25 Fun Hobbies for Women

Is it time to find a new hobby? Hobbies help occupy our time and make life more fun and enjoyable. Here are some ideas for new hobbies that you can learn or try out.

Picking up a new hobby that involves physical activity not only boosts your spirit and keeps you entertained, but it also helps keep you in good physical shape.

Learn Martial Arts

Martial arts provide great exercise and has the added benefit of mental training, as well. You can sign up for a class at your local YWCA or you can watch how-to videos and read instructional books. Classes offer a few more benefits, however. In a class, you get to meet new people, your teacher corrects your mistakes, and it's easier to learn from a teacher than a book. Some options include Karate, Kung Fu, Kenpo, Jiu-jitsu, Aikido, or Tae Kwon Do, to name just a few.


Take up Weightlifting

Did you know that weightlifting helps prevent osteoporosis? A regular weightlifting regimen helps tone your body which makes you look and feel better. It prevents the natural loss of muscle mass that comes with getting older, and it's a great stress reliever. You don't have to join a gym or leave your house. You can get a weight set and just do it in your home whenever you have some free time.

Learn Yoga, Pilates or Tai Chi

Yoga offers lots of benefits. It's not physically strenuous, it's easy (well, sort of!), it doesn't require you to go out and purchase a bunch of equipment, it helps clear your mind and hone your ability to focus, and it increases your strength and flexibility. You start out doing what you can, then with regular practice, you improve slowly and steadily.

Pilates is similar to yoga and helps improve focus, control, flexibility, coordination, and balance. You can sign up for a class at your local gym or just learn and practice at home.

Tai Chi is another similar practice that is really popular in China. It's actually a martial art, but it features slow, controlled movements so it's ideal if you're not physically fit. It helps sharpen your focus, improve flexibility, and improves balance and coordination.

Try Four Wheeling

Four wheelers, or ATVs, are pretty expensive, but if you know someone who has one, try it out and see if you enjoy it. I have several female friends who love riding their ATVs on the weekends. There have been a lot fo accidents with ATVs, however, and people can get killed if it flips on top of them, so learn how to ride safely before you try it.

Women in ATV


The number of sports you could learn and participate in is quite extensive. But participating in basketball, volleyball, baseball, skiing, rock climbing, hockey, soccer, or any of the other physically-demanding sports are great ways to get exercise, meet new people, get in shape, and have fun.

Orienteering or Geo-caching

With orienteering, you get together in a group and use a map and compass to traverse an area. You have a map and you need to get to various checkpoints along the way. The idea is to get to the endpoint first. To find an orienteering group near you, visit Orienteering USA.

Geo-caching is kind of similar, except you use a GPS to find hidden objects that marked with specific GPS coordinates. To find some geo-cache coordinates so you can go find your first treasure, check out Geocaching.com.

A great hobby to pick up is one where you make a difference in the life of someone else. Here are some ideas for ways to enhance your life while helping someone else.


Guide a Young Girl

There are lots of young girls out there who could use your attention or guidance. You could volunteer to lead a group of Girl Scouts or Campfire girls. See if your area has a Big Brothers/Big Sisters program, and then volunteer to spend some time with a disadvantaged child in your neighborhood. Lots of young people post personal questions asking about how to cope with life's problems on question-and-answer sites like Yahoo Answers or Ask.com. Share your expertise and experience with them. It's possible that they don't have an adult role model in their life who can help them cope. There are lots of ways to reach out and help a young person find his way in life.


There are lots of ways you can use your time to help others. Find an issue that you care about, then contact an organization that deals with that, and offer to help. You can help out at your local domestic violence shelter, animal welfare league, halfway house, etc. Some people just donate money to an organization and say "I helped someone", but I prefer to help someone in need one-on-one.

Helping people makes you feel good and worthy. You can call up a local church in your area, ask the preacher, "Is there a family in your congregation who's had a rough time of it lately? What do they need?" Then go meet them, offer to help, and possibly, make a new friend.

You can also volunteer at your local hospital, or you can go visit people stuck in the nursing homes. The opportunities are endless.

Mentor or Teach

Sharing your expertise or the knowledge you've gained from personal experiences is a great way to help others and use your time effectively. If you're a mother, you're a natural teacher. You can find opportunities online or in your community to teach, tutor, or mentor someone. It doesn't have to be about school subjects, either. If you don't want to meet one-on-one with someone, you could record your knowledge, either in writing or video format, and share it with people who could really use it.

Start a Blog

There are thousands upon thousands of articles online about "Start a blog to make money". Blogs have potential to earn you some extra income, but the main reason you should take up blogging is to share your unique insights, ideas, thoughts, and know-how with the world. You are unique, and there are people who could really benefit from hearing what you have to say.

