List of Hobbies for Kids (Girls and Boys)
Hobbies help to feel personal accomplishment and build self-esteem. If you are looking for some cool ideas for hobbies for kids you have come to the right place. Collecting and trading baseball cards is a popular pastime among kids, but there are many more to choose from, not only watching television and playing video games, but there are many more fun hobbies that kids of all ages would enjoy.
While browsing this post you’ll be able to choose from indoor or outdoor hobbies, hobbies in nature, artistic hobbies, art & craft, science-related, and collecting hobbies. Boys and girls, three-year-olds or eleven-year-olds, this list includes hobbies for everyone, even for tweens and teenagers. But first, let’s take a look at how to find the right hobbies for kids.
How to help your kids to find new hobbies?
The easiest way to find a hobby for your kids is to ask them what they want to do, after they express their wishes provide them with resources to start with their favorite hobby.
Another way to find new hobbies is to introduce your hobby to your kids, let them watch you do something creative and fun, maybe they will join you.
You can also take them to explore interesting places like collector’s studios, art galleries, museums, plays, or concerts. This way they can learn new things and discover their new area of interest.
But before taking any action browse the following list and get some hobby ideas. If your kids know how to read already, show them this post and let them choose their favorite option.
List of Hobbies for Kids
Art & Craft for Kids
Creating stuff from all sorts of material can be a very fun way to improve a child’s motor skills and creative thinking. When kids are 3 or 4 years old they can begin with some crafts. According to some research, such time spent helps to built resilience and children’s positive mental well-being.
Origami
The art of folding paper can encourage your child to think critically and improve motor skills. Statistics show that children aged eight or over can fully understand the instructions on how to fold origami. Some schools include this creative paper folding technique in their school curriculum as well. If you want to start with origami search for videos and courses that exist online.
Cooking
Cooking is one of those skills that will serve a child for a lifetime. If they like to help you with cooking and are old enough to start, encourage them to take part in children’s cooking or baking course. It is recommended that you start with simple recipes and thus move on to more complex knowledge. Cooking is one of the best hobbies for the whole family.
Scrapbooking
Writing, coloring, and drawing helps to strengthen the creative abilities and self-confidence of the child. Scrapbooking is a creative and fun way to express a child’s thoughts and ideas. It’s a great hobby especially for those kids who already love to make or decorate things.
Knitting
Children can start sewing or knitting by hand at the age of five. If they pursue this hobby, they can learn a variety of techniques that interest them. Grandmothers in particular, who have this knowledge and can give useful advice, can be of great help here. There are also online or online courses where children can learn intricate knitting techniques to create various shapes.
Woodcraft
You can already introduce children to woodworking at a young age. But, you need to familiarize them with safety and teach them how to use the tool properly. Making wooden objects promotes good development of motor skills, focus, accuracy, logical thinking, and perseverance.
Hobbies in Nature for Kids
Nature-related hobbies are inspiring and allow you to discover natural and primary beauty. Connecting with nature in this way develops human resilience and creates well-being in general. Through nature-related hobbies, you gain practical learning experiences that are important for social and general development in both young and old.
Nature Watching
Watching nature can be a great experience for people of all ages especially children. Kids love to learn about it and explore wildlife with their own eyes. There are numerous sports activities you can do along (trekking, camping…). Many also take a soothing walk through a nearby park to watch sunrise or sunset.
Gardening
Gardening engages kids to learn about nature and nature-related things. It gives the knowledge about plants and soil, plant life cycles, and all kinds of animals such as insects or worms. Dealing with plants will keep your child in good physical and mental condition, confident and responsible. With the right approach, digging, watering, composting and potting gardening can become an adventure of a lifetime.
Caring For Animals
Kids and animals tend to go very well together. If you teach your child how to take care of their pets, they will become more responsible, patient, and compassionate. By including your child in pet care activities, they will build up a relationship with the animal and they will better understand life. If your home is not suitable for animals, then you can always encourage your children to volunteer at a local animal shelter.
Organic Farming
Organic farming is farming without chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Introduce your child to organic farming and explain what this is and why such a method is important, it can make your child aware of the prudent use of natural resources and greater sustainability. If you have the opportunity, take him to an organic farm to observe, learn, and practice. Talk and discuss it for better understanding.
