Hobbies offer benefits at every age, from helping children build a sense of self to giving retirees a renewed sense of purpose. The word traces back to the 1400s as a nickname for a small horse, later evolving into today's meaning of a pastime pursued for its own sake. Parents can spark interest by sharing their own hobby histories, building a family-history hobby list, and trying new activities together. Summer is an ideal time to lean into offline hobbies as an antidote to screen saturation.
There are three reasons I was inspired to write about this topic today:
1. My daughter has found a new hobby she's deeply energized by: sewing. Just yesterday, she showed me a video of herself stitching homemade tulip patches and applying them in wonderful patterns onto an old skirt.
2. A friend recently said to me that, in his opinion, hobbies are the magic of life… that they benefit you at any age, especially as a child, building a sense of self, and can do so especially as one approaches retirement. And he's right, which is why today's post is for everyone.
3. Summer is a fine time to spend some hang time on a hobby. After all, offline hobbies are a wonderful antidote to summer screen time saturation.
I love old wooden toys. My kids grew up with a wooden rocking elephant I found at a flea market.
The word 'hobby' traces back to the 1400s as a nickname for a small horse. Like a rocking horse that moves without going anywhere, the hobbyhorse became a symbol of playful, purposeless activity, and by the early 1800s, the word had taken on its modern meaning of a favorite pastime pursued outside of work
When was the last time you talked with your kids about the hobbies you had growing up? Or, better yet, pull out proof, like sharing something you made during your embroidery days (which I have done with my kids).
Another one of mine started at age 14, doing photography and making prints in a darkroom, and it stayed with me until well after college.
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Learn more about showing our movies in your school or community!
Maybe your child does not have any hobbies right now and is not jumping up and down to have one.
Exposing kids to different things in life is one of our main jobs/ privileges as parents. The same goes for exposing them to potential hobbies to see which captures their interest.
Rather than offering an exhaustive list of potential hobbies, why not create a family-history hobby list? Maybe put on the list ones that different family members did in the past, and ones that could be tried this summer.
I hold such a soft spot in my heart for the little hobby I had with my dad. I didn’t live with my dad, but I would see him on and off growing up, and he would take me to stamp and coin stores.
I was fascinated by the beautiful pictures on stamps, and I was always on the lookout for the oldest penny I could find.
Final little observation. It seems to me that people don’t talk that much about hobbies, like we used to. I’m not sure why, but maybe you have an opinion on this. If so, please email me and let me know.
Learn more about showing our movies in your school or community!
Join Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD for our latest Podcast
Learn more about our Screen-Free Sleep campaign at the website!
Our movie made for parents and educators of younger kids
Join Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD for our latest Podcast
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There are three reasons I was inspired to write about this topic today:
1. My daughter has found a new hobby she's deeply energized by: sewing. Just yesterday, she showed me a video of herself stitching homemade tulip patches and applying them in wonderful patterns onto an old skirt.
2. A friend recently said to me that, in his opinion, hobbies are the magic of life… that they benefit you at any age, especially as a child, building a sense of self, and can do so especially as one approaches retirement. And he's right, which is why today's post is for everyone.
3. Summer is a fine time to spend some hang time on a hobby. After all, offline hobbies are a wonderful antidote to summer screen time saturation.
I love old wooden toys. My kids grew up with a wooden rocking elephant I found at a flea market.
The word 'hobby' traces back to the 1400s as a nickname for a small horse. Like a rocking horse that moves without going anywhere, the hobbyhorse became a symbol of playful, purposeless activity, and by the early 1800s, the word had taken on its modern meaning of a favorite pastime pursued outside of work
When was the last time you talked with your kids about the hobbies you had growing up? Or, better yet, pull out proof, like sharing something you made during your embroidery days (which I have done with my kids).
Another one of mine started at age 14, doing photography and making prints in a darkroom, and it stayed with me until well after college.
Maybe your child does not have any hobbies right now and is not jumping up and down to have one.
Exposing kids to different things in life is one of our main jobs/ privileges as parents. The same goes for exposing them to potential hobbies to see which captures their interest.
Rather than offering an exhaustive list of potential hobbies, why not create a family-history hobby list? Maybe put on the list ones that different family members did in the past, and ones that could be tried this summer.
I hold such a soft spot in my heart for the little hobby I had with my dad. I didn’t live with my dad, but I would see him on and off growing up, and he would take me to stamp and coin stores.
I was fascinated by the beautiful pictures on stamps, and I was always on the lookout for the oldest penny I could find.
Final little observation. It seems to me that people don’t talk that much about hobbies, like we used to. I’m not sure why, but maybe you have an opinion on this. If so, please email me and let me know.
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There are three reasons I was inspired to write about this topic today:
1. My daughter has found a new hobby she's deeply energized by: sewing. Just yesterday, she showed me a video of herself stitching homemade tulip patches and applying them in wonderful patterns onto an old skirt.
2. A friend recently said to me that, in his opinion, hobbies are the magic of life… that they benefit you at any age, especially as a child, building a sense of self, and can do so especially as one approaches retirement. And he's right, which is why today's post is for everyone.
3. Summer is a fine time to spend some hang time on a hobby. After all, offline hobbies are a wonderful antidote to summer screen time saturation.
I love old wooden toys. My kids grew up with a wooden rocking elephant I found at a flea market.
The word 'hobby' traces back to the 1400s as a nickname for a small horse. Like a rocking horse that moves without going anywhere, the hobbyhorse became a symbol of playful, purposeless activity, and by the early 1800s, the word had taken on its modern meaning of a favorite pastime pursued outside of work
When was the last time you talked with your kids about the hobbies you had growing up? Or, better yet, pull out proof, like sharing something you made during your embroidery days (which I have done with my kids).
Another one of mine started at age 14, doing photography and making prints in a darkroom, and it stayed with me until well after college.
When kids break a rule, most parents default to handing down a consequence. But research on autonomy-supportive parenting shows that inviting kids to help decide the consequence leads to deeper learning, stronger accountability, and even kinder behavior toward others. Younger kids tend to overpunish themselves while teens often go easy, and both create natural openings for parents to guide the conversation. The goal isn't softer consequences. It's consequences that actually teach.
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Kids with ADHD benefit most when parents provide support at the exact moment behavior happens, a science-backed approach called "point of performance." Abruptly shifting from high-stimulation screen time to demanding tasks creates a "dopamine cliff," a brain chemistry drop that often shows up as resistance and conflict. Understanding both concepts helps parents smooth those transitions and build real skills and confidence in their kids over time.
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A new Louis Theroux documentary on Netflix exposes the growing network of online influencers pushing sexism, misogyny, and a narrow vision of masculinity on boys and young men. Combined with last year's hit series Adolescence, it is a wake-up call for parents. The good news: there is a lot we can do. This week, I round up our most relevant blogs and podcast episodes from recent months, covering everything from the "interrupter" technique to boys' mental health, phones in schools, online sports betting, pornography, and the manosphere's exploitation of boys' loneliness. The research is clear that parents who show up with curiosity, honesty, and consistency have more influence than they realize.
READ MORE >for more like this, DR. DELANEY RUSTON'S NEW BOOK, PARENTING IN THE SCREEN AGE, IS THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE FOR TODAY’S PARENTS. WITH INSIGHTS ON SCREEN TIME FROM RESEARCHERS, INPUT FROM KIDS & TEENS, THIS BOOK IS PACKED WITH SOLUTIONS FOR HOW TO START AND SUSTAIN PRODUCTIVE FAMILY TALKS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY AND IT’S IMPACT ON OUR MENTAL WELLBEING.
