January is National Hobby Month
January has been designated as National Hobby Month. This is a great time to encourage your kids to start a hobby: The weather might be pretty frightful where you are, and there is usually a bit of a letdown after the holiday season is over. If your child has a hobby that he’s passionate about, then you know that it’s something that can keep him entertained for hours. Some kids need a bit of a push in order to encourage them to pick a hobby that isn’t watching television or playing video games. If your child is looking for a new hobby or you want to find something to do as a family, here are some ideas:
- Photography When we were kids, photography would have been a very expensive hobby for a child: Just think of all of the film that our parents would have had to pay for us to have developed, only to find many prints with a thumb covering the subject! Now that digital cameras can be purchased fairly inexpensively, it’s a reasonable option, and a hobby that can take your child into adulthood. If you have a camera that you no longer use, let your child practice with that. Take some books out of the library on all the different settings, or see if a camera-savvy friend can help her if you don’t know how to take good photos.
- Birdwatching At first pass, this might not seem like an exciting hobby, and your child might look a little bit skeptical at the suggestion. My kids, however, have really enjoyed our forays into birding. Pick up a bird identification book and set up a bird feeder outside. Leave some sketchbooks, markers and colored pencils near a window seat, and see if any of it piques your child’s interest. Birdwatching is a hobby that the whole family can enjoy, especially if you like hiking or visiting state parks.
- Gardening I know, it’s only January, and in most parts of the country, you can’t start a garden yet anyway. It’s never too early to plan a garden, however, and your child might enjoy reading up on which veggies should (and shouldn’t) be planted near one another, how to deter deer from eating your crops and maladies that commonly affect the crops you plan to plant. She might also like sketching out a plan of what should go where; this can help her to develop mapping skills! Once it’s time to start seedlings in the house and prepare the garden beds, this hobby will keep her (and you!) quite busy and away from the television.
These are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to possibilities for hobbies to pursue. Some other options include playing chess, taking up an indoor or outdoor sport, joining a gymnastics team or dance troupe, drawing, crafts, quilting, scrapbooking, biking, acting, writing poetry, reading, building robots, painting, filmmaking, learning a new language, skateboarding, cooking… the list is almost endless. Try to find something that the whole family will enjoy, or pursue your own individual hobbies. No matter what you like to do, January is a wonderful time to try something new or dust off an old interest that you’ve been neglecting.
What are your family’s favorite hobbies?
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Scrapbooking and Cookie Decorating are my two big hobbies! The cookies I ended up starting a business with, so there has been NO shortage of making cookies… but I haven’t scrapbooked in AGES. I need to clean up my space down there and get on it!
Not many family hobbies now with the kids being grown up but my hobby is gardening, can’t wait for the Spring and see everything start to grow 🙂
i love to garden i enjoy doing this with my kids
I need a new hobby! thank you for getting me to think about what it should be.
I did not know that it is National Hobby month. This is a good time to do a hobby because it is cold outside and there is more time. I like the Scapbooking as a hobby!
My family has always loved crafting. My mom is cross-stitching at the moment and I love to crochet.
I love all kinds of crafts but think I’m going to try gardening again this year. Hopefully I’ll be able to grow something other than dead plants!
I think it’s just as important for parents to keep up hobbies as it is for kids! These would be great ones to pick up together with a child!
Agreed! National Hobby Month is a great time to encourage our kids to start a hobby. As parents we should do!
Thanks!
I think after Christmas should be National Hobby Month. The weather is yucky and people need something to do. If you have children , make things together. If you’re by yourself, sew, crochet, make cards-but don’t get depressed!
I am crazy about crafts! Just took up crocheting. Have a quilt I’m working on. Always have Christmas projects through out the year ~ redoing a wreath right now for next year. Wish I had more time!
i need a hobbie!!
Cooking, it’s my first time to know that there is also a National Hobby Month. Thanks for the info
Scrapbooking is the one thing we wanted to try– so no is our time when everything is so frozen and cold around us–thanks for the ideas
it’s a good idea to get kids into hobbies at an early age, broadens their minds and helps them crave more knowledge about our world
As of right now my son’s hobby is trains! Watching them, playing with them, having us read to him about them, all things trains! LOL it’s great because it gets him away from the tv 🙂
My Nephews are picking up chess! They invent all sorts of games out of the chess pieces 😉
I think photography is a hobby for every month. Everyone seems to bring a camera with them everywhere & everytime.