Recycling Waste
Convert waste material such as paper, cardboard, plastic, or steel cans into a variety of new things. It is a creative hobby that can be fun and educational for children, this way they will also learn to be conscientious about nature. Encourage your child to pursue recycling at home.
Artistic Hobbies for Kids
Hobbies related to performance and artistic expression can help children’s cognitive and physical development. These hobbies also help with the psychosocial and emotional well-being of the child. Performance hobbies are usually approached by children who are already interested in music or any other art.
Singing
Singing is one of the most fun hobbies for boys and girls. Singing can relax the mind and deliver physiological benefits, such as more enhanced respiratory and cardiac function. Attending professional singing courses can improve a child’s singing skills and result in better confidence.
Dancing
Dancing is similar to singing, is a good hobby even for 4 or 5 years old boys and girls. It encourages your child’s creative and artistic expression with the body. It relaxes the mind and helps maintain a healthy body. If your kid enjoys dancing, it is advisable that you include her in a professional dance course.
Theater
Theater, role-playing, and performing in front of an audience is a creative hobby that helps to communicate and be solving problems. If the child likes to act, your best support is to encourage him and enroll him in some theater group, this way kids can get to know different theatrical genres.
Playing Instruments
Playing a musical instrument can be a great hobby for kids when they are 5, 6, or 7 years olds. It’s a creative and skillful art that helps a child’s mental well-being. Children who are interested in listening to music more intensely would probably want to try playing a musical instrument as well. Introduce them to the various instruments they might be interested in and help them to choose the one that they can learn and enjoy playing.
Science-Related Hobbies for Kids
Science-related hobbies are good for developing logical reasoning, problem-solving skills, and thinking. The following hobbies develop the ability to “ask and discover answers” for a better understanding of the world.
Metal Detecting
Metal detecting can be a fun hobby for everyone, even for kids and the whole family. So get your kids out of the house and introduce them to metal detecting. You will find out that a metal detector will give you the opportunity to teach your kids about science.
Astronomy
Many kids are curious about astronomy at a very young age. Astronomy studies galaxies, stars, planets, and comets, to make it easier for kids to identify with the universe, allow them to observe the sky with a telescope, or take them to some planetarium.
Meteorology
Introduce weather-understanding instruments such as a rain gauge or a thermometer, this way, kids can learn the basics of understanding the weather. If they are attracted to it, they can join a weather course later when they are a little older, or perhaps volunteer at a weather center.
Entomology
Children who are attracted to insects can choose entomology as a hobby. Introduce them to literature and show them documentary series about insects, take them outdoors so they can see them in real. Involve them in workshops that deal with insects to exchange opinions and explore with other peers.
Geocaching
Geocaching is Google’s fun adventure activity where people use a mobile GPS to search for a container called Geocache. This container can be plastic, wooden, or metal and contains soft toys, money, books, etc… This digital hobby can be interesting for kids when they are 11 or 12 years old.
Collecting Hobbies for Kids
Maybe your kid likes to store and collect things. Collectibles vary from child to child, but they all have something in common: the personal value of the objects they collect. Stamps, coins, antique furniture, and paintings are most often collected items. All children collect something, but the majority like to collect toy cars, toy puppets, or some other toys.
Coins
Coin collecting is an instructive hobby regardless of age. If the child has an interest in scenic images of coins, he can discover their historical significance through collecting different versions. Introduce them to rare and unique coins that were made in a limited edition. This way you will help them understand the shapes, features, inscriptions, and images on the coins.
Stamps
Collecting stamps can be fun and educational as well, it can be an exciting hobby for kids who are at least 11 or 12 years old. With this hobby, kids can discover different cultures, languages, people, and their history. It can become a fun occupation that teaches a child to organize, evaluate, and treasure an item.
Collectible Cards
Kids love to collect sports, play, and history cards. There are many different cards to collect, but these kind of cards are the closest to 10 years old kids. While collecting cards kids can connect with like-minded friends and trade cards. Collectible cards also have a value, which depends on the condition of the card, the rarity, and the popularity.
