Children and Hobbies

I'm sure you've heard the saying "An idle mind is the devil's workshop". That's why DH and me are always nagging our children to do something beneficial and educational; something that will develop their mind, body and spirit e.g. read a book, develop writing skills, work on their maths, do their workbooks, read the scriptures, learn their church primary songs, engage in sports, draw, clean the house, wash the car, help in the kitchen etc.... We are doing our best to get them away from the computer and television. We have been encouraging them to find out what they like to do and what they are interested in. In other words, we want them to develop a hobby or hobbies.

Currently, these are what the kids are into:
D1 cycles every evening. He and daddy does about 10km. Check out his new bike.

At first it was just cycling around the block. Then the rides were gradually extended as his strength and stamina increased. We'll see if he can be like Johan, an 8 year old boy who cycled from Pangkor to Penang (250km) in 4 days. Click on the link to read the story.
His other interest is drawing. Goodness knows how much paper he has gone through. He went through our whole stack of recycled paper like a hurricane.
He is beginning to be a collector too. What does he collect? Erasers! Yeah, kinda crazy. He has been using part of his pocket money to buy erasers at school. He was also so happy one day when he came back from school coz' he found some erasers on the floor. I guess I won't have to spend a whole lot on birthday and Christmas presents for him ;)

K is still wondering what she is interested in. She is a tough one for me coz' she likes to bum around. I know she likes music. She is always going online to look for song lyrics. I do wish to get a piano (when we have more space in the house). She has learned to read notes a little and can play with her right hand. I wonder if there's a music teacher around my area?
She kinda likes learning about other countries. I bought her a notebook so she could do like a scrapbook of different countries. Unfortunately, she has not put in much effort.
She says she likes doing craft but we don't see her doing much in that department. I was thinking of signing both of us up for a jewelry making class. We'll see how that goes.

D2... he likes to eat. Hahaha. No, we will not count that as a hobby. He likes to read books. Phew! After all my effort, at least one loves to read books. He is at the stage where he wants to do whatever his brother does, good and bad. Yikes!
He still likes to hang around the kitchen when I cook. I'll have to do some baking sessions with him in the future.

BabyK... well... her hobby now is to put whatever in her mouth except if it's food.

Mama's Parenting Tip

• Don't bog your children down with too much academic activities. Give them time to pursue stuff they love.
• Let your children know that playing computer, watching television or sleeping does not count as a hobby (well, not in your home).
  
• Be attentive and identify what your children have an inclination for. Help them develop their hobby.