Hobbies: Important at Any Age

Most everyone has a hobby, or maybe more than one, which they enjoy on a regular basis. Many times hobbies can be gender or age specific, but not in every instance. It’s important to get your kids involved in hobbies at an early age. Hobbies are healthy and important for people of all ages.

Hobbies can help keep us focused and centered throughout our lives, and they are essential for growth – emotional, intellectual, and physical. Studies show that children who have been introduced to hobbies at an early age perform better in all aspects of life. If your child shows a natural talent or interest in some certain area – encourage interest and development of a hobby that incorporates that interest. Hobbies can also help children develop socially when involved in group activities.

Hobbies Defined

In the most general sense, a hobby is an activity which provides an opportunity to acquire or utilize special skills and knowledge. In learning or participating in a new hobby, you will acquire and display skills through a series of activities that are relevant to that hobby. The category of hobbies is vast. For example – hobbies can range from anything such as learning a new language, to developing a talent for painting and drawing. Many teenagers are getting involved in the hobby of scrapbooking, which can be an excellent creative outlet using specialty tools such as custom made rubber stamps to showcase their memories. Sewing and all forms of needlework are all considered hobbies, as are gardening, cooking, playing an instrument, and the list goes on and on. Many children display in interest or inclination to begin enjoying hobbies at a young age, and it’s important to support and foster these interests rather than allowing your child to become overly interested in unhealthy pursuits such as excessive video gaming and television watching. Of course it takes more time, effort, and investment to nurture a child’s interest in a hobby, but the rewards and dividends reaped are huge. Children without hobbies tend to struggle with issues of boredom and lethargy which can be obstacles to healthy growth and development.

More Advantages

If you’re still wondering whether or not getting your kids involved in a hobby (or a few) is worth the extra time and effort, consider the following points:

• A hobby, when adopted early and nurtured properly, can become a lifelong interest and pursuit, which can help your child stay active, mentally sharp, and in good health.
• Hobbies provide your school age child with the opportunity to pursue and accomplish goals outside of academics; and this is an important piece of the puzzle in raising a well-balanced child.
• Hobbies facilitate growth in areas such as reading, comprehension, setting and achieving goals, healthy competition, and in many cases, leadership. Hobbies can help a shy child become more comfortable with making new friends, and can give a naturally energetic child a healthy outlet for their energy.

There simply can’t be enough positive things said about getting your kids involved with hobbies – so take the time to do so!

This article was written by Sharon Watkins for Rubber stamps UK.