Great Hobbies To Get Your Kids Into.
(Pixabay)
As parents, we all worry about our kids, possibly a little too much sometimes! When they grow into teenagers, worrying becomes even easier! Most parents are scared that their teenagers will fall in with the wrong crowd. You may have the opposite problem, in that your teenager isn’t making the most of their social life while they’re young. A great way around both of these issues is getting your child into a hobby. These are great for keeping your kids out of trouble, and meeting people they share something with. There are a lot of options out there, so here I’ve whittled it down to three hobbies which are great for teenagers.
First of all, collecting. I bet when you hear that word you think of stamps and coins. However, collecting doesn’t have to be limited to these boring niches. Your teen is in a transitional stage between child and adult. This is where they’ll be discovering their passions, and using these to form the adult they’re going to be. Pretty much any passion can be showcased in some way. Even if the niche is something close to your teenager, it can be pretty hard to get them to start collecting. You probably spend a lot of money on them as it is, but getting a present can be a fantastic way to encourage a hobby like this. Just make sure you know what to look for by talking to your kid. For example, if your teenager is particularly into music, you could buy them a couple of vinyl’s from their favorite artist. If they’re more into film, then there’s a growing trend for collecting vintage film posters and tickets.
Whatever kind of niche your kid is into, try to get them collecting. While any hobby should be primarily for fun, if your teen builds up some kind of collection it will teach them some valuable things. For starters, your teen will be more motivated to care for the things they own, and be more respectful of people’s possessions. If you give your teen an allowance, or (even better!) they have a job, it will also do a lot to teach them the value of money. As they start to become focused on the next record, statue, comic or whatever, they’ll be more inclined to save their money rather than blow it. Certain collections can also become valuable investments over time. Visit http://www.forbes.com/ if you don’t believe me!
If you know your teen wouldn’t want to start a collection, then you might want to try something creative instead. There are all kinds of options out there, and in many cases these can spark a lifelong passion. Your teenager might even have an amazing talent which they never knew about! A musical instrument is one of the most obvious choices. If you have a son, it might be worth mentioning how much of a chick-magnet guitars are! The good thing about these is there’s usually opportunities for a low-cost trial period. This will allow your kid to give an instrument a good try under the guidance of a teacher, and decide whether or not it’s for them. You don’t want to spend hundreds on a high-quality instrument and then watch it gather dust. If you want your kid to get into a hobby that won’t cost much, then writing is certainly the way to go. If your teen is already into reading, then odds are they’ve already had a lot of training without knowing it! Often, the only thing you’ll need to do to start them off is asking “have you ever thought of writing a…”. Photography is another thing a lot of teens and young adults are into, but may require a lot of expensive kit! Look at the memory cards at http://www.bulkmemorycards.com/ for an idea of what you’ll be spending.
From sculpting to graphic design, there are countless creative outlets to choose from. Although different, they all have certain developmental qualities. Obviously, your child will develop new skills, and gain knowledge as they become more and more invested in it. It doesn’t matter if their career path is totally divorced from their hobby. Going through this process can develop some really useful skills for their later professional life. As they try to improve in their hobby, it will also show them what their main strengths and weaknesses are in terms of productivity. They might be producing loads of work to a mediocre quality, or taking ages to finish a single decent piece of work. They’ll run into problems here and there, and solving them will teach them how to deal with similar issues in the world of work. At the very least, it will give them a healthy method of stress relief!
Finally, we have sports. If you’re lucky, your teenager already has a sport they’ve shown some interest in. Don’t panic if not! With the amount of different screens in modern households, it’s nothing unusual for teenagers to be couch potatoes! This is perhaps one of the easiest kinds of hobbies to get your kids into, as they probably already have a friend who’s part of a team or a club. Teenagers will be much more interested in a hobby when they know someone they can do it with. Your area’s probably got dozens of different sports clubs,so get out there and find out more! There are obvious benefits to sports, such as keeping up fitness and losing excess weight. However, an active lifestyle when they’re teenagers can encourage a healthier adult life. When your teen is concerned for their physical condition, they’ll be less inclined towards excessive drinking or drug use. Aside from this, studies have shown that athletes have a better academic performance in higher education. Of course, there’s general benefits of having your kid interacting with a lot of people their own age. Playing in a team will teach them a lot about teamwork (surprisingly) and achieving goals. Every time they go to practice, they’ll be learning to deal with conflicting personalities, communication, and getting everyone working towards a single aim.
