Hobbies refer to enjoyable activities done by others in their free time.
Hobbies do not include activities that are done in one’s main occupation.
Why is having a hobby important?
Hobbies are activities that can help one to gain new skills and knowledge. It brings enjoyment to one’s life and refreshes themselves with activities that they are passionate about. Such benefits are:
● Management of free time becomes fruitful due to picking up new hobbies.
● People gain more confidence as they become masterful in their crafts from picking up hobbies.
● People are able to lower their stress and make their life enjoyable.
● Picking up new hobbies can improve one’s social circle.
Why is it essential to have a hobby for children?
Picking up new hobbies helps children to learn more about themselves, their passion, strength, weakness, and talents.
Children are able to build up their confidence and self-esteem, while stimulating their brains.
It becomes essential for children as they will develop an appreciation for life, learn important life skills, improve their social skills, stand a higher chance of monetizing their hobbies, and explore new options in their life.
Interest and hobbies may sound similar. However, there are distinct differences between the two words.
Hobbies require complete attention and participation in the activity. The activity done must be done regularly with one’s dedication, in their leisure time.
Interest refers to the emotions and the want to educate oneself about the topics, for them to participate in the activity related to their interest, which can be a hobby. Income can be made from an interest, if one pursues a career out of it.
There are different types of hobbies for children to learn, either sports, outdoor, or indoor hobbies.
Outdoor oriented hobbies
Outdoor oriented hobbies do not need to be related to sports.
Most of the activities related to the outdoor hobbies guide the child to learn more about the world they live in.
Examples of outdoor oriented hobbies are:
● Astronomy
● Collection and observation of live specimens
● Photography
● Gardening
● Walks and strolls
Astronomy refers to the study of the universe outside the Earth’s atmosphere.
Most of the objects that are studied in astronomy can only be seen with the use of telescopes and other instruments. This applies to galaxies that are light years away from the solar system - the Milky Way, space particles, dark matter, dark energy, gravity and black holes.
Objects such as the sun, the moon, planets and stars, which can be seen by our eyes are included in the study.
Children may pick up astronomy to observe the objects within the universe. This helps them learn more about Earth, and the different objects that are found in the universe.
For example, children may stargaze outdoors using a telescope to learn more about stars and constellations. Parents may consider buying astronomy books and a constellation globe to enrich their child’s learning process.
Hobbies about collections for children do not need to start with stamps.
Parents may set up tanks with natural habitats while the child collects live specimens they are interested in. For example, this can include insects, rocks, small creatures, seashells, etc.
Magnifying glasses are highly recommended to be used for children to observe the surrounding objects in the natural habitats of live specimens. For children to gain more knowledge about the environment and specimens, parents may consider getting books about nature and creatures.
After setting up tanks and learning about nature and its creatures, children may document the information in a journal.
This information may include the name, stages of life, size, weight, looks, natural habitat and the diet of the specimen. Photos of the specimen’s stages of life can be added in the journal for better documentation.
Photography can be easily learned as children are exposed to electronic devices with cameras early in their life.
Learning about photography benefits the children greatly, they learn how to:
Improve their self-esteem and confidence with new photography skills.
Plan and present their skills to others.
Show their creativity and potential in their works.
Use opportunities to show their innovative ideas.
Communicate ideas, thoughts, and emotions with others in their photography work.
Develop personal ideas and designs in their works.
With a camera in hand, children can:
● Take pictures of things they find interesting around their environment.
● Describe the pictures they had taken.
● Tell stories about the photos they had taken.
Gardening guides children to develop new skills and learn about responsibility, physical activity, botany, creativity in ways of growing food and nutrition. Children will be able to understand cause and effect, reasoning and discovery.
To develop interest in gardening for children, parents should:
● Make information and steps simple
● Provide space in the garden for children
● Use tools and equipment that are light, easy to use and suitable for children
● Grow plants that unique and fascinating
However, safety in the garden should be followed.
Children should use tools that are suitable for them.
Sprays and fertilizers should be kept away from children.
Avoid using chemicals for gardening.
Equipment and tools should be kept in a safe place.
Fences and gates should be firm and secure.
Shades should be provided in the garden to prevent heat stroke.
Children should wear clothes that are suitable for gardening.
Buckets of water should not be placed around children and toddlers that are unattended.
Various types of activities can be conducted in the garden. For example, children may water the garden, dig the plant beds, flower picking, planting seeds, etc.
Walks and strolls can be done at any time of the day and different places.
Children may bring their equipment around to observe and see things that appear in their surroundings. They are able to learn about different things around them just by strolling and walking.
Parents may learn and provide details, information, and fun facts while explaining about the creatures to the child. Not only is it memorable for the child, they are able to spend time with their parents and improve their relationship.
Different activities can be done just by walking and strolling. For example, children may play I Spy, What do I see, do storytelling, think about the reason they appreciate nature, etc.
Walks and strolls around nature have shown to benefit children. Such benefits are:
● Development of better attention spans
● Better self-discipline and self-confidence
● Improved creativity
● Better physical fitness
● Improve social connections in children
● Decrease stress levels
● Improve children’s engagement to learning
Parents ought to let their child engage and be curious about the surrounding things in nature. They should:
● Let their child have fun, while being safe.
● Let their child experience nature, allowing them to be dirty and exposed to viruses, bacteria, germs, and parasites. Which helps them to build up their immune system and lower their chance of being inflicted by allergies and illness in the future.
● Let their child lead the way and route in the natural environment.
● Encourage their child to explore and be creative, flip rocks over, looking at tree branches, etc.
I hope the information available helps you to understand more about the hobbies that are suitable for children. As this article may serve as an aid to help you introduce various types of hobbies for your child to learn and pick up.
NURTURE INFANT HOUSE (Tampines)
Nurture Infant House, one of the best infant care in Tampines, provides an infant care programme for infants aged 2 months to 18 months old. Teachers from our infant care Tampines or infant care at Tampines are trained, qualified, respectful, responsive to the infants. They are flexible with their approach to learning and can interchange their teaching method to accommodate your infant’s preferred method.
The infant's daily routines in our Tampines infant care include a good mix of structured activities such as introducing infants to a variety of colours, textures, and sounds etc, eat time, playtime and rest.
We have over 30 years of experience in nurturing thousands of infants, toddlers and preschoolers so you are looking for a good Tampines infant care, Tampines preschool or Tampines childcare, do consider Nurture Infant House.
Located beside our Tampines infant care is our Genesis Childcare 1989.
If you are looking for a Tampines preschool or childcare Tampines near Tampines Central for playgroup, nursery or kindergarten, you can consider enrolling your child in Genesis Childcare 1989. Our Tampines childcare is one of Singapore's leading childcare services. Visit our childcare at Tampines and Tampines preschool to learn more about our curriculum and how we ensure a holistic development for your child.
Lastly, would you like to visit our Nurture Infant House to find out more about our environment and setup as well as understand our operations by talking to our teachers and supervisor?
You can visit us at the following venues:
Nurture Infant House (2 to 18 months Infants)
Blk 433 Tampines Street 43 #01-61 Singapore 520433
Genesis Childcare 1989 (Playgroup to Kindergarten 2)
Blk 433 Tampines Street 43 #01-63/65 Singapore 520433
Opening hours: Monday to Friday (7am to 7pm) & Saturday (7am to 2pm)
Public Bus services: 8 / 21 / 28 / 29 / 293
Tel: 96664141
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