of Health and Wellbeing Across the Lifespan

This chapter focuses on the six aspects of health and how play can impact positively, respecting individual needs and capabilities. Physical health is perhaps the most readily identifiable aspect of overall health and wellbeing. Emotional health is important for the achievement of all-round health and wellbeing in that it will influence an individual's motivation and capacity to make positive lifestyle choices. The attainment of positive health and wellbeing cannot be achieved by an individual in isolation; it relies on the maintenance of social health and community wellbeing. A further aspect of health and wellbeing is spiritual health, which is perhaps also the most subject to personal interpretation. Mental health is a key component in the mosaic of holistic wellbeing, interacting synergistically with the other five aspects of health. Environmental health is the platform upon which other aspects of health stand. The flexibility and adaptability of play is ideally suited to the multi-faceted notion of health and wellbeing.