How has your life been? It’s been almost a year since stay at home orders were issued across the country because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This means that you and your kids haven’t been able to go outside and do your usual pastimes like practicing a sport or attending art workshops.
You’re just stuck at home going between work or studies and sedentary activities, like Disney Christmas movie binges. Although government-approved coronavirus vaccines are on their way, it’ll be months before you can get them.
However, you don’t want your kids to stay inactive. There are a variety of benefits to having hobbies for children.
- Improved confidence – One of the best things about having a pastime is getting better at it. When your kid starts mastering their hobby, they get a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment from it. And because their sense of accomplishment is still mostly tied to the praise they get from adults, the compliments you give them will have a large influence on their confidence and self-esteem as they grow up. If they participate in a hobby that requires them to work with partners or a team, they also learn to be confident when it comes to communicating and working together with their peers.
- Additional bonding experiences – Practicing a hobby together is an excellent way to spend time with your kid. You get to create things and experiences that both of you enjoy and will look back on fondly. It also helps both of you express and understand each others’ emotions better, especially if your pastime involves art like drawing, music, painting, and more.
- Growth through exploration – Growing up involves moving out of one’s comfort zone and trying new things. Having a hobby teaches your child this valuable lesson and jumpstart their hunger for learning. Just make sure that they actually like the pastime you’re getting them into, so they can be motivated to learn it.
Useful Hobbies to Get Into
Apart from school and work, your kid may pour most of their time and energy into their hobbies. As such, you need to make sure that the pastime they choose is actually worth their time. Here are examples of hobbies that are both fun and fulfilling.
Model kits
If your kid is interested in the mechanisms of cars, aircraft, and more, get them a model diesel engine set. You could also build model train kits with them if they’re into it. These toy hobbies don’t just keep your kid entertained, some of them provide realistic insights into what it’s like to build such machines. It’s the perfect balance between fun and learning.
Learning an instrument
Learning an instrument provides a wide variety of advantages for your kid. A study from Northwestern University found that music training changes a kid’s brain for the better. The paper, featured in TIME Magazine, analyzed the effects of music training on kids’ brain processes. They found that highly motivated and engaged music students had larger improvements in the way their brain processed reading and speech compared to the less-involved respondents.
Making music also improves your child’s motor skills. They’re pushed to hone the coordination between their hands, eyes, and ears for every note they play. As your child learns new pieces of music or memorizes musical patterns, their brain creates new connections that are vital for memory and problem-solving. This is why a variety of studies have shown that musical training can increase a kid’s literacy skills and verbal memory. Everyone gradually loses these connections as they grow older, which is why it’s vital to stock up on it while you can.
Gardening
Gardening is one of the healthiest hobbies anyone can get into. Plants naturally filter outside air. An international study also found that being around plants has stress-reducing benefits. The researchers tested the effect of having plants on a work desk and having workers take care of plants during their break time.
They found that the respondents who had plants on their desks, especially those who actively participated in taking care of the plants, felt less stressed and fatigued compared to those who didn’t have plants on their desks. Plus, moving pots and plants around under the sun is also a great physical activity. Start by having your kid take care of one plant and having them stick to a consistent routine in taking care of it.
Having a hobby during this pandemic is a great way to pass the time while also learning new knowledge and skills. This is especially important for the development of your kids’ problem solving and social skills, as well as creativity. The recommended pastimes above are both fun and fulfilling for both you and your kid. You’ll never know when a simple hobby will turn into a full-blown career for your child.
