Hobbies for Homeschoolers

1. Read Anything
It stimulates the growth of new neural pathways as we absorb new information. Reading flexes those parts of the brain that deal with problem-solving, seeing patterns, and interpreting what others are saying to us about their feelings. It also improves memory, builds on prior learning (more neural connections), and exercises parts of the brain that allow imagination.

2. Learn to Play a Musical Instrument
Playing an instrument (the voice is also an instrument), increases gray matter volume and makes neural connections between the two hemispheres of the brain. Playing an instrument ensures both sides of the brain work together much better.

3. Exercise on a Regular Basis
Exercise produces a protein (BDNF) in the blood stream. As blood travels through the brain, cells absorb this protein, which is responsible for both increased memory and focus.

4. Learn a New Language
Several areas of the brain are used as we take in sound, give it meaning, and then respond to it – 4 areas in all. Bilingual people have more gray matter in their language centers. They can focus on more than one task at a time because parts of the brain that relate to reasoning, planning, and memory are more developed. Now, it is also known that learning a language at any stage in one’s life has the same forceful effect on the brain making it smarter.

6. Exercise Your Brain with Puzzles and Games
We need to think of our brains as both computers and muscles. The more information we put into our brains, the more functions they can perform. Likewise, the more we exercise our brains, the stronger they function.

7. Meditate / Practice Yoga
Meditation is no longer something that can be thought of as “that thing that Hindu and Buddhist monks do.” First, it allows better control of one’s thinking when not in a meditative state. This control allows focus, concentration, and better memory. In fact, students who meditate do better on tests, and adults who meditate have better memories. Meditation increases gray matter in areas of the brain that control learning and memory.