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Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

Behaviour/development

What HOBBIES do your children have?

32 replies

roisin · 27/03/2006 21:46

DS2 (nearly 7) has just started piano and it's fantastic. It gives him an extra interest to explore and develop, and it's quite time-consuming too.

DS1 (8.5) is passionate and enthusiastic about everything at school, and is very academic. In his spare time he just develops his school interests - science, literature, humanities. Like any other 8 yr-old he loves the PC, gameboy, and TV, but has no other "outside" interests.

So what could he do to broaden his world a bit? He's not musical and not sporty (tried a few and nothing fits so far). We'd like something that will be time-consuming but quite cheap.

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Skribble · 27/03/2006 21:47

Do you mean clubs or hobbies to do at home?

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roisin · 27/03/2006 21:52

Either or both! Ideally "something" that would involve a club for 1-2 hrs a week, but then loads of practice/collecting/making/writing whatever at home?

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Skribble · 27/03/2006 22:00

My DS goes to Cubs and a young naturalist club (watch the speling on that one or he will be running about nudey ). He also goes to a arts and crafts club at school. He has iven up Gymnastics recently as it was more female orintated and he is so gangly just now. He is starting running this week, we looked at skiing it was quite pricey and he said he wanted to do Skeleton Bob . Guess who was watching the Winter Olympics.

At home he loves drawing, designing and making things. We have loads of supplies and the kids have a shelve full in the living room so they can draw whenever they want. I prefer him not to be glued to the screen stuff for too long but he loves that too.

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chipkid · 27/03/2006 22:03

my 4 year old ds likes nothing better than taking all of the cushions off the sofa and bouncing up and down on the almost buggered springs.-Not sure that this is what you had in mind!!!!!

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roisin · 27/03/2006 22:13

We have loads of supplies on open access. Ds2 tends to "make" ds1 tends mostly to just write, or draw pictures or labelled diagrams. He's got quite a distinctive style, and certainly gets through a lot of paper.

I just wish we could somehow formalise "something" a bit more as a hobby, and market it into a desirable activity to rival PC/TV/gameboy - which are all strictly rationed, but subject to increasing protests.

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snailspace · 27/03/2006 22:20

ds (12) is a busy type who does a lot of stuff - he plays two instruments, swims competitively and reads a lot. He's academic too and occasionally he dabbles in other things like electronics (which might appeal to your ds?)

dd (10) is the opposite and could use some hobbies, so I'll watch this thread with interest. She's not a girly girl and dislikes dancing etc. She is not at all academic.

One thing they've both just started today (they're on holiday) is building a vegetable patch. We've not done this before, so they've had to plan where it goes, begin digging up the agreed area of lawn and buy some seeds and potatotoes. They're planning to grow various things this summer which should be fun, but I expect it will be me who ends up doing the weeding.

Would chess appeal to your ds? (best if there's a local club for youngsters, but can be done alone or by post/e-mail).

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Skribble · 27/03/2006 22:24

Perhaps he could do his own books, comics, mini projects or scrapbooks. DS does ones for his bears, his sisiters and ones for himself, my favourites are his own versions of Captain underpants books.

Cubs and scouts have loads of badges to work towards in all sorts of subjects from IT to camping.

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roisin · 27/03/2006 22:32

Thanks for the ideas and suggestions so far.
Please keep them coming! Any more?

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crazydazy · 27/03/2006 22:34

DD loves swimming, must admit she's very good though.

Its the only thing that we can 'negotiate' with.

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RTKangaMummy · 27/03/2006 22:37

DS goes to DRAMA club, fencing, and swimming

His time at home is spent writing books for his friends

or making his own plays

or lego

He makes his own plays using lego with scenery and costumes and props etc. And then films them with video camera

or chess

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snailspace · 27/03/2006 22:37

how old is she crazy? Have you come under pressure to do silly amounts of training yet?

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crazydazy · 27/03/2006 22:39

She's 6 and DP has been taking her swimming since she was about 3 so she's very confident now and loves swimming underwater.

Have you got a little fish too snailspace?

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roisin · 27/03/2006 22:40

RTK - your ds sounds gorgeous!
Ds1 went to a couple of photography workshops, got a digital camera for Christmas, did some timelapse photography and turned it into an animation. I thought he would be hooked ... but he isn't interested

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snailspace · 27/03/2006 22:44

Fencing seems to be a sport that attracts quite a few children who don't like other types of sport if you haven't already tried it. Martial arts type things also.

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RTKangaMummy · 27/03/2006 22:44

Thanks roisin

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RTKangaMummy · 27/03/2006 22:49

DS has dyspraxia and hypermobility in his joints {esp knees} so running sports are out.

