Best Hobbies for 12 Year Olds (15 Fun, Engaging, and Energy-Burning Hobbies)

When you’re twelve years old, you seem to have a never-ending supply of energy that has you jumping around, trying new things, and engaging in loads of creative activities.

It’s unlikely that you’ll have picked something that you want to do for life at this age, however, it’s very important to keep trying lots of hobbies or activities to see which ones you enjoy the most. In fact, there’s very little that a twelve-year-old can’t do and this is a good age to start finding your feet to see what you excel at.

In this article, we’re going to list fifteen hand-picked hobbies that will give you or your twelve-year-old plenty of hobby ideas to challenge your/their creativity and help to expend some of that excess energy. Better yet, these hobbies are great for boys or girls.

1. Swimming

Swimming is a great skill for kids to have and at twelve years old it’s especially important to get to grips with this as it could save your life or could help to save someone else’s life.

Not only that, but swimming is a really fun hobby. Literally, you can splash water, do dives, and can even visit water parks where you’ll be able to go down thrilling slides with your friends or family. In fact, it’s probably one of the most fun skills that we consider essential for basically everyone to learn.

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As a hobby, aside from all the fun, you can have, swimming can help you stay active, burn excess energy, and can even lead to a competitive career later in life too. There are so many benefits to swimming as a hobby that it’s hard to list them all but we highly recommend trying this one out.

2. Coloring

Coloring is a great hobby to partake in when you’re twelve years old as it can help pass the time and can keep you stimulated with something fun. There are absolutely tons of coloring books that you can try where you’ll be able to fill in a variety of different sketches with your own colors.

As well as that, coloring-in is very cheap and you can buy a big set of coloring pencils with a coloring book for less than twenty dollars in most cases. Realistically, a coloring book should last you a good few weeks before you need to get a new one, and probably even longer than that.

There are very few downsides to coloring as a hobby and even if you don’t do it as your main hobby, you can easily fit it in around other hobbies too.

3. Yo-Yoing

Yoyos have been around for thousands of years (since the ancient Greeks), however, they’ve never been as popular as they are now especially since you can learn all the tricks from watching YouTube videos too.

We’ve talked at length about yoyoing as a hobby and as a sport, and we’ve even looked at some of the best yoyos for beginners too. It’s relatively easy to get started with and it’s a great hobby for a twelve-year-old to have as it keeps you engaged and can help you use up excess energy from the day.

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Most beginners typically go for a responsive yoyo as this will come back to you when tugged meaning it’s easier to practice your tricks with. There are absolutely hundreds of tricks in yoyoing for you to learn meaning it should last you a lifetime if you’re serious about getting started.

4. Skateboarding

At the age of twelve, it’s likely you’ll be looking for a hobby that’s going to define your teenage personality and develop some of the traits you’ll end up with later in life. Skateboarding is the perfect hobby to cultivate good social skills, keep you active, and can develop your ability to overcome challenges.

Most skateboarders will meet up at local skateparks or will naturally come across each other at some point. Because of this common interest, it’s really easy to get to talk to people and even make new friends with which you can talk about your favorite tricks or other similar interests.

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You can easily get a good cheap skateboard for relatively little cost, and in fact, it has one of the lowest ongoing costs compared to some other hobbies. If you’re not convinced then make sure to check out why we love skateboarding as a hobby and some hobbies similar to skateboarding.

5. Bracelet Making

If you’re wanting to get started in the world of crafts then taking up a simple craft hobby like bracelet making can give you a taster of what to expect.

There are tons of ways to make bracelets and you can put your own touches on them with a variety of colors, jewelry pieces, and even the materials you want to use. Most people start out by using a bracelet-making kit as it will give you everything you need to get started without having to do tons of research beforehand.

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With that said, making bracelets can become a lifelong hobby if you really want it to be as it also spills into other hobbies such as leatherworking, rock tumbling, and jewelry making meaning you’ll have plenty of skills to learn as you get better.

6. Singing

Singing is an excellent hobby and can be done at basically any age, however, we think getting started when you’re twelve will help give you the advantage to develop your vocal skills In fact, singing is probably one of the most popular hobbies all over the world and people love watching videos of other people singing.

It’s not hard to make a career out of singing but it’s also incredibly fun to sing by yourself or with friends through a karaoke machine.

We’ve talked about singing as a hobby before and why we love it in case you’d like to find out more.

7. Drama

Drama is a great hobby for kids who are wanting to gain some social skills and make lifelong friends.

If you have a penchant for acting or theatrics then drama school (or classes) can not only be fun but can also help you establish yourself in the world of acting which could lead to career opportunities too. In fact, lots of successful actors started out as kids which is why we think twelve is a great age to get started with all things drama.

We recommend attending a proper drama school or class as they’ll be able to give you all the tips and hints to make your acting more realistic or impactful for what you’re wanting to do. Make sure to do a Google search for drama classes in your area as this will give you an idea of where to attend and how much it costs.

