*This is a collaborative post

Hobbies are a fun and interesting way for children to develop new skills. Each hobby comes with benefits that can assist them in the future and are recommended by many to take on. It assists with mental health too as it gives something to focus on and become really good at. Technology has driven most children to avert their direction to anything but the screens and can easily be glued to these all day long. This makes it even more necessary for parents to encourage their children to take one or more hobbies. Here are five unique hobbies from an independent school in Surrey.

  1. Reading. An easy yet extremely effective hobby to develop. Reading helps develop vital skills which are needed in school and later on in life too, so this could be a great hobby for your child to pick up. Given that it can be done independently, it is also low maintenance and cost effective if using a library. Children can move onto doing creative writing from this which is another great skill to acquire.
  2. Gardening. Gardening will allow your child to become more familiar with nature and slowly build a profound love for it. You can create a garden patch or plant seeds in pots and allow your child to monitor the progress of it. They can even create a journal to record their findings in.
  3. Pet sitting. Having a pet is a great deal of responsibility and can be a great way to introduce it into your child’s life. They will have to be independent and stay on top of feeding and clearing litter for the pet. This also a great way for a parent to figure out if their child is capable of taking care of an animal before getting a pet of their own.
  4. Dancing. Dancing is a fun and great hobby to take on as it will encourage exercise as well as create foundations for a possible future career. Dance comes in many forms like ballet, street dance, salsa and more. The choices are endless which is great for choosing a specific area of interest.
  5. Cooking. Depending on the age of your child, cooking can become a great interest for them and something they can take on as a serious hobby. If you notice your child is artistic or has an eye for detail, consider introducing them to cooking. This is a lifelong skill that every person needs and best part is, the family can indulge on the creations made!