He has been fencing for several years ~ he belongs to a club ~ he goes every Monday

At his primary school one of the teachers runs a club after school too

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snailspace · 27/03/2006 22:55

Mine is getting to be a big lump of a fish now crazy - he's 12. Started out like yours though. Trains 4 times a week now with a club and according to the coach it's not enough! Swimming at a high level really does demand too much time from around 11 or 12+ in my opinion. Great sport for general fitness though, I'll swear he's solid muscle.

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Sparklemagic · 27/03/2006 22:59

I thought of things like fencing and maybe archery, which are sporty but not madly so. Ice skating?

Would he fancy go-karting or something with little motorbikes (is it scrambling I'm thinking of?)

Also, I know of a scuba diving school that teaches children of your DS's age - they learn in a pool obviously!

Also occurred to me that he just may not be an 'activity' person and may find his own amusements at home, though I know this becomes difficult if he just wants to watch Tv or whatever. I do think though,that if you keep trying and he doesn't engage with anything, then you've done all you can!

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SleepyJess · 27/03/2006 23:01

DS1, age 13, swims 3 times a week (4 hours per week) for a club. Only the Saturday session is early morning. He has CF so it keeps him healthy.. don't think I would take the pace of his swim regine so stoically if it wasn't for his health issue! He is also doing photography as an extra-curricula thing at school which will lead to an extra GCSE.

DD, age 7, also swims for the same club.. and is subsequently v.good for her age because she swims the same time as DS although not quite as late.

She also goes to Brownies and one session of After School club. She used to dance.. but she gave that up to concentrate on swimming which she enjoys more (and dancing was getting ridiculous and competitive and although she was quite good, we are just not a 'typical dance family'.. more of a 'swimming family'!)

DS2 age 5 (who has cerebral palsy etc) does Riding For the Disabled on a Monday morning in school time.. and goes to a Special Needs Kids fun club once a fortnight.

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Skribble · 27/03/2006 23:04

I like the sound of archery or fencing for DS, might try if the running doesn't work out.

We also go orinteering occasionally which DS loves so I though he might like the middle distance and crasscoutry running. Plus DH will be taking him and he has already been talked into helping. Yah at last a duty for DH .

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Sparklemagic · 27/03/2006 23:08

wow sleepyjess, what busy children - you must be exhausted getting them to all these things!

I'm sure they'll gretly benefit from it all though.

My DS is only three and as yet his only activity is swimming, which he does twice a week, once with DH and once with me - but this isn't lesons, just mucking about together!

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Skribble · 27/03/2006 23:10

DD goes to dnace once a week and Gymnastics once.

I will be quite glad if she is at the dance school 5 nights aweek, instead of at our local park drinking buckie. In fact she can get a job there and earn some pocket money too . Keep them busy I say.

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SleepyJess · 27/03/2006 23:14

Yes I have to say I am knackered.. and sometimes fantasise about sitting in front of the telly in the evening like a 'normal person', lol. But these are all things that the kids wholeheartedly enjoy. There was a time a year or two ago when they were doing even more and too much.. so we downsized.

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Hallgerda · 28/03/2006 08:10

DS1 (11) does swimming (only once a week!), after-school art club, school chess club, cricket (includes winter nets so it's not as seasonal as one might think) and piano.

DS2 (8) does swimming, chess and cricket.

DS3 (6) does swimming.

At home, all three make strange constructions out of cardboard, play with lego, and write books with lots of extraterrestrials and computers in, sometimes with little bits of historical violence.

Are there any nature clubs near you? The website of your local Wildlife Trust should have details of "Wildlife Watch" clubs. Chess has been suggested by a number of people - two of mine play, and it's a great game, but I don't think I could really say it would broaden your son's world.

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singersgirl · 28/03/2006 11:07

DS1 (7.5) does swimming once a week (because I make him!), after-school drama and karate (also because I make him). Of these, he is only genuinely enthusiastic about going to the drama, but enjoys the others once we're there.

He is not sporty nor artistic and spends most of his spare time, like your DS1, writing things and making things like trading cards. We also have to ration computer time and TV. He's just expressed an interest in fencing, but can't do it at our local sports centre till he's 8. He's also expressed a vague interest in learning the trumpet, so have sent the forms in to the school, but am not convinced.

I'm constantly struggling to channel DS1's excessive energy into something constructive - hard if you have a hyper, constantly moving, but poorly co-ordinated and unsporty child.

DS2 (4.5) is a bit young for hobbies (or perhaps not) but also does swimming - which he loves - and karate, because DS1 does.