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It’s essential for families to spend time together. That’s just as true when you are a family of two or three as it is being a larger family (and if your family includes extended family members).
It is, however, not easy choosing activities the whole family will enjoy, and I get it. It’s called decision fatigue or decision overwhelm. I know that my own family and I struggled to choose fun family hobbies for us to love and enjoy.
The list I’m sharing with you today is actually how we decided that we’re going to include hiking, cook offs, learning a new language, and doing arts and crafts in our routine. (Yes, we’re clearly a bunch of over-achievers, and I recommend starting with one hobby, and then branching out.)
Make family time special again, and choose one (or a few) of these great hobbies you can all do together.
Table of Contents
Why Do Hobbies Together as a Family?
There are various benefits when a family spends time together (such as when they all do the same hobby or activity at the same time). Family hobbies:
- Help you create memories to share and reflect on (especially when the going gets tough)
- Help you and your family members build strong bonds, so you can weather the fun and challenging times
- Give you all the time to relax and unwind – together
- Help improve communication and collaboration
- Decrease stress
- Improve your overall well-being
- Boost creativity
- Help spark excitement and make everyone look forward to family quality time
- Ensure you have an active part in your child’s learning and growing processes
23 Fun Family Hobbies
I wanted the best family hobbies to be inclusive since not every family looks like the traditional nuclear family unit. A family can be:
- Just a wife and husband
- A couple with a kid (or more)
- A couple (with or without kids) living with one set of parents (or extended family)
- A mother or father and their children
- A father, his child, and his mom
- And many more family units (after all, it’s the people you choose and love who you are your family)
Now onto the best hobbies for all families to share in the fun!
Outdoor Hobbies for the Whole Family
1. Food Gardening
Why not enjoy the benefits of being outdoors and grounding yourselves while you work in the soil by growing food you can harvest? Food gardening is an excellent hobby for the whole family, and everyone can learn together.
You can all work as a team, with gardening chores split among the various family members, or you can take turns planting, watering, checking for disease and insect infestations, and harvesting.
Keep a garden log book, noting what you are planting and who is responsible for what so you can all enjoy the fruits (or veggies) of your labor.
Resource: A beginner guide to growing your own food
2. Hiking
Hiking is another fantastic hobby, and it can work on any budget too. Choose your hiking destination, ensure the trail is suitable for all fitness levels (can’t leave a family member behind and all that), and get out there.
You can even pack picnic lunches to enjoy on the trail or at the top of the mountain, and think about all the things you can talk about while you hike with your loved ones. Ask this and that questions, and also remember to soak up the sounds of nature.
Resource: Hiking tips for beginners
3. Road Trips
Road trips are a great way to spend time together as a family. You have all that time cooped up in the car to chat, play games, and simply enjoy the time you are in each other’s company.
Plus, there are also all the fun things you can do when you stop for breaks and sightseeing before you arrive at your destination.
Resource: 11 classic American road trips
4. Survival Weekends
Being able to survive in the wild is an excellent skill to have, no matter your age. It teaches you perseverance, the ability to think on your feet, and how to work solo and in a team.
There’s also another great benefit to consider … You and your family will be away from your smart devices, so no excuses or distractions that keep you from spending quality time with one another.
Sign up for a bushcraft course or two if you want to learn some basic survival skills before hacking it in the wild.
Resource: The family bushcraft week course
5. Horseback Riding
Horse riding is another way you and the family can be together, away from technology and civilization.
Sign up for a few riding classes so you and the kiddos can learn the basics of how to ride and care for your horses. And then go for trail rides or hacks, or first, do some horse riding tours for guided sightseeing.
Resource: 5 places to ride horses in America
6. Roller Skating
You and your fam can also roller skate your way into fun and spend time together. Remember to learn the basics of how to move, turn, and stop to help prevent injuries and accidents.
You can all start roller skating in your driveway before progressing to roller skating in your local park.
How about adding in some friendly competition with a family race or two?
Resource: How to roller skate
Hobbies to Do with the Kiddos
7. Lego Mania
What kid will say no to playing with Legos? I even know of some adults who wouldn’t know how to say no to this addictive pastime. There’s even a name for adult fans of Legos: AFOL.
Break out the Legos, start the adventure, and build as many different and elaborate constructions with the little ones as possible. You can even buy themed sets, so the fun will never end.
Resource: The best Lego sets for kids
8. Masterchef Cook Offs
Making breakfast, lunch, and dinner usually falls on the grownups in the home, but why not include and teach your kids a productive skill and set up some masterchef-style cook offs.
Decide on an age-appropriate recipe (after you’ve taught the little munchkins to cook or bake), set a time, and start cooking. If your child needs more help to safely navigate the kitchen, create cook off teams, and ask granny or gramps to referee and judge.
Resource: Masterchef recipes
9. Board Games
There are so many board games you can play with the kiddos, and you can even play your favorite games over and over again to up your skills.
You can teach your little ones classic board games, such as chess, snakes and ladders, Monopoly, and Clue! But then you can also branch out into playing deck building, cooperative, fighting, area control, drafting, memory, engine building, educational, and roleplaying board games with them.
Resource: 50 best board games for the family
10. Drone Racing
Flying drones is still all the rage, and with your family, you can add some competition and prizes into the mix when you race your drones.
Remember to familiarize yourself with all the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) rules and laws about flying drones, and then have fun while you compete for the winning prize.
Resource: A guide to drone racing
11. Model Building
You can also have tons of fun when you and the kids start model building. It’s a good idea to get a kit or two and start there, and when you guys become pros, you can use objects and materials around the house to build your models (with some YouTube help, maybe?).
