34 Great Hobbies For High Schoolers To Keep Them Happy And Motivated

There is a range of hobbies for high schoolers that often include anything they feel passionate about or enjoy doing. Someone once rightly stated that “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”

Teenagers don’t have as much time away as younger children do from their schoolwork, but this shouldn’t stop them from indulging in various extracurricular activities when they have spare time. 

Why Are Hobbies Important For High Schoolers?

Hobbies provide high schoolers with the opportunity to discover a new passion, meet people, and develop a skill outside of what they are learning in school. It is also important for teenagers to have fun and immerse themselves in activities that they really enjoy. 

Hobbies are an excellent way for a teenager to form their own identity (outside their family). And the hobbies that are taking place outside of school hours are often even better.

The right hobby gives high schoolers the opportunity to forge paths of their own, away from the constant watchful eyes of teachers and parents. 

Here is a collection of interesting and important hobbies for high schoolers to try.

Learn A New Skill

Hobbies for high schoolers can help to enhance their abilities, whether they are learning graphic design, web design, or any other useful skill. Here is a list of ideas to find one that matches up with your teen.

1. Play An Instrument: Creating music is one of those skills that bring enjoyment to both the listener and the player. 
2. Foreign Language: Learning a new language can be useful for finding out about other cultures, for school, or for communicating with others. It can also help in the future to lead to beneficial job prospects. 
3. Sewing: Learning to make clothes helps a teenager to make up designs and follow patterns. 
4. Cooking: Cooking is a hobby that is infinitely creative and useful. It can also help a teenager to decide if they would like to pursue a career in food once they leave high school. 
5. Candle Making: This is a fun and easy hobby that can also be personalized with shapes, colors, and scents. 
6. Singing: Singing can be a joyful activity that a teenager can participate in with either a choir or an online class. 
7. Pottery: Pottery is an excellent hobby that allows the person to work with their hands. 

Hobbies For High Schoolers That Make Money

If none of the hobbies above seem appealing to your teenager, they might be interested in trying something that they can earn an income from. 

1. Greeting Cards: Creating professional-looking greeting cards could be an excellent way to make a bit of money. 
2. Tutoring: Teenagers that excel in certain subjects may enjoy helping their peers. It also teaches a high schooler a few skills in teaching. 
3. Carpentry: Making shelves, stools, and boxes is not only satisfying but also a very useful and versatile skill that could lead up to a job or paid employment. 
4. Dog Walking: This could be a hobby for a dog lover or a job. Regardless of which way your teen approaches it, this is a fantastic way to learn about dogs and their behaviors, especially if your teen wants a dog but you cannot have one. 
5. Gardening: This is an excellent hobby for a high schooler since they will learn about propagation, growing things, and how to produce vegetables and fruit. Even for those that only have a windowsill, there is still the opportunity to sell a few seedlings. 

Just For Fun Hobbies For High Schoolers

This is a hobby list that can also involve friends and other members of the family. 

1. Reading: Reading is the perfect hobby to broaden imagination and vocabulary and to start a passion for books. 
2. Birdwatching: Birdwatching offers an excellent way to distinguish the differences between calls and to keep logbooks of what your teen has spotted. 
3. Podcasts: Watching podcasts can teach communication, clear thinking, and focus. 
4. Upcycling: Find old pieces of furniture and allow your teenager to transform the piece, using their creativity and imagination. 
5. Ancestry: Building family trees will teach a teenager a bit of history about their family. It also leads to interviewing and honing research skills. 
6. Volunteering: Before you allow your child to enroll in a volunteering program, make sure the cause is age suitable. This could include local theatres, animal shelters, or soup kitchens. This is a great addition to their CV, and they will get to learn about invaluable skills. 

Creative Pursuits For High Schoolers

Below is a list of amazing hobbies for boys and girls to encourage creativity. 

1. Writing: For high schoolers that love making up stories, the best outlet for this skill would be to type or write them down. Who knows where this may lead. 
2. Acting: There are many opportunities to pursue an acting hobby. This often includes taking classes or signing up with one of the amateur groups. Acting is excellent for improving public speaking and boosting confidence. 
3. Photography: If they have a smartphone, then they already have a camera. Today there are many tips and tricks on the web to learn how to take interesting and unique photographs. 
4. Calligraphy: This is one of the ancient arts that will take a steady hand and a lot of patience. 
5. Origami: Another ancient art that involves folding paper into intricate shapes. This skillful hobby encourages concentration and patience and ways to produce beautiful objects. 

Physical Hobbies For High Schoolers

Popular hobbies for teenagers also often involve participating in physical activities or trying out new sports. 

1. Swimming: This is a full-body exercise that your teen can do competitively or throughout the year. 
2. Walking: This is the perfect hobby to get exercise and can either be done in a group or alone. 
3. Running: Great for cardiovascular health and often leads to competing and racing. 
4. Yoga: Great for both the body and the mind. This is also a hobby that can be done either alone or in a class.. 
5. Dancing: Dancing classes are often very sociable and one of the best ways to have fun. 
6. Cycling: This is one of the all-around fitness hobbies that offer the opportunity to meet new people and make friends, especially if your teenager decides to join a club. 
7. Martial Arts: Any form of martial arts offers excellent discipline for both the body and the mind. 
8. Skating: Skating is available in two types which include either blades or wheels. Both kinds encourage balance, agility, and extremely effective workouts. 
9. Sailing: If you reside close to the shore, a river, or a lake, there are probably sailing clubs nearby. These lessons teach about navigation and knots. This hobby is also incredibly exciting for most teens. 
10. Geocaching: This hobby teaches map and deduction reading while increasing fitness. 
11. Keeping Fit: A regular exercise routine will help to build fitness, stamina, and muscle. 

RELATED: Money-Making Hobbies for Guys

Takeaways From Hobbies For High Schoolers 

Teenagers, which include both girls and guys, often experience pent-up energy caused by hormonal and developmental changes. 

This is one of the best times to find a new hobby since most teenagers are interested in harnessing this additional energy to try new hobbies or to have a bit of fun. 

Check out more hobbies for teenagers here.

It is also one of the best ages to learn new things since the brain is still regarded as “plastic,” which means it can learn things and make changes with relative ease, especially when compared to others that are older.