Throughout history, people have taken on hobbies for various reasons. Hobbies can be a form of relaxation, such as reading, a distraction, a stress reliever, or just a way to pass the time. Hobbies are a great way to keep your mind, and sometimes your body, active. If you’re looking for a past time of your own, or one to help your child develop a sense of wonder, here are some hobbies to consider.
Hobbies to Consider
Reading
Reading can be a relatively inexpensive hobby, and one that is strongly encouraged in our home. We have a lot of books in our home and make regular use of our local library system. Reading together has so many benefits. It’s also fun to find the perfect book for your child, to really cause their love of reading to blossom. Whether you love the feel of a physical book, or you prefer reading apps, there are so many genres and titles that you could literary-ily never stop reading. For those of us who have to live and do other things, audio books are a great option.
Sewing
Sewing is a skill that can certainly come in handy when saving on clothing alterations and repairs. It can go way beyond that, though. You, or your kiddo, can dele right into sewing and use it to create a new wardrobe and home decor items. It can even become a side gig for making money. My husband’s grandma made amazing quilts, both by hand and with a sewing machine. My friend, Jamie, also creates amazing quilts. Sewing technology has evolved over the years, from hand sewing, to general sewing machines, to computerized sewing machines that require almost no effort or training. Fellow blogger, Heather Woodie, shares in the surprising secret to mentoring your out of the box teen about her daughter Rebecca’s love for sewing. She encouraged Rebecca’s love for sewing and designed her high school curricula around it, which has landed her an impressive position at Cornell University.
Gardening
Gardening is another amazing hobby to pursue, independently or with your kids. Gardening in your homeschool is a great way to incorporate nature into many subjects. You can plant native flowers to feed local insects, or plant fruits and vegetables to feed your family. Either way, you’ll cultivate a love of nature and reap many benefits. If you have a kid who loves to play in the dirt, this hobby is ideal. It’s a great way to get kids outdoors, too.
Music
Gena Mayo, author of Music in our Homeschool, advocates that any parent can teach piano at home. The piano is a great hobby, and discipline, to pursue with your kids or encourage them in. Learning to play any instrument takes a lot of patience, persistence, dedication, and concentration. You, or your child, will feel intense personal satisfaction when a piece is accomplished. Not quite ready to tackle teaching piano? Try these 15 minute music lessons and add music to your homeschool days! Whether your child wants to play an instrument, wants to compose or write songs, or simply wants to belt out their favorite tunes, encouraging music is a great way to encourage creativity.
Bird Watching
Our very first unit of Gather Round Homeschool was the North American Birds unit. My kids and I were all delighted by learning about the various birds in North America, and more specifically about the birds in our area. We’ve enjoyed mornings sitting in our back yard listening to the song birds. Taking the binoculars on nature walks, to see if we can spy various nests, is especially fun. Just the other morning, my oldest daughter commented that the mourning doves and cicadas were conversing (more specifically, she said the mourning doves were telling the cicadas to shush it, LOL). I love that she recognizes the calls of both.
Notebooking
Writing is a great hobby to pursue. Some people get “stuck” with what to write about. Notebooking is a great way to get over this block. The simplest definition of notebooking is the process of recording thoughts, ideas, feelings, and facts in writing. Some people include sketches in notebooking. Notebooking is a great way to explore the creative art of writing, as well as record learning. Notebooking is also a great way to improve grammar, spelling, and overall comprehension.
I’ve only detailed a few, but there are so many different hobbies you can consider. Other hobbies you might consider exploring, either for yourself or your kids, might include.
- Dance
- Painting
- Hiking
- Running
- Photography
- Aeriel silks
- Kickboxing
- Flower arranging
- Scrapbooking
- Card games
- Chess
- Drama
- Whittling
- Welding
I could go on, but I think you get it. If you can spend time doing it, and it’s something you enjoy, it can certainly become a hobby. Spending time on a hobby, or an activity you enjoy, is a healthy habit for mental health that you can use to improve your overall mental well being.
