Holidays are always fun. They are a welcome break from the monotony of routine and provide that much needed break to the body and mind. This is the time when you can take rest, meet friends, catch up with relatives, travel, stay up late nights and eat your favourite foods.
Today, there is great importance given to making each moment meaningful. Therefore, holidays can be utilised to learn new skills or build on your favourite hobbies.
What is a hobby?
A Hobby is an activity that is done regularly in one’s leisure time for pleasure. The important words here are- regularly and pleasure. When you pursue a hobby regularly you become better at it, for eg- if you paint regularly, you can generate new ideas, learn new techniques, etc. And if you do something for pleasure, you enjoy doing it. Engaging in such an activity relaxes you and brings joy.
How can you make use of holidays to build hobbies?
Holidays are the ideal time to build on your hobbies as you have ample time at hand. You do not have pressures of studies or homework. Parents are also happy when they see their children learning something new or engaging in an activity that doesn’t involve use of gadgets.
Some hobbies that are great for you-
- Reading- Reading opens a whole new vista for you. Spending a hot summer afternoon indoors, curled up in bed, reading a good novel can be satisfying and restful.
You can build this hobby by-
- Identifying your favourite genre from the many options- fiction, self- help, biographies, fantasy, romance, classic literature.
- Pick up a favourite author or authors from your preferred genre or genres and follow his or her work. You can also read up about the author to give you an idea about the country they hail from, their life history. Some writers use pen names that are different from their real names. For e.g.- Famous writer J.K. Rowling sometimes used pen names such as Joanne Rowling and Robert Galbraith.
- Get a membership of a library. Some libraries offer good collection of books and offers on membership especially during vacations.
- Exchange books with friends. Reading can be great fun if you can share your books with others and later discuss the plot and characters with your friends.
- Writing- If you are bubbling with ideas and words, writing can be a good way to vent out that pent up energy.
- Explore different categories of various genres- Poetry, prose, short stories, travelogues, etc.
- Maintain a journal where you can jot down your thoughts whenever and wherever you get them, including your bedside. Most creative ideas come up in the middle of the night!
- Write a blog. Visit sites such as Hub Pages and Associated Content to learn tips and tricks on writing a blog. Some may even fetch you a good amount.
- Painting- What can be better than getting a canvas and letting your imagination run wild!
- Try out different mediums of art- oil on canvas, glass painting, paper, wall art, tile art, tie and die, the options are many.
- Refer to new You Tube tutorials for new ideas and create something unique.
- Gift handmade paintings for the next birthday party or occasion.
- Ask elders around you if they can teach you some new form of painting or share ideas.
- Baking and Cooking- Being surrounded by the refreshing smells of different spices, the aroma of a fresh bake can tingle your senses and refresh you.
- Host bake parties where you and your friends bake a set of simple cookies or a cake and eat it with your favourite milkshake.
- Treat your parents to some homemade food. Your parents will love the break from cooking for a day and enjoy what you make. It can be as simple as an omelette or a veg cutlet, provided you can use the gas stove. Make sure to be careful and responsible while using the knife and the gas.
- Music- If you have a ear for music, enrol yourself in a class for a musical instrument or learn to sing.
- Identify which musical instrument you would prefer- guitar, table, drums, casio, violin are popular musical instruments.
- Listen to a lot of music. The only way to learn to either play an instrument or sing is to listen to more music.
- Go to concerts. Seeing renowned singers and maestros perform live can be a great motivator to pursue music.
Similarly, other hobbies such as playing a sport, swimming, photography, dancing, crocheting and knitting are a good fun. So let your creativity unleash and you never know maybe one of these hobbies may become your future profession!