The Power of Play and Physical Activity

Childhood is supposed to be filled with running across playgrounds, playing games with friends, and overall, finding new ways to have fun. However, for children diagnosed with cancer, these ordinary experiences can become much harder to reach. Hospital stays, exhausting treatments, and long stretches away from school can interrupt the routines that make childhood feel normal. Cancer doesn’t just affect a child’s physical health; it also changes how they interact with the world around them. Yet, a cancer diagnosis does not have to bring childhood to a complete stop. Play and physical activity can give children opportunities to move, connect, express themselves, and simply have fun (which is the goal!). From physical strength to emotional well-being to social connection, these seemingly simple activities can have meaningful effects throughout treatment and long after it.

Cancer treatment can affect a child’s body in ways that we might not think of immediately. Children undergoing treatment or in recovery may experience fatigue, reduced muscle strength, decreased physical fitness and lower levels of physical activity overall. These changes can make returning to day-to-day activities difficult and may keep a child from participating in activities they enjoyed before their diagnosis. Moreover, research has found that physical activity interventions can help improve outcomes for symptoms such as fatigue and weakening muscles (University of Rochester, 2026;  Medical News Today). Importantly, physical activity does not have to mean an intense workout. Walking, stretching, or even dancing can provide opportunities to move. There is no universal definition of what physical activity should look like for a child with cancer; diagnosis, treatment stage, symptoms, and overall condition all influence what is appropriate, which is why these decisions should be made with the child's care team (American Cancer Society, 2025). The goal is not to make every child "exercise more”; rather, it is to help each child find safe and enjoyable ways to remain active when they are able.

We’ve seen how physical activity can support the body, but play protects something just as important: a child’s sense of being a child. During long periods in the hospital, it is easy for a young patient to feel defined and confined by their diagnosis. Their days may revolve around medications, appointments, tests, and procedures, instead of school, hobbies, or time with friends and family. Play can break that cycle. Games and drawing offer distractions from stressful situations, while giving children an opportunity to make their own choices and express themselves. UNICEF notes that play can help children manage stress, process difficult emotions, build confidence, and develop good social and emotional skills (UNICEF). These simple moments of enjoyment can create a small, yet meaningful sense of normalcy. Play doesn’t necessarily change the treatment itself, but it has the ability to change what experiencing the treatment feels like; a hospital room turned into a game room or a difficult day broken up with a bit of laughter. 

That sense of normalcy grows when children have opportunities to interact with other children. Unfortunately, cancer can separate young patients from classmates, teammates, siblings, and friends, and this isolation can continue even after treatment, as some survivors experience challenges returning to school and everyday routines. Some research has found that social influences, such as peer support, are important predictors of physical activity among childhood cancer survivors (The National Children’s Cancer Society, 2025). Other research examining physical activity and social activity programs has found that classmates can provide a welcome distraction, reduce loneliness, and promote a sense of normality for children hospitalized during cancer treatment. This is why activities such as group games and adapted sports can be meaningful –  they create opportunities for children to participate rather than simply watch from the sidelines. In these moments, play provides something that medicine cannot: it can connect one child with another without having to explain everything they are going through, whether it be physical or emotional.

Ultimately, the power of play and physical activity lies in how they address different parts of a child’s experience with cancer. Physical activity can help manage some treatment related challenges, and regain abilities that may have been affected. Play can provide stress relief, self-expression, and confidence. Social interaction can help children feel less isolated and more connected to the environment around them. Sometimes, progress against a disease simply means giving children the opportunity to be children again.

References

American Cancer Society. (n.d.). Physical Activity When You Have Cancer. American Cancer Society. Retrieved September 19, 2026, from https://www.cancer.org/cancer/supportive-care/nutrition-activity-with-cancer/physical-activity-when-you-have-cancer.html

Medical News Today. (n.d.). Exercise may lessen cancer treatment side effects, including brain fog, fatigue. Medical News Today. Retrieved September 19, 2026, from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/exercise-can-counter-detrimental-effects-of-cancer-treatment

The National Children's Cancer Society. (2025, July). The Healing Power of Friendship: Supporting Kids with Cancer. The National Children's Cancer Society. Retrieved July, 2025, from https://thenccs.org/the-healing-power-of-friendship/

UNICEF. (n.d.). How play strengthens your child's mental health. UNICEF. Retrieved September 19, 2026, from https://www.unicef.org/parenting/child-development/how-play-strengthens-your-childs-mental-health

University Of Rochester Medicine. (2026, June 4). Should Cancer Patients Exercise? What Research Says. University Of Rochester Medicine. Retrieved September 19, 2026, from https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/news/publications/health-matters/should-cancer-patients-exercise