37 Hobbies for Teens (& How To Get Started)

Alexandra F.:  My kids got really into baking as soon as they hit their tween years, and along with learning new skills they will definitely use throughout their lives, the whole family has also been enjoying their tasty homemade treats! They started off with easy dessert recipes like cookies and brownies, but have been growing in their skills and daring ever since, tackling three-layer cakes, fruit tarts, and other yummy sweets.

Drawing is one of those fun and creative hobbies for teens at home that is super easy to start. All they really need is pencil and paper, though some basic drawing supplies like sketchpads and specialty tools will make it especially fun to dive in.

Speaking more than one language opens up new opportunities and experiences, whether it be for travel, work, or just getting to know other cultures - and the younger you are the easier it is to learn! Some easy and cost-effective ways teens and tweens can dive in to learning a new language include using apps like Duolingo, watching and listening to shows, movies or music in the new language, and searching for free tutorials on YouTube.

Shila:  Adult coloring books are not exclusive to art lovers above the U.S. voting age. Kids can take advantage of them, too! The pictures are more elaborate and may require slightly more precision, but the end result is just as satisfying - some can even be worthy of a picture frame!

Shila:  Kids may enjoy keeping a diary or a secured journal that can catch and release internal thoughts. Some online journal apps, too, can be so simple and relevant for today's youth to appreciate. Happy Feed Gratitude, for example, is an app that asks you to snap photos of 3 things that brought happiness throughout the day. Its private feed mirrors a familiar look and feel to Instagram. Kids can create an online personal collection of happy photos to reflect on - minus the social media aspect!

Acrylic paints or water colors are probably best for beginners, as they are less expensive, easier to clean up and less high-maintenance than oil paints.

The Japanese art of folding square sheets of paper into decorative shapes and figures is one that fascinates many kids - but it's not easy to do! Tweens and teens are old enough to begin mastering the more complex directions of most origami projects, though even they might want to begin with some of our hand-selected and truly easy origami tutorials.

Alexandra F.:  I love that running does not require any special equipment (though a good pair of running shoes does make it easier on the joints) and is something almost anyone can do. I started running in high school and both my tween and teen have started running with me this year, too. It's a great way to exercise whether you run a mile or ten, and encourages perseverance and personal goal setting.

Alexandra F.:  The soap making unit is a highlight at my daughter's middle school, as the process is not only a cool hands-on science experiment but also a fun way for kids to express their individuality and creativity. I was super impressed by the variety of designs and scents in the soaps the kids made, and my tween was excited to replicate the experiment at home. This easy guide from Hello Glow is a great place for beginners to start!

Sue Krawitz Tandoc:  My 13 year old son loves to play chess. He has played at library game groups (even with adults) and now participates in a chess club at school. It is a game of skill and concentration and challenges the mind and can be played in person with others or online. It is a game that he can carry into adulthood as well!

Tweens and teens can go beyond the easy magic tricks they may have picked up in their younger years and really perfect their sleight of hand, misdirection, and other performance tricks.

Being able to sew on a button or hem a pair of pants is a practical life skill worth passing on to all of our kids, but creative tweens and teens can go even further and learn to machine sew, or sew by hand, to make their own clothing or other more complex sewing projects.

Whether it's making advanced patterns using kid-favorite Rainbow Loom bands, crafting friendship bracelets using embroidery floss (a rite of passage that doesn't ever seem to go out of style!), or creating more sophisticated, handmade jewelry with craft wire, beads, semi-precious stones and whatever else they can imagine, this creative hobby is one that can grow with your tween and teen, and perhaps even lead to a small business enterprise on Etsy or other similar platform.

Scrapbooking is a fun and creative hobby for teens that will allow them to capture special memories in a way they can continue to enjoy year after year. Consider getting a mobile photo mini printer for a special birthday or holiday gift to make it that much easier for them to print photos whenever they are ready to start a new project.

Whether fiction or non-fiction, writing is a wonderful creative outlet as well as a practical and important life skill.