Would like to Start a Hobby That I Can Share with My Daughters

I would advise against starting a hobby for the sole purpose of being passed down to your daughters. Find a hobby that interests you and just do it. If your daughters like it, they can join the fun, but be open to the fact that they may not have the same interests as you.

My dad started collecting stamps so he could pass it on to me. Because I loved my dad, I worked this horrible, awful, messy, pain in the butt hobby for years and years. College was my escape and now, nearly 25 years later, he wants to give me three bookcases filled with his stamps. I finally had to tell him that I don't like stamp collecting and I did it just because I loved him. He understood and we had a good laugh. He'll give the stamps to a local university.

This is not to say that you shouldn't do fun things together, like cooking, learning to sew, quilt, gardening, etc. My sons and I share a passion for reading and movies and we do this together all the time, always discussing what we've read or watched. Help your daughters develop their own hobbies and join them. You'll get a very different perspective on what your daughters like and don't like and learn a lot about them in the process.

Food for thought...

4 moms found this helpful

I would suggest cooking/baking or crocheting/knitting. Crocheting is something that you can do to make blankets, scarves, or other more involved things. Other than the hook, you only pay for yarn, so it is pretty inexpensive, not messy, and travels well. I loved that my grandma taught me how to crochet.

1 mom found this helpful

Would you want to learn to crochet? It is easier than knitting. I've been crocheting for years. My mom got me started on the basics, but most of what I learned was through books. Plus, you can find videos online from YouTube! It's inexpensive, you just need hooks to start out with, but you can just buy a few at a time. You can find free patterns online as well.

It's neat to make your own things & get to wear/use them. They also make great gifts for friends & family! A skein of worsted weight yarn only costs $2-$3 and could make a pair of socks, hat, etc.

I hope I can teach my daughter when she gets old enough :)

1 mom found this helpful

Maybe check out your local Hobby/Craft store and see what kind of classes they offer and if there is something that interests you both. I know Michaels has a lot of great classes.....from Cake decorating, knitting to card making. My mom and I used to latch hook rugs and enjoyed that. It is pretty easy.

1 mom found this helpful

Scrapbooking is a lot of fun, semi inexpensive and something you can cherish for a long time.
Cooking/baking is a good hobby too!
Finding something that is fun and also rewarding is the key to sticking with a hobby.

1 mom found this helpful

How about scrapbooking. You can go extravagent with scraping or you can go practical, using magazine and old pictures...one's cheap the other is expensive. Or you could do a little of both.
I also love the cooking idea. I have a passion for cooking so it's something my children (ages 2 1/2, 4, 5) have learned to appreciate and always ask to help me with.
I've also recently started teaching myself to knit. I'm hoping that my children seeing me knit, will encourage them to learn it when they get older.
One last thought, I think reading daily it super important in molding your children. When they see you reading they develope an interest in reading too. You could make a weekly trip to the library, and everyone in the house could get a book or two. As they get older maybe you could read books together (at the same time) and have your own little book club.

1 mom found this helpful

Check out www.trash2treasureFL.org. They are in Ft. Lauderdale off Commercial. I will teach workshops there beginning next month. It's a playground for the creative mind. Children and adults are welcome, materials are complimentary and the cost reasonable ($10 adults, $3 children to age 15). Collecting items we may typically toss out are great materials to start with. Visit my website for more ideas...www.STELLAWHITE.com
Have fun and be creative!

Scrapbooking....Find a Creative Memories consultant and learn from her. They have the best supplies!

As a young girl I used to love making collages which can be as simple as magazine cutouts or whatever you have lying around that's inspiring (we used to use national geographic mags, great pics), this eventually led to picture collages and scrapbooking...you and daughters could do together but each enjoy using your own interests

I am into Quilling see the website i use www.quilledcreations.com , its minimal setup cost. You buy a kit (They have so many to choose from) which includes the directions and paper. You can do it for scrapbooking, photo frames, cards, decorations etc. From them on, you just buy paper as you need it.

To me it depends on how old your girls are.

My kids (8 & 13) are very choosey with the crafts they will do with me. I can usually entice them with a puzzle (very good family activicty), chenille stems (I bought a book on chenille animals), drawing, & painting. I try to keep the small painting boards (from Walmart) for paining on. I also buy the wooden blanks dolls, popcycle sticks, etc for painting.

I encourage my kids to paint a special picture for Aunt or Uncle so-and-so, but only allow them to gift their best work. A nice frame really elevaes artwork. I also display my kids paintings around the house and in their room, but only the good stuff that they spent time and care painting. I try to reward their hard work.

Photography- go places take pictures, develop them, print, learn to frame, at some point take a class w/ to learn new part of it.
best, k

I took classes at Michael's for cake decorating. It wasn't overly expensive. I really had fun with it and now my 7yo daughter is learning some things from me. She has a blast with it. Also, you can get coupons online directly from Michael's website.

