5 Family Hobbies That Will Help Your Family Bond

Most of us have hobbies that we enjoy from time to time, like… cooking, reading, playing sports, etc. But, our personal hobbies tend to be just that. Personal. And this can sometimes keep us from bonding with our loved ones if we don’t schedule time to spend together as well! That’s where family hobbies come in.

What are family hobbies?

Family hobbies are interests and activities that the entire family enjoys together. It could be anything from gaming, to gardening, to dancing… the only requirement is that the hobby is something that everyone in the family can participate in.

Personally, my family’s hobby is/was gaming. When my kids were very little, they used to watch me play old school retro games or try out newer games on our Wii. Then, as they got older, we started to play those games together. We’d battle for high scores, try out multiplayer games that were age-appropriate, etc.

And now that my oldest has moved out, we still have a roster of online games that we regularly play together to stay connected.

How do you choose a family hobby?

Hobbies for families can come in many different forms, so finding one that’s perfect for your family might take a bit of trial and error.

You could start by testing out ideas until you find one that everyone enjoys. Or you could all get together and make a list of your interests, then comb through the results and find an activity that aligns with everyone.

The key is just to get started with scheduling time to spend together, and the rest will fall into place once you get a good idea of everyone’s likes and dislikes.

And to help you get started, here are five ideas for family hobbies…

5 Fun Hobbies For Families

1. Cooking Together

Everyone has to eat, so why not make meal prep fun by involving the whole family? There’s a multitude of benefits that you can gain by cooking together, ranging from teaching your kids valuable skills to spending quality time together.

Of course, for this hobby to work, you don’t have to cook every meal together as a family. Simply planning one special dinner a week could suffice. Or, if you’re a breakfast family, you could have a big brunch on the weekend.

And another great aspect of this hobby for families is that it’s unlikely to get stale, because you can just keep introducing new recipes into the mix. In fact… one fun idea could be to buy a cookbook, and make cooking every recipe within it a challenge for you and your kids.

2. Start A Family Book Club

A potentially educational hobby, this one might be better suited for families with older kids. Since it has to do with reading. And younger ones might not be able to retain as much information and understand the nuances of the stories, even if they’re read to.

This is one of those family hobbies that could easily be continued even after kids are out of the house, and would only require a bit of planning to meet up and talk about a book after it’s been read. You could even have a little family group chat to keep track of where everyone is at in the story.

And much like with the cooking idea, this one won’t get old anytime soon. Because there are always new books to read. Plus, you can easily switch genres every once in a while to change things up a bit.

With this particular hobby, there’s also the added benefit of being able to start valuable discussions with your kids via the books you’re reading as a family!

3. Playing Games Together

Gaming, as I mentioned earlier, can be a great hobby for many families. But it doesn’t just have to revolve around video games, as not everyone is a fan of those.

If you don’t want to play video games then you could always try board games, card games, etc. Personally, my kids and I only play board games for special occasions. Like birthdays or holidays, but some people enjoy playing various board/games weekly!

Just beware that depending on the dynamic, games can get pretty competitive even if you try to intervene. I had that problem with my girls when they were younger, although it’s obviously gotten better now.

But if you’re worried about this, there are quite a few board games nowadays that are team based, where you all work together. And that could solve the problem!

4. Camping As A Family

Outdoor hobbies come in many different forms; hiking, gardening, and of course, camping! I chose camping for the sake of this list, because I think it has the potential to provide the most quality time with your family. Since, when you’re staying at a campsite, you typically won’t have to deal with distractions like phones and conflicting plans.

This is obviously an activity that you wouldn’t do on a weekly basis though, so it might just end up being a yearly or bi-yearly event that you and your kids can look forward to. And if you do plan camping trips sparingly, this is yet another family hobby that could last a lifetime with a little planning!

Of course, not everyone is an outdoor person. At least, not enough of one to sleep outside! So if you like the idea of spending time unplugged and in nature with your family but want to be more comfortable doing it… then you could always rent an RV.

5. Helping The Local Community

My last family hobbies suggestion for you all is to volunteer together! And keep in mind that this could be executed in a variety of different ways; you could go to a location to volunteer, you could help with or host a charity event, you could foster pets from the local shelter, the list goes on and on.

But the great part about this group activity is that you’re not only spending quality time as a family, but you’re helping others and teaching your kids valuable life lessons in the process. It’s truly a win-win for everyone!

As an example, my kids and I have gotten a lot of joy out of participating in the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program. And although this only happens once a year, it’s just one of many ways that you give back and have fun at the same time.

Final Thoughts

Family hobbies can be a great way to ensure a lasting bond between you and your kids. As well as develop fond memories that they can take forward in their lives. So make sure that no matter what activity you choose to pursue, you make quality time a priority.

Because before you know it, your kids will be leaving the house and it will be harder to plan these group activities. Especially if you didn’t set the habit when they were young.

As always, thanks for reading! And I hope you’ll consider checking out some of my other articles on parenting as well. Such as this one on fall activities to enjoy with your children.