These hobbies sound very fun. Thanks for sharing!
Many of The hobbies my parents and friends taught me as a child have turned into life long passions ~ cooking, decoupage, gardening, collage-making to name a few. Every parent should enrich their children’s lives with these blessings.
I think that it’s important for children, and adults to have hobbies.
This is a very healthy lifestyle for the kids. They need focuses that help keep them occupied to keep trouble from lurking. I liked your great review.
My daughter just learned how to ride a bike and she loves doing it all day now
I loved the article. My daughter is an artist.
I have little ones so getting them to do anything with sports or hobbies is really easy right now, but teenagers (since I was once a teenager) I can agree that I wouldnt want anything to do with sports. getting them involved is important
For one of my children it was creative activities like drawing, crafts, writing, etc. My other child enjoyed singing and cooking.
Loved this article. I think it’s important for kids to have these kinds of activities, especially sports. I wish more kids today knew how to lose and win gracefully.
Great ideas, food for thought
i dont have kids yet but these article is a good read something to keep in mind for the future
My kids are grown now thank goodness. They were always involved with sports which helped them stay out of trouble.
Very nice. Thanks for sharing.
I have three kids all with different personalities any time they show interest in something i push them to explore it in the hopes they find something their really passionate about.
These are great tips! I have 2 teens
hobbies are great! not only do kids learn. Its also a great way to spend quality time with your kids. Especially teenagers when it seems you get so little time with. My girls & I volunteered at the local animal shelter & became really involved in rescue. Those times are some of the best memories together. But camping/biking etc they all work to bond & keep them out of trouble tooo!
I agree that kids definitely need a couple of hobbies. It helps them build confidence and helps keep them out of trouble!
Great ideas!
These are some great tips. My kids love getting involved in music, sports and other extracurricular activities. Right now we’re busy with Boy Scouts and after-school bowling club/class.
great tips, thanks for sharing.
My grandson’s favorite sport is soccer. He loves playing at school.
ı love them…
I am a true believer in allowing your child to get involved in many things and then chose which is best for him or her. If it only works for one season so be it. They tried..
Awesome for you and your family!
Great tips and ideas.
I wish more folks were involved with the kiddo like this!
Great article. My daughter is into music and is also pretty creative, from time to time she gets into arts and crafts.
I love when kids are part of a team.
We are in the soccer , theatre and dance.
I had many collections as a kid myself. There is pride in ownership.
Just trying to comment on the Shark.
My kids are involved in soccer and gymnastics.
Interesting subject. I do believe that kids do need a hobby to stay out of trouble.
This is a great idea. My kids always involve themselves in some sport or another. Keeps them active and social.
These are all wonderful ideas to keep teens active and to stay out of trouble. My 2 granddaughters (sisters) are only 5 and 10 years old but they take gymnastic classes, the younger sister takes swimming lessons, and the older sister takes cello lessons. It is important to let them try new activities and learn new skills.
Sports are great to burn off energy on little ones, I just wish they were safer.
I think everyone should have a hobby and keep busy in some way or another
Excellent hobbies. My daughter is involved in a service organization in her school. They are always coordinating drives, fundraisers, etc. She felt so honored to take part in the Wreaths Across America program this past Christmas.
I agree kids need to have hobbies that keep them healthy & occupied!
Great read! I’m hoping to get my daughter into sports or something fun when she gets older. Great idea to keep kids out of trouble!
Something positive for kids to do – yes!!
These are all great hobbies for kids! I definitely can’t wait til mine are old enough to have an interest! 🙂
It is so important to get your kids involved in things like this and not sitting in front of the tv playing video games.