Comic Books
Collecting comics can bring many benefits for kids, it’s a great hobby for non-athletic kids as well. Reading comics can improve vocabulary, language skills, and creativity. Kids love comics also because of the visual representation of the story. A comic book can be a great gift for his next birthday, maybe she starts to collect them.
Rocks And Seashells
Finding and collecting special stones and shells requires the technique of observing nature, which benefits and helps us gain responsibility. Collecting natural objects and building sculptures can boost your child’s creative abilities and increase self-confidence.
Video Games
Kids are never too old to play video games, video games are interesting to 3-year-olds, 11-year-olds, or teenagers. There are creative and educational games on the market, that can be very useful. Help your child to choose games that are appropriate and keep an eye on games collection and thus encourage them in discovering new video games every day.
Other Indoor Hobbies for Kids
Indoor activities can improve the child’s physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional abilities, also, kids love to spend their time playing with their favorite toys. It doesn’t matter if your kid is 5 years or 10 years old, there are numerous hobbies for a child to learn skills and have fun at the same time.
Reading
Motivate your child to read, provide help when choosing easy to read books. Allow her to find the genre that appeals to her the most. Reading will help him learn new ways to express thoughts, ideas, and beliefs, reading will also improve language and communication skills.
Puzzles
Puzzles can actually benefit kids and people of all ages. To encourage the desire to assemble, introduce puzzles at an early age. You will find out that kids can play with puzzles even they are only 3 years old. Choose puzzles suitable for the age so you can learn and spend quality time together.
Riddles
Based on the child’s interests, encourage him to try to write a riddle. Writing rides require cognitive skills, such as deductive reasoning, it one of the best hobbies for 11-year-olds. The more complex riddles he writes, the more relevant knowledge he will gain. Writing riddles is great, it promotes the ability to “brainstorm” and make logical inferences.
Sudoku
These math games, which reinforce logical thinking, can be practiced when kids are at least 8 years old. Children at this age usually have no problem mastering the rules and principles of the game. Start with beginner forms and gradually move to larger grid formats.
Word Unscramble
This hobby is for children over the age of six. Wordplay improves the child’s vocabulary and helps to pronounce and spell words better. There are many resources available online that offer ready-made worksheets and games.
Other Outdoor Hobbies for Kids
To get involved with the neighborhood and connect with the surroundings and other peers, think of hobbies you can do outside. Try some of the following hobbies, go out and take care of your and your child’s well-being.
Skateboarding
Children can start skateboarding at their early age. Make sure to provide the proper protective equipment, and encourage them on their first attempts. Motivate and involve them in skateboarding events, so they can increase their self-confidence. Skateboarding is great, it strengthens the body and ensures good flexibility.
Swimming
Kids can start practicing swimming at the age of four. It is recommended that you enroll them in a swimming course at the beginning so that they can learn the basics properly. Swimming strengthens our muscles and increases heart rate. It’s a good way to keep your and your child’s body in good shape.
Cycling
Cycling is a fun hobby, especially for kids and teenagers. Cycling will take care of good physical development and good mental health. Start cycling with your offsprings as soon as possible, so they can get used to these fillings in their early days.
Photography
Kids always love to observe and take pictures with a camera. You can go to different places like parks, forests or playgrounds. Let them look around to feel the moment, try to capture interesting moments, and have fun while taking pictures together.
Kayaking
If your child likes to splash around in the water and is interested in water sports, kayaking can be a great choice for a hobby. Kayaking can strengthen your child’s upper body muscles and takes care of a good mood. Kids can start kayaking around the age of five, be safe, and don’t put them on the rapids right at the beginning.
Judo
As a modern martial art, judo is also suitable for children. Learning and taking a judo course helps a child develop strength and increase flexibility and balance of the body. It also gains in learning discipline and self-confidence. Many kids continue practicing Judo even when they become teenage girls and boys.
Conclusion
I hope you have found at least a few hobbies for kids that you can start. If you’re not sure I suggest browsing the list once again, you can choose from crafts, art hobbies, and other indoor and outdoor hobbies. I’m sure there are a lot more hobbies that kids would enjoy, in case you are missing some great hobby ideas suggest them in the comment below.