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130 Examples of Hobbies

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Hobbies are leisure activities that build talent. A hobby is taken on freely as a way to spend leisure time. Unlike entertainment, a hobby is something that is participative, serious and potentially competitive. You improve at a hobby over time such that it is a process of skill and knowledge acquisition. The following are common examples of a hobby.
Acrobatics
Acting
Animals (e.g. Fostering)
Animation
Aquariums
Archery
Architecture
Astronomy
Baking
Beekeeping
Birdwatching
Board Games
Bonsai
Botany
Bowling
Boxing
Calligraphy
Camping
Canoeing
Chalk Art
Cheesemaking
Chess
Citizen Science
Coin Collecting
Collecting
Comedy
Comic Books
Computing & Coding
Confectionery
Cooking
Cosplay
Crafts
Creative Writing
Cultural Activities
Cycling
DIY Cosmetics
DIY Fashion
Dance
Darts
Design
Digital Art
Do It Yourself (DIY)
Drawing
Electronics
Embroidery
Environment (e.g. Beach Cleanups)
Fandom
Farming (Hobby Farm)
Fashion Design
Festivals
Filmmaking
Fishing
Fitness
Floral Design
Flying
Game Mods
Gardening
Go
Hiking
Home Improvement
Horseback Riding
Improv
Inline Skating
Journaling
Juggling
Karaoke
Kayaking
Kite Flying
Knitting
Knowledge Games
Languages
Learning
Magic
Maker Culture
Makeup
Martial Arts
Media Production
Metal Detecting
Metalworking
Model Building
Motor Sports
Mountain Biking
Music
Nail Art
Origami
Paintball
Painting
Photography
Podcasting
Pool
Pottery
Puzzles
Quilting
Reading
Remote Control Vehicles
Reuse & Repair
Robotics
Rock Climbing
Roller Skating
Running
Sailing & Boating
Scouting
Scrapbooking
Scuba Diving
Sculpting
Sewing
Singing
Skating
Skiing & Snowboarding
Skydiving
Slow Culture
Snowshoeing
Sports
Stamp Collecting
Street Art
Street Fashion
Subculture
Surfing & Bodyboarding
Swimming
Tactical Urbanism
Tennis
Trainspotting
Travel
Vegetable Gardening
Video Games
Video Production
Weightlifting
Woodworking
Word Games
Yoga

Creative & Cultural

Hobbies that involve creative expression and/or cultural participation.

Physical Activity

Hobbies that involve movement, exercise and physical abilities such as balance.

Nature & Outdoors

Hobbies that involve animals, natural environments or exploring the outdoors.

Games

Games and video games can be viewed as a hobby where they are difficult to master such that there is much to learn.

Learning & Knowledge

Learning about some area in a serious way but on a nonprofessional basis.

Collecting

Collecting things and learning about them in the process. Many of these are long established hobbies with specific names. For example, coin collecting is known as numismatics and book collecting is bibliophilia.

Notes

The word hobby extends from the 16th century English "hobyn" meaning a small horse or pony. These were a common leisure activity at the time.
Historically, hobbies were viewed as childish, trivial or as a form of vanity. This has changed as the amount of free time available to people has increased due to shorter working hours and modern conveniences. For example, universities may consider hobbies in admissions and hobbies can be a factor in professional success.
Hobbies may indicate valuable character traits. For example, a job candidate who has sailed across oceans on a small sailboat may have greater levels of personal resilience and self-direction than a job candidate who spends their leisure time watching television or following celebrities on social media.
Overview: Hobbies
Type
Definition (1)
Serious leisure.
Definition (2)
Ongoing leisure activities that build talent.
Related Concepts
Next: Creative Hobbies

Hobbies

This is the complete list of articles we have written about hobbies.
Architecture
Art
Character Traits
Crafts
Creative Expression
Creative Hobbies
Dance
Design
Entertainment
Fandom
Improv
Interests
Journals
Learning
Maker Culture
Outdoor Activities
Personal Resilience
Robotics
Self Direction
Sports
Street Fashion
Subculture
Tactical Urbanism
Things To Draw
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