My kids love sports and music.
Who doesn’t love sports
Sports, hobbies and activities are all great ways to keep kids busy and out of trouble. 🙂
These are great ideas for kids of all ages. We are thinking of getting the grandkids into some type of musical instrument. Thank you for the great article
Getting your kids in extra curricular activities are great. It teaches them good sports men ship, team work. and it keeps them focused on good things they could use as they get older instead of the video games all day.
I would never have considered collecting as a way to keep teens out of trouble. What a great idea!
Great article. Kids should definitely be involved in activities – be it sports or other type of hobbies – theatre, music, scouts, church youth group, volunteering. It lets them open up their social circle and allows them to develop so many skills that they will need when they are an adult. We always just have to be careful to make sure that they don’t become over-committed. Kids need some down-time and family time too.
When my kids were young, we had them in sports all year round! Softball, Soccer, Basketball, Dodgeball, Bowling, Swimming, Table Tennis, Roller & Ice Skating & of course, the church’s activities like Awanas! Thank God they didn’t have those tablets or iPhones! They had Nintendo & Atari, but there was a time limit and my girls weren’t interested in them for long periods of time.
Children do wonderful when there young there brains work so quickly once they understand the basic trick in learning. How ever parent are so busy working and don’t have the time. I vast to try to teach them all you can.
Wish we could talk all parents and kids to get kids outside playing more! Great ideas!
Not all kids have sport abilities.
These are all great hobbies!! Maybe I’ll check them out.
having hobbies are an important part of growing up and becoming who we are today… gives us friendships with like minded people
This is a wonderful post and I also believe it is important to have your kids or grandkids involved in something. I pay for my grandchildren to be involved in sports, science museum or whatever it is that they want to do to keep their interest in something.
We always encouraged my Daughter to tray all kinds of new things, she liked bowling and cheerleading. We love music and my husband and I play and sing. Now with my Granddaughter, she is encouraged by her parents and grandparents. We all do different things with her so she can see if she likes something. With the new baby coming along we will continue with him also. I think the big thing is not to push, if the child doesn’t like something like you do. accept it and try something new.
Encouraging kids to pursue something extracurricular gives them the opportunity to find out what they like and/or excel at. Great idea for all…even adults! 🙂
I’m a Nana now and I enjoy seeing my grand children blooming into their lives & hobbies!
Great ideas. Music is a favorite at our house.
I think it’s important for kids to have hobbies to keep them active these days!! These are great ideas!!
My kids are loving playing soccer and learning guitar. One still hasn’t found his interest yet but he’s trying lots of things.
I definitely agree! My daughter is young and is involved with gymnastics and swimming. I let her try a few other things first to see what she liked best.
Great ideas! My oldest son doesn’t like to really do anything but finally got him playing the saxophone, I hope he sticks to it. I have two other boys and would love to get them into doing some kind of collection.
Both of my kids were enrolled in sports & other programs they seemed to have interest in & had to stick it out for 6 months. My son ended up going to college for free on a sports scholarship, so that was nice! Also, when kids are involved in sports, they sleep better & learn to manage their time properly…
These are some great ideas!
Yes, i’m definitely worried when my kids hit the teenage years. Hopefully I’m doing a good job laying a strong foundation now. They have both started playing team sports.
We have been looking for a hobby for our son. He was just gifted an electric guitar and we are looking into lessons for him. I think he is going to love it and think I need to invest in earplugs.
Kids need to exercise and to keep busy..
sports are social activities for kids
These are great ideas to get the kids motivated in new Hobbies!
Thanks for the great ideas!
Thanks for this post , these are great ideas, especially with summer right around the bend.
This is great, a lot of children play video games way too much.
Love your ideas.
Love this post! Kids today need hands on hobbies that get them out from the computer, television, and video games and back into real life. It is healthier for them mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually, and of course socially. Kids who have healthy hobbies develop a sense of accomplishment and self worth. Hobbies can build self confidence. Hobbies also help kids make better choices with their behavior and time.
