Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Best / most valuable hobby your DD did?

84 replies

Onionringsforbreakfast · 23/08/2025 12:15

DD is 7

She’s been into gymnastics but suddenly decided she wants to quit.

TBH I’m ok about it, I get the impression gymnastics either means join the squad/competition team and dedicate your life to it (no thanks) or you’re just the weekly hour lesson fodder who does your lesson weekly until you get bored.

Her new thing is horse riding. I feel a bit more supportive of this. I rode and as an older kid / teen spent hours at the stables helping out and loved it. I never had own horse or competed but riding gave me so much.

What’s the best hobby your DD has / had from a social/emotional / personal perspective?

OP posts:
Twistedfirestarters · 24/08/2025 10:20

I agree with a previous poster. It's whatever they enjoy. No point trying to force an instrument on them if they hate it, they won't get anything out of it. My thing was to always encourage them to have an interest, I didn't mind what it was (to a degree) I just think a hobby, whatever it is, is good for kids/teens.
If you have a kid who's sporty but not into team sports though I recommend athletics/triathlons. This was great for my son when he kept getting benched in rugby. There's a team ethos in that everyone cheers each other on but no pressure that you might let a side down.

Wotrewelookinat · 24/08/2025 10:42

Indoor rope climbing and bouldering, and some outdoor climbing. Fantastic for confidence, very sociable but not at all competitive unless you want it to be. Mix of all ages. All 3 DCs share a love of this sport and have continued it to university giving them a great social life there, and eldest DD is a qualified climbing instructor and does this for a job.

3LemonsAndLime · 24/08/2025 10:43

I respect this will be different for each child, but for girls:

Swimming and driving as life skills (was driving around the farm at an early age).

Ballet and/or gymnastics for excellent posture and an awareness that the body is strong, capable and that repetition of exercise can make it achieve remarkable things, usually at age when most girls might get the opposite message around their body. (I accept others might get the complete opposite from these, but that was not my experience).

Piano (or any musical instrument) for the skill of reading music, and the skill of learning something and doing exams independently of school and your peers. Kids do so much in teams (great!) but this often teaches that the time put into piano lessons equals a high distinction vs a pass or fail. And does so in something that ‘doesn’t matter’, ie not school, just an extra curricular activity.

Netball for team work, and a common team sport you can when you move to a new place - often colleges/unis/workplaces might have a netball team and if you are good it’s great way to stay in shape and meet people. Also, if you do the umpiring course kids can gain confidence and make money from it. I’m sure other sports may have similar.

Scouts/Guides etc - great to meet more friends outside school to have strong support networks if the friends in school ever leave/change/gang up on child. Excellent practical life skills they are unlikely to learn elsewhere, and so helpful to suddenly find they know who to pitch a tent, first aid etc. Gives them confidence too, both in having lots of skills they know how to do, and in learning those skills and being aware it is a learning process.

Also a love of reading - best gift you can give a child. Book clubs, reading clubs, library visits every Friday….

Public speaking confidence - Mock trial, public speaking groups etc. So important as a life skill.

MargaretThursday · 24/08/2025 13:54

I'd give them a list of things and tell them to pick one, and you don't mind which. They can change at the end of term, but then have to pick another.

That's what I did with ds who didn't want to do anything after a serious illness, and I could see him getting more and more introverted.

He picked drama on the basis it was close and only an hour.
He objected weekly, and I told him he could pick something else at the end of term.
He didn't pick another.
After a term and a half he asked to do a second class.
After a year he added another.
At his peak he was doing 15 hours a week on different classes round drama/musical theatre etc. He loved going and was always wanting to go.
He's off to uni in September to do theatre lighting.

bookworm14 · 24/08/2025 14:00

For DD age 10 it has been Stagecoach (singing, dancing and drama). I don’t think she’s ever going to tread the boards in the West End, but she loves it and it’s been great for her self confidence.

sequin2000 · 24/08/2025 14:16

Swimming. Great for making friends outside of school which I think is important. It slso gave us an extended friendship group of parents who socialised regularly and enjoyed trips to competitions. Now both kids earn £14ph as lifeguards whilst their friends are on less than half that wage.

MyElatedUmberFinch · 24/08/2025 14:30

I have DS’s but did loads of activities myself. I didn’t have swimming lessons but loved to go to the local pools and now it’s my main hobby. I was also into sewing/patworking/making clothes, reading and really loved gymnastics. I also liked tennis and kayaking but do not play tennis now.
I played a lot of table tennis and did a lot of trampolining at a summer club i
went to and still enjoy table tennis when I am on holidays.
I think all activities are good as are indoor hobbies and the ability to keep yourself occupied.

Tarkan · 24/08/2025 15:10

Air cadets was amazing for my eldest. She had chances to fly gliders and planes, trips in helicopters too, shooting as well as other skills like model making, using radios and even smaller things like ironing uniform and polishing shoes properly. It’s not just for kids who have an interest in going into the military, in fact I don’t think any of her friends from cadets decided on it as a career. It did help one decide he wanted to go into the police force though. They got to attend events all over the country, including RIAT and even got to be the cadets with the flags before rugby matches at Murrayfield.