There are some hobbies that are fun and easy like scrap booking, stamp collecting, decorating/embellishing handbags or clothes. Scrap booking is so fun and you can make albums as gifts to friends and family and your girls can be involved with the cutting, choosing papers and photos and the layout. Stamp collecting may not sound like much but you can find a nice map and try finding the stamps for each country or city in the country or local holiday/person of interest. Also, flag stamps around the world and the list goes on. You probably want a more active hobby, though. Making pillows are fun and easy to sew by hand as well.

I love to bake. I am learning how to decorate cakes, so I can successfully make our own birthday cakes (that still look nice). Crocheting is relatively easy, and fun (we have classes at our adult ed center that are pretty cheap and once a week). Scrapbooking is fun, but depending on how elborate you want it, it can get expensive and very involved. Have fun!

What a nice thought! You're a thoughtful and loving mommy to want to build traditions. I applaud that spirit that says I will create my own memories, my own traditions, my family and my life is what I make of it!
My mother taught me to crochet. We all laughed at my moms crocheted presents, but that was part of her charm. She also got me started cooking. Now I don't crochet ever, but I cook up a storm. I have cooked with my daughter, and taught her how to scrapbook. She is 18 now and cooks like a pro, but never scarpbooks. lol I guess my point is, everyone has thier own interests, but everyone eats! Knowing how to cook is a survival skill that should be taught. So, as others have said, do something that interests you and expose them to all sorts of new things. Trying new things sort of a was our tradition. My daughter liked anything that had a finished product, that she could show off. You can usually take classes for little cost at the local community college. One semester everyone can take bellydance, the next pottery, and so on. You don't have to decide on something to pass down. Just go try new things when the opportunity arises. It'll be fun and a good relationship builder. William Sonoma stores and Whole Foods have free cooking classes. You can usually get hooked up in your area with a list of free activities, festivals, classes, etc by googling - free in _____ or free stuff to do in zip code ______

Some of my happiest childhood memories are of baking with my grandma (mom wasn't into that stuff). I bake a lot with my girls now, too.

I do sew and quilt. It's very relaxing. And my girls "help" me. I can't wait for them to be old enough to learn how to use the sewing machine.

If you are in the Tampa Bay area, I would be happy to give you a lesson or two in sewing. I am also selling my "beginner" machine since I have graduated to something more advanced. my email is ____@____.com!

knitting and crocheting is such a nice thing to do... because is also relaxes you

My first impulse when I saw the question (before reading) was sewing. But that could be because I LOVE sewing and I learned from both my grandmothers. It was a wonderful gift/talent they passed down to me.

After reading your whole post, I suggest scrapbooking. You could start with personal scrapbooks for your daughters. They can help you choose pictures, layouts, colors, etc. Most people think scrapbooking is an expensive hobby, and it can be...but, you can make beautiful books without spending wads of cash.

First, you'll want to explore what you are interested in (you can, of course, do this with your children if you wish). After all, your children will notice if you are doing activities that you don't like. The suggestion about taking classes at your local craft/fabric store is a really good idea. That way you can really explore different crafts and see what you (and your daughters) like.

Three that are fun and relatively easy to get into are scrapbooking, simple jewelry making and polymer clay. They can also be pretty inexpensive to get into (as with anything else, it can also get expensive...it's really up to you). My favorite hobby is sewing, but without a good sewing machine, it's definitely not inexpensive compared to the above three.

Good luck and have fun!

My 4 year old son and I love to plant our own vegetable seeds and watch them grow. I love the fact that we end up with organic veggies but also it has taught my son where food comes from. When we prepare dinner, he always wants to see the seed from the vegetables and fruit that we are preparing, then, when we have our time together, we plant the seeds and see which ones grow. He is facinated to see a seed sprout and is so excited once it starts to grow and producing our own food. For us it is earthy and feels healthy and it keeps my son it touch with nature and also with an appreciation for where the food comes from and how much effort it takes to make it happen. If you are interested just google fl vegetable garden and your get plenty of direction. Good luck with your choice of hobby!

I like the cooking suggestions and to add to it, how about donating the food you make to a local shelter or organization that accepts homemade goods. You could start a wonderful tradition of volunteering with your daughters, doing projects like Habitat (you could even do projects around your house, each week trying out a new tool or building things) or cooking/serving a Thanksgiving dinner for families in need.
Another thought- how about writing? You could write stories that you each add something to, plays that your daughters could act out, journals that you share ideas with each other. I know there are lots of classes and workshops out there that you could all take together on creative writing.

What about Scrapbooking or making jewelry?

My daughter and I cook. I love to be in my kitchen creating a great recipe and preparing dinner. She loves to create desserts (although none of us are dessert eaters) but she does a great job.

We have traditional dishes we prepare on holidays, birthdays, etc.