Such great ideas. As a kid, I started getting into photography and over the years, it continued. Now, in my mid-twenties, I’m sad to say, that i’ve not necessarily lost interest, but just can’t get the motivation back to do it
This is great because it keeps them interested in learning. I never cared when my son wanted to switch sports/instruments/activities as long as he finished out the season and then explored something new.
Oh I remember those music days my youngest son took Tuba classes and that thing was bigger than him but he enjoyed if and also helped him learn to pay attention at his baseball team he was on so music did help him with baseball
We have always encouraged our kids to be involved in sports at a young age. We have a local club and all the the kids participate in soccer.
Kids need a hobby that does not include electronic devices! Great to encourage them!
great ideas.
Great tips! My kids are young but it won’t be long before they hit their teen years. I’ve already gotten them started on collecting.
I think all kids benefit from an outdoor sport/physical activity. For the obvious health reasons and to interact with friends. There is too much in the way of non verbal communication in technology today.
Great ideas! Thanks
My son wasn’t really into playing sports but he was into talking about it. He liked to read and write about it a lot. He ended up going to college and writing about sports and other news.
I like the idea of music as a hobby, it creates a outlet for a lot of various things.
I am going to have to start my five year boy on some kind of sport this summer. Hopefully, he can start with learning how to swim first.
Hobbies are great for kids and sports builds character and teaches team work.
All of these are great ideas, but I especially love playing music. Apparently it is the only thing that actually exercises your whole brain. 😀
Hobbies are important.. they keep kids busy, off the streets and not doing anything illegal.
super important.
I feel that hobbies are important and these are some good ones. My nephew is into music and is learning guitar.
Hobbies and sports are so important.
I definitely plan on getting my kids involved in sports.
These are all really great ideas.
I think any of the things you mentioned would benefit kids nowadays. I wasn’t able to have children, but I see so many parents not involved in their child’s life. To guide them to find their inner passion for whatever it is should be a top priority along with encouragement and praise.
I’m still a firm believer in stamp collecting, it gave me a great grounding in history and geography when I was a kid.
All my kids are grown and out of the house. I worked all the time when my kids were home and I REALLY regret not getting them into sports or some kind of outside interest. I thought I was doing the right thing by working my butt off to provide for them but now I realize I missed the opportunity to create a relationship with my kids. Now I am disabled and restricted to my house and I sit here day after day without even a call from my kids. ^ kids and I only see them once a year a Christmas when I have a terminal heart disease. Spend time with your kids while you have the opportunity. You never know when that time will end.
This is a great article! My daughters are both into collecting, one likes to collect rocks and little knick knacks and they both also collect puffy stickers! I’m waiting for the day they want to take on my stamp collection, which I still have from when I was a kid. 🙂
My daughter was in basketball soccer, volley ball. Ski club. She did great in all sports she played I was working full time tried to make it to as many of her sports. I was exhausted trying to keep up with her. I am not working and wish I could get to see her play again. I really miss seeing her in sports.
I have such an artistic family!! I hope that my son got that gene from them because I severly lack it lol!! I was always very good at collecting though 🙂 Just never had the attention span for long time collections!
i think every child should be exposed to musical instruments
I wish I would have got more involved in sports when I was a kid.
Wonderful article. My teen found herself in theater and in forensics (speech and debate). It has helped her have minimal fear talking in front of others and brought out her creativity. This will carry her well into college and beyond!
My 6’8″ son would walk down the halls in high school with coaches following him, trying to get him into basketball or football but he was a computer geek. I was glad he didn’t join; you can’t blow out your knees working on a computer!
When I was younger, the only hobbies I had were drawing and writing. I wasn’t good at either, really, but I didn’t realize that then. lol I’m still writing–or at least I want to. My mom did not assist me on that front, as she took away our computer during high school.
The more the parent can get involved & help the teen with their activity the better.
