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.
Difference between interest and hobbies
Interest and hobbies may sound similar. However, there are 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.
What types of hobbies can children pick up?
There are different types of hobbies for children to learn, either sports, outdoor, or indoor hobbies.
Indoor oriented hobbies
Indoor oriented hobbies are suitable for children who prefer to spend their leisure time indoors, or parents who intend to introduce activities to their child that take place within an enclosed area.
Examples of indoor oriented hobbies:
Playing a musical instrument
Item collections
Cooking
Art and crafts
Sculpting and pottery
Playing musical instrument
It is shown that learning to play musical instruments benefits the child when they are young. They are able to:
● Sharpen their attentiveness,
● Develop abstract reasoning,
● Develop their creativity,
● Have stronger listening and memory skills,
● Develop coordination and motor skills,
● Improve self-discipline and self-esteem.
Musical instruments for children vary, as there are different instruments for children to choose and learn from.
Such examples are:
● Xylophone (Recommended for young children)
A xylophone is a percussion instrument that is made of various graduated and tuned wooden bars, using sticks or mallets to hit on the bars. It is suggested that the xylophone came from Southeast Asia or Oceania.
● Hand percussion (Recommended for young children)
Hand percussion refers to any type of percussion that can be played or held in the hand. Most of the hand percussion is made from wood, plastic, and rattan.
● Piano (Recommended for elementary school children)
A piano is known as a pianoforte or French piano. It is a keyboard instrument with wired strings that produce sounds when it is hit by the felt covered hammers. It is suggested that Bartolomeo Cristofori invented the concept of the modern piano in Florence, 1709.
● Ukulele (Recommended for elementary school children)
The ukulele is also known as ukelele. It is a small guitar, similar to the design of a machada.
● Recorder (Recommended for elementary school children) A recorder is a wind instrument of the flute class, similar to the flageolet. Arnold Dolmetsch, an English instrument maker, created the recorders in 1919.
● Drums (Recommended for elementary, primary and secondary school) A drum is a musical instrument, in which sound is produced by hitting the stretched membrane that covers the tube or bowl of wood, metal, or pottery.
● Violin (Recommended for elementary and primary school children) A violin is a bowed string musical instrument evolved from the earlier types of bowed instruments during the Renaissance period.
● Guitar (Recommended for primary and secondary school)
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, speculated to have originated from Spain in the early 16th century.
● Flute (Recommended for primary and secondary school)
The flute is known as the French flûte or the German Flöte. It is a wind instrument that produces sound from blowing a stream of air against the edges.
● Trumpet (Recommended for primary and secondary school)
The trumpet is known as the French trompette or the German Trompete. It is a brass wind instrument that produces sounds from the vibration of the lips against the cup mouthpiece. A trumpet and a horn are different.
Different things can be collected and be a hobby for children to pick up. The things collected by children can be items that they love and adore. For example, it can be stamps, plushies, rocks, seashells, etc.
Cooking
Cooking is an important skill in life, children who learn to cook at an early age are able to manage their own meals in the future.
Different skills and techniques can be learnt in cooking, such as learning how to bake, simmer, sauté, or boil.
For a child-friendly cooking set, parents may consider getting a Masterchef Junior Baking Set, colourful Set of Mixing Bowls and Kids Knife Set.
Children may choose recipes that are easy to cook when they start learning, for example:
Chicken wraps
Pizza
Quiches
Cookies
Tomato Spaghetti
Creating art as a hobby is simple and easy. Children are able to display their creativity through their artwork, create stories and showcase their thoughts about the world.
Children may choose to either paint, draw, or use different tools to create art. Parents may provide tools such as easels, drawing blocks, colour pencils, pencils, paint brushes and materials that can function as an art (E.g. Toilet roll, socks, and clothes peg).
Sculpting and pottery
Sculpting refers to a creation that is created from carving, casting, or using other types of shaping techniques.
Sculpting and pottery can be easily done from toys such as playdoh and clay. Playdoh is highly recommended as it is not toxic to children. Playdoh provides different colours of dough in a set and shape cutters.
As for pottery, clay is typically used as the material for creating items. The concept of 3D art can be introduced to children along with pottery, since it is easier for them to understand and apply the knowledge while shaping the clay.
It is found that pottery helps to improve creativity, fine-motor skills and spatial intelligence in children. It is a good activity to consider for children to relieve their daily stress safely.
It is important to observe children when they are using clay. Certain types of clay are not suitable for them, and this is to ensure children do not put their hand (that had touched the clay) or the material into their mouth.
Parents ought to pay attention when their child is using sculpting tools, as tools can be sharp and hazardous for them. Children should be informed about the Dos and Don’ts when using the sculpting tools in their artwork.
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.
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