Whenever you ask a person what they do for a living, they can probably provide you with a definitive answer. They may be a doctor, an accountant or an engineer, but their job description is clear. Even when it comes to school-aged children, they know that their current “career” is being a student. OK, but if you ask those same people what they do for leisure, it may take them a while to come up with a response. The truth of the matter is that while a lot of us spend countless hours making a living (or learning the skills to make a living), we don’t make it a priority to devote some of our time to rest and relaxation–to take up a hobby. And when it comes to having a hobby that they entire family can enjoy, it tends to be even more challenging to do. Hobbies are great ways to spend time doing something that you enjoy without enduring the pressing stress of time or having certain levels of expectations. And, when the whole family is involved, it’s also a great way to bond with one another.
If you are considering taking up a family hobby, here are some ideas that everyone can enjoy:
Take Up a Collection
One hobby that can be done at your leisure that may also prove to be a wise financial investment is to take up a collection. It could be stamps, comics, coins or even things like first edition books or collector’s items like vintage toys or antiques. This is a great way to combine history and research in a fun way. And, as you are working together to find out what it costs, over time, your collection can become a valuable heirloom to pass down from generation to generation.
Get on the Internet
A lot of people have probably never even considered using the Internet as a form of a hobby, but there are lots of things that you can do on there for fun, even as a family. You can start up a family blog (you can even do it for free on websites like blogspot.com), you can go on websites like Google Play or Amazon.com to download different eras of movies or music, you can compete with each on via online games or if your children are a bit older, you can even introduce them to the world of online auctioning.
Go Outdoors
From hiking to water skiing, fishing to bicycling and everything in between, by incorporating a family sport into your hobby list, not only is it a good way to enjoy time with your loved ones, but it’s also great exercise and if you compete, it can become a wonderful family tradition. Maybe over time there will be the annual family tag football game or a summer weekend of golf.
Do Some Arts & Crafts
Traditionally, when this topic is mentioned, it is assumed that arts and crafts are more for the ladies. That might be the case when it comes to hobbies like quilting or flower arranging, but there are lots of things that families can make together. Maybe it’s designing your own wall art or sculptures or making handcrafted jewelry. It could even be creating custom made gift baskets for different occasions or painting with oils or acrylics. Whenever the word “crafts” comes up, it’s just basically is a term for making things by hand and when it comes to that, the sky is the limit.
Playing
Playing is not just a hobby, but more and more, it’s considered to be a lost art. Take out a weekend to play some old fashioned board games like Twister or Uno with your kids. Go outside for a few rounds of Hide ‘N Seek or Marco Polo in the pool. Go kite flying, do some face painting, host a treasure or scavenger hunt. Anything that puts safe and relaxing pleasure on the top of its list of priorities is basically considered to be a hobby. Enjoy as many of those kinds with your family just as much as you possibly can.
