In today’s busy world, it’s all too common for parents to feel a bit of guilt for how much television they let their children watch, or the amount of video games they play. After all, these pastimes keep children occupied, and they make good rewards for when they’ve finished their homework.
The good news is that you don’t have to let them be the only pastimes your children engage in. There are other productive hobbies that can not only occupy their time, but also teach them new and useful things. Here are 6 to consider.
1). Voice Lessons
If your child has an interest in singing, or you think they might, check into getting them some voice lessons. There’s nothing like voice lessons to help your child grow as a singer, learning technique and gaining new vocal abilities.
As the Lone Star School of Music, a provider of voice lessons in Austin, explains: “If you want to excel at singing, start with voice lessons.”
The benefits of voice lessons include breath support, vocal control, pitch accuracy, diction and pronunciation, emotional expression, stylistic versatility, an expanded repertoire, and rhythm and speed.
Singing can be a wonderful hobby, one which may lead to a serious engagement in music. Even if it doesn’t, though, it’s a skill that can help your child develop self-confidence, as well as being something delightful they can share with others.
In essence, getting voice lessons can help your child learn the foundations of what it really takes to be a singer.
2). Musical Instruments
Like voice lessons, learning a musical instrument can be both a great deal of fun, and a wonderful skill your child can develop and then have fun showing off.
Think about starting them on something simple, like the keyboard or recorder flute. If they like it and prove to be proficient after a number of years, consider moving on to more grownup instruments like the guitar, violin, drums, and French horn.
Learning music is something that can not only keep your child productively occupied for many hours, but also provide them with opportunities to socialize with other children. It can also help them develop a more cultured sense of music.
3). Painting
We’ve talked before about the value of teaching your child how to create art, but it’s worth reiterating here: painting is a remarkable hobby, one which can stimulate creativity and help your child learn new skills.
Many children like to draw, so this is a great thing to teach them: it will probably encourage an interest they have already, and it will help them gain a deeper appreciation of art.
4). Theater/Drama
Theater, or drama classes, can teach your child acting skills. Many children like to play pretend, and this is the perfect outlet for that: not only do they get to play pretend, they can participate in a production that will also involve other children.
Acting in a play is a chance to not only develop creatively but also to have all kinds of fun: there are roles, a story to learn, and often there are fun costumes and props as well.
Plus, taking drama classes may help your child to make new friends. They’ll have the perfect activity to bond with other children over.
If your child has stage fright, taking drama class may help them to learn to be more confident and less self-conscious. This is definitely another one of those hobbies that can help your child to shine creatively and socially.
5). Cooking
Cooking is an important life skill, one which your child can benefit from for years. Teaching your child to bake or cook something simple can also be an excellent hobby.
Of course, this is a better hobby for slightly older children to learn, and you’ll have to teach them to be careful around knives and hot stoves, ovens, and cooking implements. However, many cooking activities, such as mixing ingredients, can be fun and family-friendly.
If your child learns cooking while they’re still relatively young, they may have many years to develop good cooking skills. This is one hobby which is also an important life skill for anyone to have, one which may also impress their future friends or romantic partners.
6). Reading
Reading is a hobby which can help your child discover the magic of learning and open up the world to them in whole new ways. And with the increasing popularity of podcasts and audiobooks, there are alternatives if they’d prefer to listen instead of read.
If they read fiction, they can discover countless new worlds and an endless cast of fascinating characters. If they read non-fiction, they can learn about history, scientific discoveries, other cultures, and any number of fascinating things.
Conclusion
In today’s world, parents are busy and often find it’s all too easy to fall into the trap of letting the television or video and mobile gaming occupy their children’s free time. Fortunately, positive, constructive hobbies like the ones listed here can be tremendously fun, and they also provide diversions that will keep your children occupied and entertained for countless hours.