What do hobbies cost for kids??

For children and young people, a suitable hobby is the ideal balance to school and other duties. But whether it's sports with soccer and co. or musically with singing and piano: the leisure activities of the offspring may go really into the money.

VEXCASH has taken up the topic and in a Infografik the costs of different hobbies set up as well as interesting facts to the leisure behavior of the German youth collected. For a more in-depth look at kids' and teens' favorite pastimes and passions, check out the article below.

Children and their hobbies: The spare time meaningfully arrange

In the child and youth age interests and talents express themselves, which affect correctly promoted the mental and physical development of your child positively. In this context, the following fact is hardly surprising: Parents are willing to spend an average of 12 to 16 percent of their children's monthly costs of 549 euros on leisure activities. These range from small collectibles, to sports, to music, to tech gadgets.

Until the right hobby for children is found from this multitude of possibilities, parents are often allowed to go through an odyssey of changing interests and activities. Is today still singing in the choir the Nonplusultra, must tomorrow at best already the own drum set her. By adulthood, an average of seven to eight different hobbies will have been put through their paces, with the most popular being at the age of ten to twelve. During this period, parents must not only have a lot of patience, but also the necessary small change. Because buying musical instruments or basic equipment for the next sports club quickly settles into triple digits.

What do children's hobbies cost?

The possible amount of monthly expenditure for hobbies is as wide-ranging as the types of leisure activities themselves. There are immense price differences in the individual areas of sport, music, technology or collecting.

Sport is cheaper in a team

It's hard to get started – and in many cases it's also expensive. That's because almost every hobby first requires a certain amount of basic equipment before it can really get started. This is especially true for individual and team sports: tennis rackets, soccer shirts or indoor gymnastics shoes put a strain on parents' wallets, especially at the start of a new hobby, unless the club provides the necessary equipment.

Once the outfit is complete, the rest depends on the sport: For team sports, for example, in many cases you only have to pay an annual fee. This also often turns out to be particularly favorable for children and young people. Depending on the region or club, the annual cost of doing so ranges from €40 to €100.

Parents, on the other hand, have to dig deep into their pockets, especially for individual sports such as tennis or horseback riding, where they are often also charged for individual training hours.

The more professional, the more expensive

The cost trend is different if the hobby is pursued over time with higher professorship. With increasing talent and ambition, the €40 flute quickly turns into a €900 saxophone.

In general, musical instruments are a major financial investment: if you want to buy a piano or an upright bass, the hobby can cost a four-digit sum. There are almost no upper limits for the prices.

Collecting as an investment

Even a passion for collecting can turn into an expensive hobby. Toddlers are usually still content with collecting stones or game pieces. With increasing age, however, young people are increasingly turning their attention to trading cards and comics.

Although a single comic or collector's book costs only around ten euros, over time a small fortune can accumulate on the shelf. But this hobby can also be profitable: Some rare collector's items turn out after years as valuable financial investments.

1. Mickey Mouse
2. Funny pocket book
3. Donald Duck Special Edition

If the technology calls, the money flows

It is well known that children become more and more expensive as they grow older. That's mainly because their interest in technology is growing – and that, of course, goes into the money. be it a game console or a fast PC with a suitable graphics card: In any case, gamers have to fork out several hundred euros for their initial equipment. Add to that the cost of controllers, additional gadgets and last but not least the individual games.

Recreation can also be inexpensive

But parents don't always have to dig deep into their pockets for their kids' hobbies. Above all, the team sports already mentioned or creative and musical hobbies such as crafts, singing and dancing are affordable for most families.

Here are a few inexpensive hobbies at a glance:

• Gymnastics: basic equipment (shoes, shirt, pants): 60€, club fee/year: 90€
• Crafting: Basic supplies (paper, glue, scissors, decorations, pens): 50€
• Outdoor sports: basic equipment: 70€
• Reading: used books from 1€
• Drawing: Basic equipment (for pencils, colors, brushes, paper): 60€

Which is the right hobby for my child?

It is not possible to make a general statement about what kind of hobby is best for one's own child. Depending on age and interest, leisure activities can take a variety of forms. A mix of sporting and creative activities is popular with children and parents alike, as it develops both body and mind. The team sport handball on Monday then faces the music lessons on Thursday.

However, a child of primary school age should not necessarily spend more than two afternoons a week on ambitious hobbies. This still leaves enough room for your own leisure activities.

In order to prevent a change of hobby as well as possible, you should ask yourself the following questions in advance:

• Is your child interested in this hobby for more than three months??
• Has your child ever been thematically involved in the hobby?
• Is it possible to borrow the basic equipment needed on a trial basis?
• Are there friends or relatives who already practice the hobby and can exchange/connect with your child?
• Are you willing to invest time and financial resources in your child's hobby??

Which hobbies are most popular with children?

Whereas in the past it was books and stamps that attracted the interest of young people, today it is increasingly modern sports such as slacklining and longboarding.
But video and computer games are also highly popular: 93 percent of young people devote at least once a week to virtual worlds.
Nonetheless, physical activity is still one of the most popular ways to spend your free time.

Even though the figures show a slight downward trend compared with the generation of their parents, young people are still enthusiastic about sports: 82 percent of boys and 62 percent of girls between the ages of 7 and 14 are active in a sports club nowadays.

Soccer is still the perennial favorite in this segment, with more than 1.9 million youth members. But gymnastics, handball and athletics are also very popular in this country.

Also on the decline, but still popular among children and young people, are hobbies related to music. Nearly a quarter of girls and boys devote themselves to their musical vein several times a week – whether it's in a choir or practicing an instrument.
In numbers, that's 1.4 million choir members and 1.3 members in music schools.

1. Piano
2. Guitar
3. Violin
4. Recorder
5. Drums

Despite the clear tendencies of German children and young people when it comes to hobbies, the favorites mentioned here are not necessarily an option for everyone. The search for the ideal recreational activity may cost you and your child a lot of time, effort and also money. However, given the many physical, creative and social experiences involved, these investments are well worth it.

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