This term is a popular way people online describe these activities, and it's not meant to offend. These common pastimes always felt like grandma-type hobbies to me, personally, but that didn't mean they were boring or lacked character. After all, grandmas are some of the most full-of-life people I know. They've seen a lot, done a lot and still manage to find joy in the quieter rituals in life. It makes sense that they lean into some of these relaxing pursuits in their spare time.
One international study, for example, finds that the effects of crocheting—a common hobby that falls under this category—can actually be really helpful to your overall wellness. It's a way to reduce stress and, as the study points out, there are specific links between crocheting and overall wellness. Others, like a 2020 study from Princeton University, find pretty much the same results for gardening, another "old-school" hobby.
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There are others that aren't as common, like bird-watching, flower-pressing or even canning fresh fruit. But they seem to fit right into the category: they allow us to unwind, and they pique our curiosity.
Other fun grandma hobbies that are popular include things like embroidery, needlepoint, watercoloring, bingo nights and coloring.
Why I Love 'Old School' Activities
This is a question I think about a lot. Grandma hobbies definitely allow me to take time for myself. In a world where anyone can be reachable at any second via text, email, phone call and a plethora of other methods, it feels empowering to create with my hands. Plus, it feels nostalgic to simply watch the process of my work come to life.
They're also just, well, fun! At a young age, my mom encouraged me to feel a sense of comfort in the kitchen. I helped her bake, even if it was just pouring batter into a bowl. When I got older, I'd stir something over the stovetop when her back was turned, doing another task. As an adult, I live and breathe food—the act of making it is therapeutic, but also watching others eat it—something I made—is a merriment I've never felt from anything else.
Does that same comfort come with laboring over a few crochet patterns, or pickling fresh cabbage to find them delightfully pink the next morning?
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The 10 ‘Grandma Hobbies’ I Tried for 4 Weeks—Ranked from Least to Most Favorite
These are the 10 old-school hobbies I tried for a month straight—ranked from my least to most favorite.
10. Doing puzzles
Courtesy Keena Alwahaidi
Even so, I tried it out. In the evenings, I have a really typical routine like watching TV with dinner, hanging out with my dog, going on a walk and doing skincare. But between all of that, I wanted to change up my night without overcommitting to anything.
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During the pandemic, I was a Wordle fiend. Although I think everyone else might have been too, because of the lack of social experiences otherwise. When I picked it up again, it was like catching up with an old friend. I surprised myself when I got a couple right on the second try, although most of them were just as difficult as I remembered. I could get used to staying at home and playing this again, though.
8. Herb gardening
As much as I am a very domestic person and "wannabe homesteader," gardening is a grandma hobby that I've never had the knack for. I'm the ultimate black(ish)-thumbed city slicker, with no dirt garden of my own but a windowsill to perhaps grow less high-maintenance stuff.
This is a hack for anyone who wants to be a gardener, or at least wants to put on the facade that they are a gardener. For now, I have to take pride in growing something from scratch that isn't as impressive as other plants or vegetables. And that's OK.
It also boosts some of my creative juices, and it feels so good to color within the lines, neatly and brightly. My favorite tools to color with are the felt-tip, alcohol-based markers, or crayons if I can find them. I filled the pages of some niche coloring books, like a Paris-themed one and another filled with breakfast foods.
6. Pickling
If there's one thing I love, it's a good pickle.
Over the next day or two, they softened and became tangy, boasting a vivid pink color. I did the same with purple cabbage, too. The next couple of weeks gave me enough pickled delights to add to any sandwich or salad I wanted. I really felt like someone's Polish grandma.
4. Reading
I just want to preface this one and say that it wasn't like I was trying out reading for the very first time these past few weeks. But I have been on a mission to read more. I've realized that I've become this person who's been reaching for a screen faster than a book. So this was a good time to focus on less screen time and more book time. I mean, as a child, my parents couldn't buy me books fast enough before I was done with the next one. So I wanted to get back to that state (except it's me buying the books now).
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I've crocheted other knick-knacks in the past, like garlands and small pumpkins for fall, but I've been meaning to try my hand at a bigger project, like a throw. So I began crocheting a large eyelash-yarn throw. And I don't know what's cozier: making it or getting to snuggle in it when it's done. It was a lot of work, but wow, is it ever cool to literally make a decor item with your own two hands while sitting on the couch binge-watching The Real Housewives.
2. Cooking cozy meals
Courtesy Keena Alwahaidi
As we're just exiting winter, I have to get all my cozy meals in before I want to eat chicken grilled by my dad under the blazing summer sun. That means lots of decadent pasta sauces, beautiful roasted chicken recipes and easy, cheesy, piping hot lasagna soups. Plus, "crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside" breads to soak up the delicious concoctions I've made.
Related: The #1 Habit of Highly Respected Grandparents, According to a Family Psychologist
1. Baking bread
Courtesy Keena Alwahaidi
I really like clean, low-ingredient foods. Especially with staple items, like sliced bread, bagels, butter and dressings. This grandma hobby allows me to eat fresh food without having to rely on someone else to make it for me.
Baking bread goes back to the simplest form of taking care of yourself. Nourishing yourself even to the highest standard. There's a rhythm to it all—a steadiness, maybe, that I can't find in anything else, even if I tried.
Most of all, I'm feeding myself, and I'm feeding my love of pleasurable pursuits when I bake. Baking is a grandma hobby that'll follow me throughout life until I, myself, become one.
Related: 8 Psychological Benefits of Knitting and Crocheting, According to a Psychologist
Sources:
Burns, P., & Van Der Meer, R. (2021). Happy Hookers: findings from an international study exploring the effects of crochet on wellbeing. Perspectives in public health, 141(3), 149–157. doi.org/10.1177/1757913920911961Princeton University. (2020, May 11). Emotional well-being while home gardening similar to other popular activities, study finds. ScienceDaily. Retrieved from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200511142141.htmHence then, the article about i tried 10 different grandma hobbies for 4 weeks here s the 1 that actually stuck was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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