I have always wanted to get into bird watching, sounds like this is the month to start. It is a little cold for bird watching from anywhere but my window right now but as soon as it warms up I would like to give it a whirl
Did not know it was hobby month! We collect coins, stamps and other knick knacks
I am just starting to do crafts as a hobby with my Grandchildren. It is
a great thing to keep their minds busy and teach them new things. Thank
you for the post.
Hobbies are great. I hope to find something my boys will stick to for more than 5 minutes! Thanks for sharing ideas
I love sewing and my husband loves to take pictures!
Hey, thanks for sharing this with us..
My hobby is baking,but I didn’t knopw that January is National Hobby month.
I have a 2 month old grandson, so he’s a little young yet. My daughter and I though have started scrapbooking his young adventures in his new world with us.
My hobby is painting! I think it’s relaxing! Photography is a beautiful hobby both for adults and children!
I just got a Canon T3i for Xmas and I’m loving the photo process!
My daughter, who is 21 years old, has been wanting to start a hobby for when she is home on her days off from work. I just ordered a beginners Crochet Set for her, and I’m hoping she might enjoy it as much as I did.
It is great to start kids on hobbies when they are younger.
I love reading and crafting but don’t usually have time for Anythingfor myself 🙁
Thanks for the article, I like the list and tips. This is great! 🙂
I would like to start doing photography. Dont have a great camera but hopefully I can get one before the end of the month to start taking some amazing photos!
Great article! I turned my hobby into my business 🙂 Live your passion!
I had no idea…this is a great article….Lots of stuff i will start doing with my nieces and nephews!
Thanks!
Wow! I never knew that January has been designated as National Hobby Month. Yes, this is indeed a great time to encourage our kids to start a hobby. My daughter loves modeling clay and drawing and I want her to develop her talent and skills. She just love this kind of hobby!
We do many things with our two youngest and my granddaughter who love to do crafts, and hobbies outside when we can.
Ive always been partial to cooking/baking and photography.
But in high school I started playing guitar and bass.. Would one day love to have my family have a bonding hobby of playing music together..
well this is a good chance to get into something fun!
I love photography. I like trying to see things in a creative eye and theres times I don’t have my camera handy and wish I did because I would get great candid shots.
We love to get the kids to help with the cooking.
Great hints! I particularly love the idea of a scent garden, which I planted for my then 4 year old grand daughter to learn about gardening. She knew the names of the different plants and could identify them by scent as well!
I love soapmaking, gardening, bead making and many more. I have way to many hobbies.
Hobbies are wonderful things! I think they are especially beneficial for someone facing retirement…particularly men. Don’t wait until you “have” to get a hobby, but rather develop and enjoy one now.
I never knew that January is national hobby month. My daughter just took up drawing. It is an amazing hobby.
On Gardening – mapping skills are great to learn – I’m hoping to get an awesome garden this spring. 🙂
I want to get into making homemade cards and Christmas stockings. I had no idea that January was national hobby month. I need a hobby, a lucrative hobby.
Gardening is my favorite hobbie
I’ll have to try to participate in some of my favorite hobbies this month.
Whilst I don’t have kids just yet, I look after my boyfriend’s nephew and niece a lot. I would love to get them introduced to one of my own personal favourite hobbies, photography! Planning to pass on one of my old digital cameras to them to get started.
I didn’t know this…I better start celebrating by making some crafts and launching my latest blog venture.
I can’t wait to start gardening. This year I’m going to try my hand at tomatoes! Probably cherry tomatoes.
I love gardening and photography. I cannot wait for spring so I can plant my tomatoes, eggplant and cucumbers!
making jewlery Than Cardening next month!
My family enjoys camping by the river during the summer. When we do this hobby, we also include canoeing, photography too!
I love to work in my flower gardens, paint furniture, read all year long.
I love nature and landscape photography! My true passion! 🙂
Hobbies are something I had not made time for in years. Shame on me! It ‘s the simple things in life that has brought me more joy and peace of mind. I’m back at it…just trying to figure out which way to fly!