Kids to to be outside, Not inside behind a machine
I think that getting a child involved in a sport or any appropriate activity is important. Promotes social activity instead of technology all the time.
My kids are all grown up, but my granddaughter is 3 years old. I wish I would have pushed my kids to be in more group things, but thank God they didn’t get involved in anything bad (because of their boredom!). My granddaughter is already in ballet, which she loves so much! I think it helps kids so much! Thank you for the info! God bless everyone!
Its very important to have children involved in activities. Mine aren’t that into sports, but there are many other things they like.
Yes , we are all into sports, one of the ways to stay in shape, learn how to work together and have fun!
I definitely think that hobbies help kids develop and learn skills that they otherwise wouldn’t. Group sports are definitely one of the hobbies that can help kids learn social skills too.
These days, it’s just great to see children outside playing anything instead of inside on technology 24/7.
I agrre that I would love for my kiddos to have some hobbies that don’t involve screens. I don’t have teenagers yet, but I will before too long! We are trying to expose them to many options so they can find what really interests them.
My kids have lots of energy so I’m always struggling to come up with fun new activities.
MY KIDS are in baseball and t-ball they are very active
I love getting my kids to try new things recently my oldest son has gotten into soccer
Getting our kids into activities will help them grow and to learn skills for the future.
This sounds like a great idea to get the kids involved
Great tips! When I was a kid I loved playing kick ball outside 🙂
I think kids should do what they are interested in. If they aren’t athletic, I wouldn’t push it.
My daughter’s hobby with the marital arts in her tweens has resulted in a 2nd Degree Black Belt. But in her later teens it was a challenge jut to keep her in the club! Music is also great life long passion.
Wow inspiring. Thanks for ideas.
I have just started a hobby with my grandsons. They love rocks and are always digging for ‘gems’. I bought them a rock tumbler and a book to identify different kinds of rocks and they are very enthusiastic about it. Looking for unique rocks can be done almost anywhere.
It’s good to talk to your kids and find out what they really have a passion for doing and encourage them to do it, if it’s something like music, writing, art, sports, offer to enroll them in some classes.
I think it is especially important that a child gets into something they love!
Great ideas! We love getting into musical instruments and playing in the school shows. My niece and nephew love Sports also!
The more the parent can get involved & help the teen with their activity the better.
My Daughter is a Girls Scout so she is into all sorts of things. I do love the idea of vinyl records… She LOVES her music! She has signed up for Choir for her 6th grade year. I can’t believe we have already registered her for 6th grade.. she’s still has to finish 5th grade. Oh gosh, they grow up too fast!
I have raised 3 kids, mow in their 20’2 and 30’s. I agree that all kids need to findnwjatnmakesntjem click. They nneednto experience Lots.of.different things.
I am always looking for ways to get my kids involved in things. But they cost so much where I live. Sports and music and more will help kids in many ways.
I don’t have a teenager yet but I will in 2 years. I can’t believe it.
Hobbies are so great. My mom made sure I always had hobbies to keep me busy. My hobbies were writing to movie stars and getting their pictures and making foam magnets. I am 50 some now and still remember how much fun I had with my hobbies.
It is so true that kids have a larger interest in things if they are doing them with a familiar place. At least until they get accustomed to them. Then it doesn’t seem to effect them as much if a friend drops out.
my kids are very active in sports they collect autographs as well as memorabilia and take care of it
I agree and believe it is important for kids to find social activities that they enjoy. And as parents we need to encourage and nurture their interests.
good ideas here
Wow all of these are really great ideas. I know my oldest loves drawing and the supplies can be somewhat expensive but well worth it if he enjoys it. Then my next to the oldest loves to write and is very good at it! My 2 youngest have not found a real interest in any one thing so I am struggling with them so this is awesome and I know the earlier you get them involved the better.
I agree it is always interested to get children involved in other things than computers. My boys were in all the sports plus took two musical instruments and they loved it.
It’s hard with teenagers sometimes, gotta find a common ground and help them find their little niche and what they enjoy doing.
I think team sports help kids learn to work together.