How to Encourage Kids to Explore New Hobbies: 5 Ideas That’ll Keep Them Engaged (and Having Fun!)
As parents, we know how important it is for kids to develop new hobbies. Not only do hobbies help children discover their interests, but they also teach valuable life skills like patience, perseverance, and creativity.
But with so many options out there, how do you help your child find something they’re truly passionate about? Whether they’re into tech, crafting, sports, or something else entirely, here are five fun and easy ways to encourage your kids to explore new hobbies — and make it as exciting as possible!
1. Follow Their Curiosity (And Make it Fun!) 🎮
One of the best ways to encourage kids to try something new is by tapping into their natural curiosity. Kids are often more willing to explore new hobbies when they’re excited about it! And there are so many amazing hobbies that match today’s Aussie kids’ interests.
Popular Hobby Alert: Minecraft & Gaming
If your child loves gaming (and let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a good adventure in Minecraft?), why not explore their interest in game design or coding? With self-paced online programs like our recently launched Minecraft Engineers Online or our in-person fun camps, kids can learn to create their own games, apps, and websites. It’s the perfect way to mix their love of tech with hands-on creativity!
How to Make it Fun:
Let them experiment with Minecraft’s Creative Mode and build their own worlds. Then, introduce them to the idea of coding a Minecraft mod or creating their own game. You’ll be amazed at how quickly they pick it up!
2. Introduce Them to Hands-On Creativity 🎨
If your child has a creative streak, there are plenty of hobbies that let them express themselves — and develop useful skills while they’re at it.
Popular Hobby Alert: Crafting & DIY Projects
Crafting remains a favourite with Aussie kids! From making their own jewellery to building miniature models, crafting can be both fun and rewarding. You can even combine crafting with technology by making digital art or learning to create animations.
How to Make it Fun:
Set up a mini crafting station at home with art supplies, or take them to a local DIY workshop. Better yet, try classes that teach drawing or digital design. At Code Camp, kids can explore creative projects like making their own animated movies or designing fashion collections. And for those who love arts and crafts, our Get Crafty camps are the perfect place to get hands-on, have fun, and bring their ideas to life!
3. Mix It Up with Active Hobbies 🏀
While screen time is fun, active hobbies are essential for kids' physical and mental development. Encouraging them to take up sports, dance, or any other physical hobby can improve their fitness, coordination, and confidence.
Popular Hobby Alert: Sports & Outdoor Activities
Aussie kids are big on outdoor activities like surfing, basketball, and skateboarding, and there’s nothing like the thrill of mastering a new sport. Whether they’re into team sports or individual activities, sports can keep kids active and help them develop teamwork skills.
How to Make it Fun:
Sign them up for a sport they’ve shown interest in, or take part as a family. It’s a great way to bond, get fit, and encourage a healthy lifestyle!
4. Let Them Be Creators, Not Just Consumers ✏️
Kids today are surrounded by entertainment and media, but what if they could go beyond just watching YouTube and start creating their own content? This is a fantastic way to develop creativity, communication, and technical skills.
Popular Hobby Alert: YouTube & Content Creation
From gaming videos to tutorials, kids are loving YouTube as both a platform for entertainment and creativity. If your child has an interest in making videos or vlogging, this is a great hobby to nurture. They can create their own content, share it with friends, and even learn the basics of video editing!
How to Make it Fun:
Start by giving them a simple camera or phone to create their first video, whether it’s a DIY tutorial, a funny skit, or a “day in the life” vlog. The sky’s the limit! Or book them into YouTube Creators on the next school holidays.
5. Show Them the Power of Learning New Skills 🔧
The world is full of exciting things to learn, and kids love to feel like they’re mastering something new. Whether it’s building something with their hands or learning a new language, the key is to make it enjoyable and rewarding.
Popular Hobby Alert: Coding & Tech
Kids today are more tech-savvy than ever, and many of them are developing an interest in coding and digital skills. Coding allows them to turn their ideas into reality, whether it’s designing a website, building a game, or even developing their own mobile app.
