Here are six hobbies that will enable our kids to have fun while also learning valuable skills.
Unsplash | Phil Hearing
Painting
Painting and drawing is a fantastic hobby for fostering creativity in kids, but it’s also an invitation for them to learn about colours, practice their hand-eye coordination and develop their mobility skills throughout their early years. Art is a wonderful hobby for self-expression for kids of all ages and it can also help younger children develop skills that will come in useful when it comes to learning how to write and communicate later on in life.
Cooking
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Whether it’s real baking or make-believe, cooking combines sensory play, the importance of following processes and mathematics. There are numerous educational benefits for kids when it comes to helping out in the kitchen, as well as helping them to develop life skills that will benefit them later in life.
Reading recipes helps young children to follow instructions and practice safety procedures, as well as teaching them patience as they’ll need to complete each stage before moving on to the next one. It’s a great hobby to enjoy with your kids as you can create things together and enjoy quality time too.
Reading
Unsplash | Josh Applegate
Reading is a fantastic hobby to get kids involved with early on in life, helping them to develop a rich vocabulary, improve their language and communication skills, and help them to express their ideas in a more creative way.
Not only that, but it’s a hobby that costs next to nothing for them to get involved with, particularly if you have a library close by, and it’s something that offers a variety of topics for them to explore. If your kids enjoy story time and listening to stories, encourage them to take up reading as a hobby to motivate them to seek out new books and genres.
Music
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From birth, parents use music to calm their kids and engage them, so it’s no surprise that children enjoy listening to music. A fun hobby that children love is learning a musical instrument and in addition to helping them develop rhythm and listening skills, studies have shown that it can help kids become more creative individuals later in life.
Kids as young as three years old can experience the benefits of learning an instrument, from maths and reading skills to improving their memory and helping them learn discipline.
Gardening
Unsplash | Filip Urban
Kids love to run around the garden, so why not encourage them with a hobby that enables them to spend time outdoors while also learning new skills? Gardening is engaging for little ones and it promotes physical, mental, emotional and sensory development, Through gardening, your children will learn about different types of plants, insects and how plants grow, as well as boosting their confidence and sense of responsibility. What’s more, it’s a physical hobby that gets kids outside and encourages movement.
Cycling
Unsplash | Jordan Sanchez
Whatever age your child is, cycling is a hobby that opens up a variety of opportunities for them and for the whole family. It’s an activity that they can enjoy with friends after school, on family bike rides and on holidays. Younger children can benefit from tricycles to help them with stability, as they’re lighter and easier to propel while they’re still learning.
Cycling is a physical hobby that not only helps with your kids’ fitness and health, but it also teaches them balance and mobility skills, and maintaining awareness of their surroundings for safety.
Final thoughts
Hobbies help your kids to grow into curious, engaged individuals and it’s wonderful watching them find their passions in life through leisure activities. Encourage your children to take up new hobbies as their interests grow and guide them in the direction of activities that will help them explore different subjects and skills.
From a young age, children have a desire to learn and these hobbies are just a few which can help them with those all-important developmental skills that will serve them well throughout their life.
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