Hobbies aren’t just fun. Hobbies are instrumental to your child’s development. Through hobbies, kids nurture their curiosity, learn self-discipline and goal-setting, make friends and develop their self-esteem. However, hobbies aren’t one-size-fits-all. The right hobby for your child depends on his or her personality and interests. Thankfully, there are a wide range of hobbies that offer benefits to children. These are seven hobbies worth exploring with your child.

1. Drawing

Drawing develops fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination and strategic thinking. Encouraging interest in the arts is also a wonderful way to boost confidence in children who struggle in traditional classroom environments. Getting started drawing is easy and inexpensive. In addition to keeping drawing supplies freely available, suggest drawing exercises, direct kids to instructional videos and purchase workbooks that teach drawing techniques.

2. Astronomy

Backyard astronomy is a great way to cultivate a love of the sciences and learn about famous astronomers, space exploration and ancient mythology. With nothing but the naked eye and star charts, your child can learn about the stars and planets dotting the night sky. To dive deeper, invest in binoculars or a telescope and seek out areas with minimal light pollution. StarDate explains where to go for darker skies.

3. Chemistry

If your child prefers a more hands-on approach to science, give home chemistry experiments a try. Your child will gain an early understanding of important chemistry concepts and have fun getting her hands dirty. You don’t have to bring dangerous chemicals into the home for a chemistry hobby; kids can execute experiments like making a glass of lava with safe ingredients found around the house.

4. Rock Collecting

Collecting is a popular type of hobby for kids, but collecting sports memorabilia or action figures gets expensive quickly and doesn’t offer much educational benefit. Rock collecting, on the other hand, costs nothing and is highly educational. Through rock collecting, kids learn about types of rocks and minerals and how molecular structural and natural processes work together to create different shapes and colors. Kids can start rock collecting around the neighborhood, but as their interest grows, travel to different natural settings to find new types of rocks.

5. Playing a Musical Instrument

Playing a musical instrument is considered one of the most intellectually beneficial hobbies for kids. As an article published on Kent State University’s site explains, playing an instrument improves academic performance, creative thinking, coordination and self-discipline, among other skills. Enrolling your child in a school band or orchestra program is the most inexpensive way to get started, however, your child may learn faster with the addition of private lessons.

6. Wilderness Survival

If you want to nurture your child’s independent, adventurous spirit and demonstrate how to stay safe in a dangerous situation, introducing them to wilderness survival is the perfect idea. Parents can get started early by teaching kids how to read a compass, locate water and find shelter. As kids get older, they can learn about building fires, foraging for edible foods and administering first aid.

7. Dancing

Physical activity is essential to kids’ health, but playing a team sport isn’t the only way to raise an active child. If your child shies away from sports, introduce him or her to dancing. Dancing grows your child’s strength, flexibility, and coordination and teaches good posture. Enrolling your child in a group dance class is a great entry point. According to ActivityHero, parents can expect to pay $40 to $120 per month for weekly dance lessons in addition to buying dance clothes and shoes.

 

Once your child has found a hobby that interests him or her, be sure to set aside enough time for your child to explore that hobby. You should also consider getting involved yourself! Parental involvement not only encourages kids to commit to their hobby, it’s also a great way to strengthen your bond and create meaningful memories with your child.

Images via Pixbay

Post Credit : Daniel Sherwin