How to Make it Fun:
Start with simple coding projects (like designing their own webpage or making a coding a game for free in Code Camp World) or sign them up for a coding camp. At Code Camp, kids can explore these skills through exciting, hands-on projects — and they’ll have a blast while learning!
Final Thoughts: Let the Exploration Begin! 🌟
Exploring new hobbies is an exciting way for kids to grow, learn, and have fun. Whether it’s crafting, coding, sports, or creating content, the key is to make it an enjoyable experience that sparks their imagination and curiosity.
So, get ready to support your child’s interests — and watch them develop new skills and passions along the way!
Your Ultimate school holidays activity list
1. Get creative with Minions
What is it?
Kids go bananas for Minions (pun intended) and these school holidays they can express their fandom making a Minions movie using stop-motion animation techniques. Over 2 days, kids create their own Minions clay characters and design their own film set. The magic begins when they see their characters come to life by taking multiple images of objects and stitching them together to look like they’re moving! - It’s incredibly fun!
Why go?
If they watch their favourite animated movies on repeat, they’ll love creating Minions clay figurines and developing their own story, taking lots of still frames and stitching them together to create their very first movie!
Ages: 5-7
2. Become a DJ
What is it?
Children will take their first steps into the exciting world of mixing music to create their own DJ set.
Why go?
Kids will love mixing their favourite pop tunes using beat matching and transitions on real DJ decks. Plus, they will design their own DJ brand, develop branded merch, and even perform a DJ set to their friends!
Ages: 8-13
3. Pilot a drone
What is it?
Kids learn to pilot a drone using coding to design a flight path and watch in wonder as the drone takes flight!
Why go?
If your kid shows an interest in drones, they can learn more than just the basics of flying. Kids get a taste of cutting-edge technology and learn about coding, problem-solving, engineering, design, and more. They’ll learn about drone tech and safety, movie making, and discover how drones have a positive social impact when used to fight bushfires, rescue koalas, spot sharks on the coast and loads more!
Ages: 9-13
4. Become a YouTuber
What is it?
While they may not end up with YouTube stardom, we’re sure kids will have a new lens on screen time. They will be equipped with the skills to start producing and directing their own ideas instead of simply watching other people's! Plus, they’ll gain confidence ‘performing’ in front of audiences and on set and importantly, learn about staying safe online.
Why go?
Taking a YouTube fixation and turning it into something incredibly productive where kids will learn planning, storytelling, filming and video editing to become the star in their very own YouTube-style videos.
Ages: 8-13
5. Produce a LEGO movie
What is it?
Turn hours of playing with LEGO characters into an even more creative pursuit, by teaching kids to create their own LEGO Movie.
Why go?
They can use their favourite LEGO characters and sets, come up with a fun storyline and use stop-motion techniques to produce a short animation film. It will transform the way they play at home and offer endless hours of creativity for the rest of the holidays.
Ages: 7-12
6. Code a game
What is it?
Kids can design their own arcade-style video games (like Super Mario Bros), jam-packed with cool characters like zombies and unicorns, and awesome gaming features such as invisibility cloaks and shrinking potions. They’ll learn drag and drop code and logic to connect all the design elements together and bring their games to life!
Why go?
Kids are spending countless hours on Roblox and Minecraft these days. Get them to spark their creative side instead, by producing their own original games, using a combination of creative level design, storytelling and problem-solving to bring their creations to life. It’s so much fun, they won’t realise they are actually learning some very important coding and tech skills for their future.
Ages: 7-12
7. Develop a Website
What is it?
For kids with some proficiency in coding, they’ll create their own website from scratch about an animal, movie, sporting team or their favourite topic.
Why go?
With 1.93 billion websites on the world wide web, developers are in higher demand than ever before. It’s a great head start to gain fundamental web building skills and your kids will have so much fun in the process.