Any activity that is performed by an individual for the purpose of enjoyment, during one’s spare time can be called a hobby. It is an activity that is done simply for the fun element and is usually associated with the interests within a person. Engaging in a hobby can have a lot of positive influence in a person. Having a hobby in children can help them in utilizing their time in a constructive manner.
Parents can play a big role in assisting their child in identifying the right hobby that matches their tastes. As each child has their own distinctive personality traits and interests careful observation, communication and team based activities can allow a parent to identify their child’s taste and nurture hobbies related to that.
Hobbies can influence a child in many ways
Engaging in a hobby can help a child to be more creative and make use of the spare time in a positive way. Hobbies offer an excellent channel to express their creative skills and learn about the world surrounding them while offering enjoyment. Hobbies can be assistive in the overall learning process and can increase self-esteem and confidence in a child. Engaging themselves in an activity that is closely connected with their tastes also lets a child to make decisions regarding their own pursuits for future.
Hobbies that are based on collecting items – like stamp collection, coin collection etc – instills the habit of organizing and cataloguing in children. Taking care of things that are precious to them and arranging them in to neat categories with background information about each item adds to their researching abilities.
Outdoor hobbies or hobbies related to nature – bird watching, gardening, hiking etc – can give positive physical and mental refreshment to the children. They can bring them close to the nature and can teach them a lot about our environment and ways in which it can be protected. Hobbies can reduce the risk of overexposure for a child to digital devices like gaming consoles, tablets and smart phones.
Some of the most common hobbies recommended for children are:
Art & Craft related hobbies
Art & Craft related hobbies like drawing, painting, paper crafts, origami, clay modeling, pottery and puppet making can fuel creative thinking and imagination in a child. These hobbies can help them in staying focused while giving proper workout for their mind. They can also teach children about patience and can improve their concentration.
These hobbies are instantly rewarding as when creating something the child enjoys a sense of achievement and accomplishment, which influences them positively. Hobbies related to art can also develop their fine motor skills and can improve their hand-eye-coordination.
Hobbies related to collecting items
Hobbies that promote collecting items like stamps, coins, rock, bird feathers etc allow a kid to freely express his enthusiasm for a particular topic. It helps a child to learn the basics of organizing things, identify themes and patterns and categorizing them. Collecting allows a child to learn how to take care of items that are personally valuable for them and maintain their collections in neat presentable manner. Preparing notes and labels about each item in the collection promotes basics of researching and cataloguing abilities.
Outdoor & Nature related hobbies
Nature related hobbies and outdoor hobbies – like gardening, bird watching, hiking, photography etc – lets a child explore the natural world surrounding him and learn more about the patterns found in nature. These hobbies bring kids close to the nature and are a great way to relax and release stress. They improve the physical abilities of the child and offers a good mental workout.
Parents can understand the interests of their children by involving themselves more in their activities and then guide them in choosing a suitable hobby. Basic support and involvement from the parents can provide all the confidence for the kid to develop a fulfilling hobby.
