Introduce the Rewards of Having a Hobby to Your Child
Introduce the Rewards of Having a Hobby to Your Child
by Wilfred Luecht
In today's fast-paced stressed life, even children need to take a little time
off with some form of relaxation. However, instead of raising a couch potato who
listens to MP3s, plays video games, surfs the Internet or just watches TV,
encouraging a child to take up a constructive alternative, such as, a hobby
could open a whole new dimension to his life. Parents should support their child
in discovering the rewards of having a hobby.
What is a Hobby?
A
hobby is a pastime or activity that a child does in his spare time for
individual accomplishment. It is something they have an interest in and that
they enjoy. It differs from an activity that is forced on them for their own
good. For instance, a parent may think that her son needs some exercise and
signs him up for soccer. While her son may not mind playing soccer, he is not
especially enthusiastic about it either. This is not a hobby for him. Whereas, a
daughter begs to take up ballet. Here she is not only getting exercise, but she
lives and breathes ballet. That then makes it her hobby.
What kinds of
Hobbies are there?
1. One type of hobby is collecting, such as,
keychain, lunchbox, autograph, stamp, trading card, comic book, postcard, doll,
spoon, patch or coin collecting.
2. There are educational hobbies. A few
of them would be amateur radio, bird watching, genealogy, chemistry or
astronomy.
3. Then there are creative hobbies. They could be painting,
photography, playing a musical instrument, cooking, scrapbooking, building
models, HO gauge trains, kite building, wood carving, needlepoint, knitting,
sewing and crocheting.
4. Also there are physical hobbies, for example,
playing sports, yoga, bicycling, running or hiking.
5. Next there are
the games. Many of which can be played in competition. Several are chess,
checkers, bridge, gin rummy, backgammon and scrabble.
6. Some are then a
combination of hobby types. For instance, hobbies that are a blend of the
collecting and educational varieties are meteorites, rock and mineral, fossil, butterfly,
feather, shell and arrowhead collecting. Gardening could be considered both
physical and educational. Whereas, the art of dance is creative and physical.
What are the Rewards of Having a Hobby?
1. It can promote
relaxation.
2. It can encourage physical exercise.
3. The hobby
may further advance creativity.
4. Through the process of
self-discovery, a child may realize a talent they did not know existed.
5. A hobby can teach. A child may learn about the particular subject
they are engaged in and perhaps become an expert. They can learn organizational
skills through setting up a collection or planning the next phase of their
hobby's development.
6. It may aid a child in increasing the drive and
persistence to attain their goals.
7. Due to self-achievement, the hobby
can help in building confidence. For example, when a budding gardener takes some
seeds, cultivates the soil, adds the right amount of water and proper sunlight
and wins first prize for growing the largest tomato at the fair.
8. It
can also aid in developing social skills like how to handle competition with
learning to win politely or lose gracefully.
9. The hobby could result
into a lifetime passion or eventually turn into a career.
There are very
few downsides to having a hobby. Unless, of course, the child becomes obsessed
to the point where everything else in their life falls to the wayside. It is the
duty of a parent to keep their child on track with what is appropriate and not
to allow them to become too fixated on their hobby.
To further the
desire to take up a hobby in a child, it is important that the parents have a
hobby themselves. They also should attempt to expose their child to various
experiences so that possibly their child may form an interest in some area. When
an interest seems to develop, parents should support it wholeheartedly. Perhaps
take a trip to a museum, show, or exhibit that features the hobby.
However, parents should not demand absolute perfection from the child.
They should allow the child to try, fail, and learn from their mistakes. After
all, it is their hobby and they should be allowed to explore it their own way. A
child who discovers his own personal pursuit will surely reap many rewards from
his hobby that he otherwise would not have experienced.
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