With my youngest it’s drama that has been the best thing. We’ve just finished a youth production of Wizard of Oz and my kid was absolutely amazing as the Wicked Witch of the West.

cloudjumper · 24/08/2025 15:20

Both mine absolutely love Scouts - both started in Beavers, DD is now in Cubs, DS is just about to move into Explorers. They made such good friends there, and they learn so many things I wouldn’t have the foggiest about!
Both are also doing karate and football - first one is great for confidence, the latter great for being in a team. I did horse riding as a teen, which I loved - great for making friends and for confidence. But it’s just so expensive these days, even if you don’t own a horse.

Crunchymum · 24/08/2025 15:27

For my DD it's been ballet (since she was 5), swimming (she swins at club level and is the smallest / youngest in club by quite a margin) and football (a more recent addition which she loves).

She makes up for my other two. Older DS swims under duress but finally found fencing about a year ago but that was only after he'd tried about 10 different clubs. Youngest DD is disabled so we haven't found anything that can meet her needs yet but she does have swimming lessons and SEN tuition (both of which she loves but we pay for 1:1 lessons)

taxi4ballet · 25/08/2025 14:26

Onionringsforbreakfast · 24/08/2025 09:49

Thanks all
I’m not a pushy parent and not bothered about DD competing or being the best . I just want her to do something that she really benefits from.

In what way beneficial?

Onionringsforbreakfast · 25/08/2025 15:21

@taxi4ballet beneficial in terms of anything really - skills, confidence, social connections, responsibility, physical & mental health & wellbeing

OP posts:
MoreIcedLattePlease · 25/08/2025 15:25

Music lessons (any instrument, but my DD plays flute)
Horseriding
Guides/Scouts
Swimming

All priceless for my DD - and my DS's come to that!

NoEffingWay · 25/08/2025 15:30

Arglefraster · 23/08/2025 12:23

Indoor/sport climbing & bouldering.

Lots of responsibility & team work but also loads of chat time & fun.

I second climbing, my son enjoys going to coaching sessions, but also it’s something he can enjoy for the rest of his life, if he chooses to.

cobrakaieaglefang · 25/08/2025 15:48

Karate for DD, increased her confidence, motor skills and fitness.

KingscoteStaff · 25/08/2025 16:09

Riding.
From 10 she was volunteering at the stables and it taught her so much - responsibility, determination, dealing with fierce horsey ladies who take no shit, needing to stay calm in demanding situations.
She also made a set of very close friends away from school, which is really important when the Year 8 horrors broke out.
And of course - better ponies than boyfriends…

AgathaCristina · 25/08/2025 16:10

Anna467 · 23/08/2025 12:28

I have a DS but I think every kid should have swimming lessons and learn the piano. Cubs/brownies are great too but very difficult to get into round here.

why the piano?

reluctantbrit · 25/08/2025 16:21

Anna467 · 23/08/2025 12:28

I have a DS but I think every kid should have swimming lessons and learn the piano. Cubs/brownies are great too but very difficult to get into round here.

Musical instruments can be great if the child has talent.

Otherwise the required practise is just a nightmare and takes away the joy of playing.
And you will have a constant battle when the child refuses to do it.

Swimming is a life skill and if it ends up being a hobby, great but if not, stop when the skills are good enough.

WifeOfAGemini · 25/08/2025 16:26

For my dd it has been martial arts - brilliant friendship group of mixed sex and ages, opportunities to coach and teach the kids group once she reached a certain level, compete and challenge yourself plus the actual skills (self-defence, self-discipline, good for fitness and strength).

She would have loved scouting but sadly all the clubs round here are jam-packed.

Missymini · 25/08/2025 16:57

Dance - my DD goes to an amazing group, she does three different classes a week and has a good group of friends. Being on stage and performing has done wonders for her confidence. Having to attend rehearsals has taught her if she makes a commitment to be in the show she has to follow thorough and attend rehearsals even when she might prefer not to which I think is a valuable lesson.

Horse riding - this has taught my DD grit and determination. It has taught her that is it OK to fail, you can spend ages preparing for a completion just for it to all go wrong on the day. She falls off she gets up dusts herself on and gets back on, so she has learn resilience. The set backs also makes the wins feel all the sweeter!

BiddyPopthe2nd · 25/08/2025 17:28

Probably sailing. She learned how to socialise and communicate through it, as well as learning valuable skills for the water, being very used to manoeuvring at speed from power boat driving before driving her car, and how to tackle adversities when things didn’t go her way as well as being gracious when she did well, resilience from doing very long days on the water and out in all weathers, as well as the importance of the right clothing and maintaining your equipment.

She now only sails for fun when she gets time - but if training for a national squad in another sport hadn’t interfered, she would have had a few weeks getting paid for laying courses for competitions this summer. She has travelled quite a bit through it with us, so managed travel for other sports without us with ease. And she also learned how to step up when it was needed in a few situations in larger boats and crews.

I am also a big advocate of Scouts for development of both adventure and a wide range of broader life skills in DCs.

BiddyPopthe2nd · 25/08/2025 17:29

She started sailing aged 4 but it’s easy to start and pick up until mid teens.

mrsh2025 · 25/08/2025 17:32

horse riding for my girls they absolutely loved it and 1 has made a career from it. My boy does army cadets (he’s older) and about to go into the army

mamagogo1 · 25/08/2025 17:37

Music, it’s now DD’s career and helped my other dc getting her job too

mamagogo1 · 25/08/2025 17:38

Oh and golf, both my DD’s learned to play but youngest has found it helps at work