This article reviews the history of emergence and appearance of children's recreation both in Russia and abroad. Its emergence and transformation through time according to changes in political and economic areas of the state are analyzed. The classification of types of children's recreation with indication of strong and weak points of the latter is given. The incomplete legal regulation of this sector is detected. Moreover, suggestions for improvement of the legal framework are made. This study can be interesting for both students of higher economic schools and representatives of legislative initiative bodies.