8. Video Games

Okay, we know video games get a bad rap from time to time, however, it’s still one of the most popular hobbies on the planet regardless of your age — In fact, we’ve even talked about it at length including how it can benefit you.

One of the most popular consoles, the Nintendo Switch, has broken all kinds of records for sales figures and that’s because of how versatile and user-friendly it is regardless of the age of the person who’s playing.

You can find tons of great games for twelve-year-olds such as Mario Kart, Minecraft, Animal Crossing, and even the hit game Zelda: Breath of the Wild which all have a variety of challenges to overcome that can teach your kids vital lessons.

We think if your twelve-year-old is showing interest in video games then you shouldn’t stop them from exploring this option as a hobby as it may make them want to play more later down the line.

9. Trading Card Games

Trading card games such as Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, and Yu-Gi-Oh are popular hobbies for twelve-year-olds (and older) to engage in.

You’ll be able to collect lots of different cards and can even find some rare ones that are great for trading or adding to your collection for safekeeping.

As a hobby, trading card games can be played just like any card game as they have set rules and strategies that will help you beat your opponent.

Most twelve-year-olds collect TCG simply for the prestige and to show off to their friends, however, there are also dedicated meet-ups and tournaments that they can partake in if they’re any good.

Although a little geeky, TCG is an especially sociable hobby and will help your twelve-year-old meet and make new friends.

10. Listening to music

Twelve is a great age to start exploring your musical tastes and is something that will help you connect with other people throughout your school life.

Some kids like metal and others prefer pop, however, it’s generally agreed upon that music can be a great way to help you enjoy yourself regardless of your age.

In fact, listening to music as a hobby can lead to other hobby opportunities such as playing an instrument, singing, and even producing your own music.

With the help of some music apps such as Spotify or Amazon Music, you can even create and grow your music playlists which is a fun way to spend your time.

11. Reading

Reading is a great hobby for basically any age, however, it’s especially good to get engaged with it as a twelve-year-old as there’s tons you can learn and plenty of enjoyment to be had from both factual or fictional books.

Some of the most popular fiction books include the Lord of the Rings collection, the Harry Potter book series, and even old classics like Watership Down.

Depending on your tastes, you may want to read factual books to learn about specific subjects or to learn about certain moments throughout history; there are no limits really.

Best of all, there’s no pressure to read your books fast — you can read a few pages a night or you can read a full chapter if you wish.

Establish a pace you enjoy and take your time with your new book(s)!

12. Astronomy

Astronomy is a bit of a niche hobby, however, it can help your twelve-year-old to expand their horizons and think about things in a larger context.

It’s never too early to help your kid (or tween) think about bigger things in life and it may even help steer them toward a successful career in science or astronomy.

Better yet, astronomy as a hobby is relatively cheap and you can get a decent telescope for less than $100 and it will last for many years too.

Astronomy can be done from your backyard but can also be a great thing to engage in when you’re away on camping trips or school trips with your friends.

13. Collecting

Collecting is so versatile and so broad that it’s better to list it as something you can do for basically anything rather than specifying exactly what to collect.

With that in mind, some of the most popular collectibles include stamps, shells, sea glass, cards, coins, and basically anything else that may have unique and/or collectible qualities.

As a hobby, it’s relatively simple meaning basically anyone can do it (including 12-year-olds), however, it does give people a sense of pride and can even give them a purpose which isn’t a bad thing to have.

In fact, working towards your goals is something you’ll have to do in many areas throughout your life and collecting is a great way to get started with that early.

14. Dancing

Dancing is one of the most popular hobbies in the world regardless of age making it very accessible for basically anyone and there are so many styles to try.

In fact, when you’re younger you probably have an advantage over the older folk as you’ll be more flexible and your bones are generally in a better condition too meaning injuries aren’t as long-lasting.

If you’re wanting to get into dancing professionally then it’s important to start young because of the reasons we’ve mentioned — muscles and flexibility are something that you need to condition for years in preparation for competitive-level dancing meaning twelve is a great age to start.

15. Hanging out with friends

Last on our list (and probably the most important) is a hobby that everyone should do regardless of their age.

In fact, at twelve, we think there’s a greater importance on hanging out with your friends than at any other time in your life.

You’ll only be young once and we think that time should be spent having fun with your friends and creating special memories.

Friends help us to have fun, expand our worldviews, comfort us when we’re down, and even teach us about new hobbies.

In fact, our society wouldn’t be as advanced as it is now if we didn’t collaborate with each other or make friends so don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Conclusion

Twelve is a great age for hobbies as most twelve-year-olds are naturally curious and want to learn more. In fact, having hobbies can help twelve-year-olds to create a strong identity for themselves which is especially important throughout their school and teenage life, and even into their later adult life too.

If you (or your twelve-year-old) is showing an interest in a particular hobby then you should try not to stifle it too much even if you think it’s bad e.g. video games.

If you educate yourself about the hobbies your twelve-year-old is interested in and show an interest to learn about them alongside them then they’ll feel more confident and supported to give things a go.

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