All us parents ever want is for our kids is for them to be happy and healthy. Of course, a big part of that involves actually spending time with them. After all, they won’t be around forever. They go to college, get jobs, and before you know it, they are out of the house for the majority of the time.
We have to spend time with our kids while we have the chance. Bonding is indeed very important, but kids and parents obviously have some differing interests. So you can spend some time with your kids, do something you both enjoy, and get some of that good old quality time, let’s talk about 4 fun hobbies for kids and parents to do together.
1. Aquascape
The practice of aquascaping is definitely a really neat hobby that you and your kids can do together. If you are not familiar with aquascaping, it is like a mix of gardening and having an aquarium. It’s like an underwater garden that also has fish in it. It’s something very unique and very cool too. It’s something that both parents and kids can enjoy because it has elements that suit everybody. Parents are usually all about plants and gardening, while the kids love to watch the fish. It really couldn’t be any better suited in terms for a parent and kid hobby.
A great part about this hobby is that there is so much choice to go with. There are tons of different aquascapes that you can create such as underwater deserts, jungles, rain forests, reefs, and so much more. Moreover, you don’t need to spend all that much money to build a nice little aquascape either.
For instance, you can get yourself a Betta tank (this website covers some cool tank options), a betta fish, a little filter and oxygen pump, a light, and a bunch of plants. Realistically you don’t have to spend more than £100 make a nice aquascape. Both you and the kids will have tons of fun creating and maintaining the family aquascape, plus looking after a Betta fish is really entertaining too.
If you don’t feel you and your kids are ready for aquascape then perhaps you might like Aqua Dragons! I have reviewed them here.
2. Baking/Cooking
Another great hobby for parents and kids to do together is baking and/or cooking. You can do both or choose either or. What we really like about baking and cooking is that they allow both parents and kids to be creative and try new things. Cooking may not seem too creative if you are using boring recipes, but that is up to you!
There are many different ways you and the kids can add your own flare to the recipe. Maybe you and the kids can even create some simple meals and baked goods of your own. This is a little age sensitive, as it’s not something you can do with a 2 or 3 year old, but letting a 6 year old mix the batter or letting your 10 year old peel some veggies is definitely doable.
What we also like about cooking and baking is they both help prepare your kids for the future. Whether girl or boy, man or woman, cooking and baking are things that everybody should be able to do. They are life skills that your kids need to learn to be fully grown, independent, and self-sufficient human beings. You probably don’t want to think of your kids as adults, so just think of how much fun you guys will have making cookies together or coming up with a new variation of macaroni and cheese. Cooking and baking are both fun, rewarding, creative, and they teach some good life skills for later on too.
3. Something Involving Mother Nature
We left this one a little vague on purpose, which is convenient for both you and us. What is really good about going outside with your kids is that they will get some much needed fresh air. It’s important to get inside and get in tune with the natural world around us. Your kids will learn to respect nature and learn just how valuable it is to our well-being. They might not understand this at first, but they will surely learn, something that is best done at a young age. The beauty is that there are so many different things that can be done.
You can go on little hikes and nature walks with your kids. You can take them on a nice bike ride. You can play hide and seek, lawn bowling, or a number of other games. You can garden or do some little landscaping jobs around the house. The possibilities are virtually endless. Any hobby involving the outdoors, or in other words, something that gets your kids away from their TV shows and video games is a big bonus no doubt.
Sure, we don’t think that games and cartoons are the devil like some other people, but we do think that kids need a little more than that too. Get your kids outdoors and let them experience what it’s all about.
4. Art Projects
Another great hobby that you can start doing with your kids is art. Just like with going outdoors, the beauty about art is that there are lots of choices to go with. You can play with Play Dough or clay, make sculptures, paint, draw, colour, make macaroni portraits, and so much more. Another type of art that is awesome is music. It’s pretty easy to find something that both you and your kids can enjoy. No, you might not like making macaroni portraits, but it’s a lot more productive and better for bonding than watching cartoons together.
There is also the fact that teaching your kids to be creative is important too. Creativity is learned and honed through practice and nothing else. Teaching your kids to be creative, make their own way, and create wonderful things from nothing more than imagination are very important. It will help teach them to think outside of the box, something that comes in pretty useful as they get older. The bottom line is that spending a Sunday painting, drawing, and making fun little sculptures is a great bonding and learning exercise, plus it can be really fun too.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, what you do with your kids is really not as important as simply doing something with them. Kids want to know that they are loved, and bonding with them by doing fun hobbies is a great way to go about it. You won’t be around forever and neither will your kids, so start spending as much quality time with them as you possibly can!
Disclosure – this is a collaborative post.
