MindSwitch Mondays #67 : On Hobbies and Being Cultured
“Leisure has been, and always will be, the first foundation of any culture,” Josef Pieper wrote in Leisure: The Basis of Culture (1952)
Some people wonder “What is that culture like?”
Just take a look into what people are spending their leisure time on.
Some cultures are more focused on work and making their time efficient. Others enjoy a cafe-au-lait and a good book at the piazza centrale after work.
While some cultures value leisure time more than others, what we do with our leisure time is what makes a difference. Do we spend our leisure time doing more things for work, starting a new project, scrolling on our phones, working out, or learning something new?
What we engage in will shape our mindset and in turn, shape our culture. What activities we nurture shape our language, our conversations, and our habits.
A few days ago, we were talking with a friend who used to live in one of the largest cities in the US. She shared with me her kid’s happiness to live near their family in El Salvador, but what she shared next stuck like a sea urchin’s thorn hard to get out. She said, “My kids are so happy to live near their family, but now all they talk about is soccer. They go to soccer practice in their leisure time. Before, they would go to their afterschool activities, but they also talked about other things, world presidents, country flags, and other topics like that”
I couldn’t stop thinking about the part when she said “all they talk about is soccer…(but before) they also talked about other things, world presidents, country flags, and other topics like that”. This is what I want to share with you.
Let’s talk about how hobbies can help our kids get cultured.
First, let’s define what being cultured means. When we are cultured, we learn about the arts, good manners, literature, and music, and receive a good education. I know some of you might be thinking, that “a good education” can look different from person to person. Yes. I would say, a good education aims to develop skills in children for them to become economically productive, develop their individual well-being, and contribute to their society in meaningful ways.
When we nurture a hobby, we get to entertain our minds and fill our time with things that we enjoy doing. But it’s not only a matter of filling up our time so we don't get bored. When we nurture hobbies we grow our imagination, become more creative, and get skillful at things we are passionate about.
Hobbies are like keys to a kid's passions. Find the right key and you can unblock the passions your kid has. It is through hobbies that our kids develop confidence, self-esteem, and self-expression.
When kids engage in hobbies, they discover what they are good at, what they enjoy, and what they are capable of doing. It turns time into a playful journey of self-discovery!
We would love for kids to discover what they truly enjoy doing.
But in reality, we have limited time, resources, or knowledge to guide our kids in developing their hobbies.
So how can we support our kids in developing their hobbies?
Learn new things together to explore their curiosities. Challenge them. Encourage your kids to try new things and different things beyond what they already enjoy doing. They might discover they like to do something new or realize they don’t like it. This will allow for self-discovery.
Read, read, read! The magical world of reading. When we read, we open our minds to new possibilities, learn different perspectives, and discover other worlds.
Foster their natural talents. Some might now know at a very early age what their kid’s natural talents are. But once they start showing, tap into them. Sign them up for classes or engage in activities that nurture these talents and build on these skills.
In the end, it’s not about whether our kids will know all the capitals of the countries or play the piano, be the best at soccer or play chess. It's more about our kids discovering what they are truly passionate about and leading a fulfilling life. It’s more about building a culture that values innovation and lifelong learning.
I would turn around what Pieper initially said “Leisure has been, and always will be, the first foundation of any culture” and ask, “what culture do we want to build?” Let’s focus our leisure time on that.
Thank you for reading.
Until next week,
Alexandra
From MindSwitch Education