Child Care

How Hobbies promote Holistic development

August 8, 2022 by The BusyBee

“A Hobby a Day, Keeps the Doldrums Away”

Hobbies indeed are one of the best ways to spend the spare time.When it comes to children, hobbies are one of the best ways to promote holistic development in them. To know more about holistic development, you can read our blog here. Let me list out a few awesome hobbies which are very interesting and can work wonders for the overall development of children.

1. Bird Watching

Birdwatching is a wonderful low-cost hobby for people of all ages!The only thing you will need is a binocular.For a starter you can get your child to observe the birds he sees in his backyard.It is an excellent hobby because it requires children to observe,identify and memorise birds.To take it a level higher the child can be asked to keep a log of his observations either as drawing or as a written observation.It promotes cognitive skill,sensory skill and boosts overall confidence of the child.

2. Philately

It is one of the oldest hobbies & isrightly known as the King of all Hobbies as its value offerings are innumerable. Philately or Stamp Collection is not only recreational but it also increases the knowledge and wisdom of children. Stamps come in multiple designs, colours, shapes, themes, and dimensions.It promotes cognitive skill,aesthetic skill and overall general knowledge of the child.

3. Gardening

There is no better hobby which can promote physical activity in children.Digging,watering of plants etc. not only provides physical activity but also helps in strengthening of hands.It will also help in making the child aware about various plants and healthy food.There can be no better accomplishment for a child than to own a lovely garden.You can also promote creativity in children by setting up flower beds and vegetables in anaesthetic manner.Gardening as a hobby promotes aesthetic sense,sensory skill,motor skills and overall happiness of the child.

4. Astronomy

Astronomy is a fascinating hobby and it can be introduction to several practical technologies. Astronomy is an outdoor nature hobby, so the best way to begin is to go out into the night and learn the starry names and patterns overhead.Initially you can start off with unaided eye and then progress to using binoculars and telescopes.Now a days there are many mobile apps which will assist in imaging the various celestial bodies.It promotes cognitive skill,general knowledge and promotes curiosity in children.

5. Photography

(Photos courtesy Kabir Sharma. You can see his wonderful collection of photos in his Instagram handle here )

Photography as a hobby adds so much to the life of children.Unknowingly they will learn to appreciate nature,they will know so much about people while recording their videos and photos.Photography promotes creativity and socioemotional skills in children. As children grow up, photography can lead to a lot of travelling and meeting new people which itself can be a very enriching experience.

6. Baking

Baking is an excellent hobby as it introduces kids to basic life skill.It also enhances reading skills which in turn enriches oral vocabulary. Measuring the ingredients, setting the temperature of oven -all these activities will definitely help kids to get better in mathematics. Not to forget, they get to learn a lot of Math too. So,baking as a whole promotes cognitive skills, literary skills,motor skills and self-confidence.

7. Reading

It is one of the commonest hobby children list out when asked what their hobby is. Pursuing reading skill has many benefitslike enriched vocabulary, high imagination power, better general awareness to name a few.Today a Reader,Tomorrow a Leader.This quote sums up the benefits of reading well.

8. Knitting

Knitting is a very soothing and relaxing hobby. It can promote creativity in children. It can also promote motor skills,hand eye coordination,promotes concentration.

There are many hobbies like

Learning new language
Journaling
Scrapbooking
Playing musical instruments
Writing letters to pen friends,family
Learn calligraphy

which children can pursue as per their interest.As adults,we can help children to choose a hobby which suits them.This is how you can do that.

Children tend to imitate parents.So, you can generate interest in children by setting a personal example. You can make the child a part of your own hobby and thus generate curiosity.
Visits to museum,art galleries,collector’s studio,plays,concerts will broaden the horizon of children and thus motivate children to pick up some hobby.
Never rush or force your child into hobbies. Children should be given a free will to pursue hobby in the way they want.
Motivate children to have patience else they won’t be able to pursue a hobby for long.

Benefits of Pursuing Hobbies

It promotes holistic development in children.

Any activity which promotes overall development of children should not be left out. Parents should grab the opportunity.

It will help children to keep themselves out of low value activities like uncontrolled watching of TV,browsing of social media etc.
It acts as a stress buster.
Nurture creativity
Help face challenges
Improve general awareness
Teach time management
Build social skills
Contribute to emotional health.

Ralph Lauren Emerson had rightly said,

“Guard well your spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds. Discard them and their value will never be known. Improve them and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life”.

So, What are you waiting for,Motivate your child to pick up a hobby and add variety and flavour tolife