With the Easter school holidays just around the corner and the long summer break not far behind, you may already be trying to come up with ways to keep your kids entertained. If you want to limit your child’s screen time and encourage them to engage in beneficial, rewarding activities, a new hobby or two may be the answer. Adopting a new hobby comes with a myriad of benefits, including developing new skills and meeting new people. Whether your child has a penchant for high-energy sports or is more of an introverted, creative soul, here are some excellent ideas for their new favourite pastime.
Geocaching
Geocaching provides an excellent excuse to go outdoors and do some exploring. This outdoor treasure-hunting activity invites participants to locate hidden caches using Global Positioning System (GPS). There are over 70,000 caches in the UK alone, hidden strategically around towns, villages and rural areas. Not only is Geocaching fun and interactive, but it teaches teamwork, problem-solving and critical thinking. All you need to do to get started is download the official Geocaching® app on your smartphone and take to the great outdoors.
Photography
Photography can be a fantastic method of self-expression. Like any form of visual art medium, photography focuses on space, colour, composition and light. With some experimentation, your child can discover their ideal subject matter; for example, wildlife, family members or landscapes. If you’ve already got a camera lying around, you’re all set. Alternatively, you can source high-quality cameras from second-hand retailers and online resources like Facebook Marketplace.
Cooking
Cooking is a life skill your child will never regret learning. While learning to cook from scratch may seem daunting at first, once your child has mastered a few basic techniques, they’ll love having the freedom to experiment. Remember to always supervise young children in the kitchen; however, you can purchase child-safe cooking utensils to help them acquire knife skills safely and effectively.
Gardening
Like cooking, gardening can be a highly rewarding pastime with tangible results. Additionally, gardening will help to teach your child patience and perseverance as they nurture their plants from seed to harvest. If you don’t have a sizable garden plot, consider signing up for a local allotment or creating a vertical garden with whatever space you have. Furthermore, growing your own fruits and vegetables may encourage picky eaters to try a wider variety of foods.
Upgrading Their PC
While you may want to limit your child's screen time to a reasonable degree, gaming can be a remarkably beneficial pastime, promoting cognitive development and fine motor skills. That said, if you want to add an extra educational component to your child’s gaming hobby, why not encourage them to upgrade their system? Granted, this doesn’t apply to console gamers, but upgrading a PC with a new gaming monitor or building one from scratch with high-quality components can teach your child valuable tech skills.
Painting
Art provides vital opportunities for self-expression, helping children gain self-confidence and increasing their observational awareness skills. Your child may already enjoy arts and crafts, but it’s incredible what a few better-quality art materials can help them achieve. If your little one has a penchant for painting, consider buying some good-quality paints, paintbrushes and mixed media paper, ideal for watercolours, acrylics, markers and more. If your child doesn’t gel with painting, they may fare better with oil pastels, clay sculpture or even digital art.
Creative Writing
Creative writing is another opportunity for your child to let their imagination run wild. Many children naturally make up stories and scenarios, but you can take things one step further by encouraging them to write their ideas down on paper or their computer. You could even sign your child up for a creative writing workshop, where they can learn valuable skills and techniques to make their stories, comics and scripts even better.
Volunteering
Your local community likely has multiple volunteer opportunities for children of all ages to get involved and make a difference. For instance, your child could join a local eco group to meet like-minded individuals and learn about the importance of keeping their community clean. Alternatively, suppose your child has a passion for animals. In that case, they may want to volunteer at a local animal shelter or sanctuary.