What Is a Hobby?
Hobbies are activities that people pursue for their own interest and enjoyment rather than for financial reward. They are usually, but not always, solitary in nature, though many hobbies involve club memberships and organized sharing of products among participants.
Some hobbies produce an end product, such as woodworking, a book of poetry or short story, a musical instrument, a piece of jewelry, a computer software project such as Photoshopping or home music or video production, cosplay (designing, creating and wearing a costume based on an already existing creative property) and papercraft (creating models out of card stock or paper – sometimes known as paper modeling). The most popular hobby in the United States is reading.
A variety of hobbies can provide mental and physical stimulation, as well as helping to improve memory, concentration and focus. They may also help to keep people active, especially children, and encourage them to socialize with others who share a similar hobby.
Hobbies can also provide a source of income for some people, either in addition to their day job or as a replacement for it. This can include anything from making and selling crafts to running a blog or offering a service such as dog walking.
For children, hobbies can help to develop their creativity, make them more independent or confident and encourage them to think more critically. However, it’s important to make sure that they’re enjoying what they’re doing otherwise their attention span might be short and they’ll quickly lose interest.