WINSTON Churchill, an extremely busy man, was a big fan of hobbies. “To be really happy, one ought to have at least two or three hobbies,” he said.
I agree completely. My hobbies include writing, baking and a bit of gardening. But the hobby that gives me the greatest pleasure is writing. The importance of hobbies is one that should be inculcated early in life. As early as primary school, I had attempted to write some short stories in a scrap book.
In Painting As a Pastime, a book published by Levenger Press, Churchill recounts his own conversion to painting and explains the many ways it enriched his life.
In his 40s, Churchill, retired from his command as an officer of the British admiralty and took on the “narrow duties” of a counsellor. Finding his new duties to be mundane, with the help of his sister, Churchill begun painting.
Churchill not only found in painting a hobby that could completely absorb and please him but also became quite an accomplished artist. His paintings now sell for tens and even hundreds of thousands of dollars.
It is never too early to inculcate hobbies in your kids. Preschool is the right age for your kids to inculcate hobbies as the little minds can be molded in the way we want them to be. At this age hobbies will inculcate discipline in them and aid in overall development. Here’s a basic guide on hobbies for preschoolers.
When you want to encourage this attribute in your preschooler, there is an important factor that you need to remember. The activity that is most enjoyed by your child is likely to be his hobby.
Examples abound about how hobbies can be horned and turned into possible careers.
For the residents of one small Pennsylvania town in the US, the only monthly print newsletter is written by an intrepid eight-year-old reporter! Hilde Lysiak has been writing and publishing the Orange Street News since last December. Journalist Joe Pompeo writes in the Columbia Journalism Review, “Hilde isn’t just another precocious kid with a hobby. She attends town meetings. She covers crime without the police department’s cooperation. She shows up at the scenes of breaking news events. Sure, Hilde’s far from being a pro, but she still provides a public service in a town without a dedicated local news outlet.”
Hilde, whose town of Selinsgrove boasts 5,000 residents, started out by writing a short family digest but quickly decided that “it wouldn’t get me anywhere.” She told her father, Matt Lysiak, a journalist himself who used to work for the New York Daily News, that she wanted to make a real newspaper.
Pompeo explains that the two made a deal: “Hilde would be responsible for all the story ideas, writing, reporting, and photography. Matt would be her editor and handle the typing, layout, and printing. Every month, the HP 7110 in his third-floor home office spits out hundreds of pages. ‘I love it,’ Hilde says.” And, while her father has taught her how to write a news story, including key concepts like the lede, nut, and kicker, he’s careful not to do too much: “The minute I get too involved, it’s not a kid’s paper anymore.”
Hilde tackles news issues with enthusiasm and determination, and often rides her bike around town in pursuit of the next story wearing her homemade press credentials. In terms of her content, Pompeo notes that, “It’s not all softball.
In June, after Hilde’s competitors reported there had been a break-in on Orange Street, Hilde paid a visit to the police station to ask for the address. The cops wouldn’t give it out, so she went knocking on doors until she found the right house. Hilde landed an interview with its resident, who gushed that her dog, Zeus, had saved the day: ‘Hero Dog Thwarts Intruder!’ Hilde’s headline proclaimed.”
The third grader distributes her four-page, full-colour newspaper at local businesses, as well as to 40 subscribers who pay a nominal fee towards the cost of producing the paper. “We are very proud of you for taking on such a big project at such a young age,” wrote Mike Garinger, a subscriber who sent $5 extra to help cover costs. For her part, Hilde hopes this will only be the beginning — in the long-term, she says, “I don’t really want to work for a newspaper. I want to do my own. I kind of want it to become as big as the Daily News one day.” So for parents that want to snuff out the flame that burns young children’s interests by thinking they are too young to pursue certain interests, think twice. Hobbies that start in a simple way can turn out big, beautiful rewarding results.

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