Categories for model building include matchstick models, military aircraft, model cars, architectural models, and many more. You’ll find the building niche that speaks to you and the little ones.
Resource: 10 best tips for model building beginners
12. Cosplay
Cosplay is like Halloween, but on a whole different level. You and the kids can talk about your favorite characters, make costumes, and dress up to play the part.
Attend cosplay events and parties as a family (or have fun at home), and remember to stay in character!
Resource: Guide to starting cosplay
13. Build a Bug Hotel
I’ll admit, this hobby isn’t up every kid or parent’s alley, and that’s okay. But it is a really cool and unique hobby I had to include.
If your kids are into creepy crawlies, consider building a bug hotel (insect house or hostel) with them. And if you are into gardening, a bug hotel will help attract pollinators so your plants will flourish.
Use natural or organic material, like pallets, cardboard, twigs, leaves, and pinecones, to create the “hotel” that resembles the bugs’ natural environment, and you and your family can see what types of insects are attracted to your hotel. From there, you can create different structures to attract other mini beasties.
Resource: How to build a bug hotel
Hobbies to Do with Extended Family
14. Volunteering
If you have your parents, in-laws, aunts and uncles, or even a cousin staying with you, then head out and give back or pay it forward with acts of kindness.
You can all go help out at your local soup kitchen or church, consider building schools or homes for those less fortunate in a less developed country (such as Uganda), or raise money for a worthy cause.
Resource: Volunteering as a Family Guide
15. Flower Pressing
Imagine the whole family heading out in your garden, a field, or a local park and picking flowers and leaves to press? Then you get home, go through the pressing process and create unique artwork and images with the pressed flowers.
It sounds amazing; a definite family hobby to add to your list.
Psst… Just make sure you have permission to pick flowers if you venture out of your private property.
Resource: How to press flowers
16. Learning a New Language
One thing that really appeals to me about a family learning a new language is the fact that you can all practice together and help each other. I know how easily you “lose your language skills” if you don’t continuously practice, and that’s where having a family member who speaks another language and learning together can really be a benefit.
Use apps, online resources, and YouTube videos to learn Spanish, Latin, Swahili, or Mandarin in the comfort of your home, or sign the fam up for classes.
Resource: Easy tips to learn a language as a family
17. Camping
Each “family unit” within your family can set up their own tents, or you can opt for connecting tents, making it feel like a cozy camping experience with your tent village.
Everyone can contribute to chores, spend quality time together, and do what families do when they take a break and go camping.
Fishing? Skipping stones? Telling scary stories around the campfire with yummy s’mores?
Resource: 24 most scenic places to camp in the US
18. Playing a Family Sport
If you have extended family staying with you, you can put together a proper team for a monthly family sports day.
Set up teams, get special tees for everyone, and play some ball (or whatever sport your family is into). You can play football, basketball, baseball, tennis, and so many more sports.
Resource: Sports that are suitable for the whole family
Indoor Family Hobbies
19. Trivia Games
There’s a lot of fun waiting for you and the family if you play trivia games together. You can set up a quiz afternoon and break out the adult beverages if no kiddos are around, or have appropriate drinks and snacks if the little ones are participating.
Your children will learn a lot of general knowledge and facts, making them well-rounded humans. And you and the family gang can learn and laugh.
Resource: The best trivia games
20. Baking
Baking is one of the most enjoyable hobbies for a family to do, and you can choose recipes that match your skill level in the baking department or opt for something more intricate if you’re up for a challenge.
Bake dessert pies, cookies, cakes, puddings, and more, and then dive into the adventure of decorating with your loved ones.
Resource: Easy baking recipes for the whole family
21. Yoga
Yoga is a hobby that can be done indoors and outdoors, and it’s one of the best ways to improve your balance, flexibility, and strength, while you relax and learn to be present (and mindful).
If you have kids that are still growing, consider doing kiddies yoga with movements that are appropriate for them.
Resource: How to enjoy yoga with the whole family
22. Arts and Crafts
There are so many arts and crafts projects you and the family can do, from ones that are cost-effective to those that will take a while to complete.
Consider:
- Painted rock art
- Building cardboard furniture or castles
- Making jewelry
- Diamond art
- Making fairy lanterns
- A quilt
- Knitting beanies, gloves, and scarves
You will never be bored when you do arts and crafts, and you can be as creative as you’d like.
Resource: 21 favorite creative activities for family connection
23. Breadmaking
There’s something really special about a freshly baked loaf of bread, right? You are probably smelling the yumminess in your mind right now. I know I am, and salivating at the thought of buttering it and enjoying it with some soup or tea.
Well, you can have that experience too, and the joy of baking your own bread with your family.
You can experiment with ingredients, colors, and shapes. Plus, there’s fun in decorating the bread before baking, making cute leaf, star, frog, and flower designs, and learning how to score the bread.
Resource: The ultimate bread baking guide
Final Thoughts on Fun Family Hobbies
Start doing some family hobbies to increase the time you spend with your loved ones. It’s a wonderful way to get to know each other, learn and share together, laugh and have fun, improve communication skills, and create precious memories.
Consider:
- Outdoor hobbies, such as hiking or food gardening
- Indoor hobbies, like baking or arts and crafts
- Hobbies, such as camping, you can do with extended family that stays with you
- Hobbies, like building a bug hotel, the kiddos will adore
There are so many hobbies to choose from. So pick one already and let the fun and games begin.
Still looking for more hobby ideas? Then be sure to check out these blog posts:
- 25 Productive Hobbies to Upskill Your Life
- 23 Cheap (But Fun) Hobbies to Try
- 41 Interesting-Sounding Hobbies to Put on a Resume
- 51 Fun Hobbies for Teens to Get Them Away from Devices
