Parenting a tween can be incredibly difficult as they find their place in the world and become more comfortable with their own identity. As a parent, there are lots of ideas, articles and other literature out there about what not to do, but very little on how hands-on ways to help your tweens find fun hobbies. Hobbies are a great way to promote new social skills, develop fine motor skills and challenge them. Look no further, as we have compiled 6 hands-on ways to help your tween find a fun hobby.

1. Experience vouchers

One of the best ways to help your tween find a fun hobby is to encourage them to try a few different things. A great gift for tweens that also helps achieve this is an experience voucher. An experience voucher lets them try something new and see if they like it, without over-committing. Try vouchers like sewing classes, go-karting, or a different creative hobby.

2. Ask their friends 

Getting a tween to do anything is infinitely easier if their friends are into the same things. Ask their friends’ parents what they enjoy doing and encourage your child to think about doing the same hobby. Joining a sports team with friends is always a great hobby to take up. It teaches teamwork, is a social outlet, and gets exercise all at the same time. Alternatively, group classes like painting or drawing are other great social hobbies as well. No matter what activity you find, the fact their friends are interested in it will make life much easier when it comes to gaining their interest as well. 

3. Teach them about your garden

Hobbies don’t have to be outside of your relationship with them, they are also a great way to create new bonds. If you are a green thumb and love gardening, then encourage your tween to take on a new project with you. Teach them all about the garden, plants, trees, and other key aspects of a good garden. Passing on skills like this is invaluable and will not only give them a new hobby now and perhaps for life. Look for projects that may take a few weeks rather than just a few hours. You want the experience to be rewarding but challenging to teach them a good lesson about delayed gratification as well. 

4. Games

A lot of parents don’t want their children to play too many games and for good reason. A great hands-on way to help your tween find a fun hobby is to play games with them, games like chess or checkers. Chess is a great game to learn together, with so much of the game about strategy and identifying how to play your next move. Playing together will demonstrate the enjoyable nature of chess and that even adults need to learn new skills as well. The great thing about chess is it can be played anywhere, meaning you can still get out of the house to play. 

5. Get outdoors

One of the best ways to get hands-on helping your tween find a fun hobby is to get outdoors together. Hiking is a great family activity that doesn’t require much, except the willingness to get outside and walk together. The time outdoors is also a great chance to catch up and create new bonds. There are plenty of hiking trails for beginners so that you can all learn the ropes together. Hiking won’t need much equipment, but be sure to pack water and snacks on the first few hikes so you don’t get hungry or thirsty. 

6. Baking

Learning to cook for any tween is a valuable skill and teaches them a very fun hobby all at the same time. Baking together is a good time to talk, learn a new skill, and teach invaluable lessons for future cooking. Baking doesn’t have to be all sugary foods either; there are plenty of recipes that will create healthy food as well. Baking is a good hobby as it teaches tweens to follow recipes, experiments with foods, and how to use appliances safely around the house. Baking together is a great opportunity to bond over a shared skill and will be something they can hold onto for life. 

Parenting is hard, there is little doubt about that and parenting tweens can be even harder. They are at an age where they want to challenge you, prove their independence and find new interests. Helping them find new hobbies in a hands-on way, can be one of the best ways to maintain your bond and help them as they develop. If you’ve been looking for a new hobby for your tween, these 6 hands-on ways to help them will be all you need.