Unknown author2024-11-042024-11-042024-02-26https://eresearch.qmu.ac.uk/handle/20.500.12289/13976Recreational therapy has been recognized as a very effective way to support the mental health of children who are the victims of armed conflict. However, there is a lack of robust and culturally sensitive evaluation procedures that can assess the effectiveness and quality of recreational therapy programs in fragile, conflict-affected settings. The purpose of this paper is to define the best practices in program implementation and find innovative approaches to evaluation by conducting a systematic literature review that was published over the last decade. Some key best practices identified are the provision of age-appropriate play, nature-based activities, skills-building, engaging family and community, culturally sensitive and individualized care, and a multidisciplinary team approach. Exposure to conflict was found to be detrimental to the mental health and development of children. The existing evaluation tools are often limited by their applicability in emergency settings. Combined with participatory and mixed methods approaches, there is a growing interest in a valid and contextualized assessment. The study gives recommendations that are supposed to assist in the development of programs based on evidence, their implementation, and evaluation, the purpose being to increase support for conflict-affected children.