How to Learn and Enjoy New Hobbies Online

As social distancing continues due to the COVID-19 situation, we want our Homestead Village community members and friends to stay active and engaged while staying safe at home. In that spirit, today’s blog post digs into just a few of the new hobbies you might pick up while you’re stuck inside—all easy to learn for free or little cost from a variety of internet resources! Learn more and THRIVE WHERE YOU ARE® with us today!

Learn to Draw or Paint

It’s true that here in Lancaster, we have a variety of excellent resources for taking an in-person drawing or painting course locally. You can try Pennsylvania College of Art & Design’s continuing education offerings or our own Life Enrichment arts and crafts opportunities for residents here at Homestead Village.

However, now that social distancing has come into play, learning stress-relieving art-making skills must be done virtually. If you still remember Bob Ross’s The Joy of Painting tutorials on PBS, you’ll love the modern equivalent offered by a variety of presenters on YouTube. Check out this list of free YouTube painting tutorials from My Modern Met.

Don’t have any acrylic or oil painting supplies on hand at home? You can also try a pen or pencil drawing, which you can begin with just those writing utensils and a piece of plain paper! This list of great online resources for learning to draw at any age will help get you started with the basics of sketching.

Learn a Musical Instrument

Have a guitar gathering dust in a closet or a piano in your living room that hasn’t been played since your kids took lessons decades ago? Why not use this time to learn to play some tunes?

There is much research out there showing that learning a musical instrument in adulthood is good for your brain, and you don’t have to sign up for in-person classes to reap the benefits. You can quickly begin the musical instrument learning process by watching free YouTube videos by real musicians and music teachers.

If you want to dig deeper, you can pay for more in-depth instruction from an online learning resource like Skillshare.

Discover Yoga or Tai Chi

If you’re anything like us, you have probably been spending more time on the couch while stay-at-home orders are in effect instead of keeping up with exercise routines—and that’s okay! As summer weather comes on, though, you likely want to get in shape again, and gentle movement is key.

While yoga, Pilates, and Tai Chi are perhaps best enjoyed in a group setting, there is no reason why you can’t enjoy these practices at home. Once again, you can check out YouTube tutorials, but there are also plenty of apps and “old school” workout videos available on TV streaming services, like Amazon Prime.

Pick Up a New Language

Once upon a time, learning a new language on your own involved purchasing pricey software or recordings and working through the material in front of your computer or stereo by yourself. Today, there are a number of excellent apps, such as DuoLingo, that can help you learn a variety of new languages for free or nearly free.

Want to dive into Spanish or French for the very first time, or brush up on that Latin you learned in high school? Fire up your iPad or smartphone and download an app to get started learning right away!

Hone Those Cooking Skills

Learning new recipes and cooking techniques is a breeze with a little help from the internet. Pinterest or AllRecipes.com (which has a full-featured website and a handy app you can download) are just a couple of great resources with a wealth of free recipes to try.

Or, if you want to learn step-by-step instructions on how to sauté, fillet, or make the perfect bouillabaisse, YouTube is again your best friend. Discover a few of the best-rated channels for cooking instruction in this list.

Get Tech Savvy

As we’ve mentioned in all of our tips so far, learning a new hobby at home is a snap with online resources, apps, and video streaming services. Of course, accessing all of those resources can be a frustrating challenge if you’re not sure how they work! If tech talk tends to leave you with a headache, why not spend some of your at-home time learning how to use your computer or tablet or smartphone just like the pros (or your grandkids)!

Check out our recent blog post about getting started with video chatting, and you’ll be on your way to connecting with friends and family who can help teach you even more technology skills! Or, if you’d rather learn on your own, this list can get you started.

Homestead Village Cares

We sincerely hope you are staying happy and healthy during this difficult time, whether you are one of our treasured Homestead Village Residents or part of our larger community of friends and neighbors.

If you have questions, please give us a call or contact us through HomesteadVillage.org.