Blogging is a free activity, and you only need to contribute as much time as you feel you can give. Write content that is interesting and engaging, and soon you will find like-minded people who share your ideas and values. It's a great way to get things off your chest, share your uniqueness, and meet others without having to leave your house.

Words are more powerful than weapons. They shape nations and incite people to take extreme action. Harness the power of words and truly express yourself.

Writing is Cathartic

Writing is an excellent hobby. You could just write in a private journal, or you could embark on writing your very own book. A lot of people think,"I'd like to write a book before I die", but they never get around to sitting down and doing it. Pick a topic that you're passionate about, sit down, and write. There are a million free tutorials online to improve your writing, and once you have something you're proud of, you could potentially upload it online and sell it as an ebook.

Reading - an Oldie but Goodie

I have to mention reading, because it's my favorite hobby. Reading opens up worlds of possibilities. With a good book, you can escape to a faraway place. You can learn a new skill to help improve your life. You can connect with another and share their experiences. You can laugh, cry, or get scared - all from the power of words.

Drawing or Painting

Learning to draw or paint well takes time, but it's free and just takes a little bit of practice. Creating works of art allow you to express your feelings and ideas and beliefs in a way that only you can. Besides that, it's just plain fun.

Start learning to draw with some tutorials over at How to Draw It. You don't need anything fancy to start with - just a pencil and a piece of paper. Painting requires a bit more materials, though, so you'll need to make a trip to the craft store or order some supplies online. You can start your first painting tutorials at about.com.

If you prefer to draw digital art, learn to draw with a program like Photoshop or Illustrator at tutsplus or Creativebloq.

If you enjoy creating things with your hands, you could explore a new art-based hobby. There are hundreds of things to make and materials to work with. Here are a few to get you started.

Learn Calligraphy

Calligraphy is beautiful and can provide hours of entertainment. You don't need to stick with English, either. When I was an exchange student at a university in Japan, I took a class and learned Shodo. I really enjoyed creating beautiful Japanese characters. Some of them I framed and gave away as Christmas gifts. You don't have to speak Japanese or Chinese to create beautiful Kanji calligraphy. There are lots of free dictionaries online to help you find the right characters.

Arabic calligraphy is also quite beautiful, but it's rather difficult to do if you don't speak Arabic. Unlike Japanese or Chinese where each character has its own meaning, Arabic is more like English where you have to know the words and know how to put them together to make a phrase or sentence. If you know Arabic, it's a good hobby. If not, you could just hop over to Google translate, translate a phrase from English to Arabic, hope it's correct, then practice your calligraphy skills.

Candle Making

Candles are popular. Candle sales in the U.S. are estimated at roughly $2.3 billion a year (Source: Chron.com). Making candles is a fun and creative hobby, and it's relatively inexpensive to do. You can sell the candles you make and earn a small side income, as well.

Make Jewelry

If you have an eye for fashion, you might try to learn some jewelry-making skills. There are various materials you can work with. You can make wire jewelry, clay beads, stone and gem jewelry, or plastic beaded jewelry to name just a few. It's a great way to let your creativity run wild.

Knitting, Crocheting, or Quilting

These traditional hobbies are still fun and practical. Learning takes very little time, the materials are rather inexpensive, the products you make are useful and can be sold or given away, and they allow you to be truly creative. In addition to knitting, crocheting, and quilting, you might also try embroidery, macrame, or sewing.


Scrapbooking is fun and you can create some beautiful books that will be treasured for years to come. They're a great way to chronicle your child's growing-up years or a special event in your life. It can get expensive however, if you purchase a bunch of specialty papers, stamps, stickers, albums, paper punches, etc. In addition to the traditional paper scrapbooks, you could opt to create a beautiful digital scrapbook online then just have a print-on-demand company print it out and bind it into a book. Handmade scrapbooks have more colors and textures that are beautiful to look at and feel, however..

Learn Airbrushing

Airbrushing requires some special equipment, but creating works of art with airbrush techniques are fun. You'll need an airbrush, a compressor, and some paint. You can airbrush T-shirts, vehicles, ceramic tiles, walls, leather, paper, canvas, clay, metal, wood, and concrete. Try it and see what you can make.

Cake Decorating

If you like to bake, try your hand at cake decorating. It's inexpensive, and there are some really cool, unique designs you can create. The best part is you get to eat it when you're done. If you get good at it, there are a lot of people, willing to pay for a beautifully-designed cake.

If you like thinking about or working with money (including making money or saving it or growing it), invest your time in some finance-related hobbies.


Couponing has become more popular lately since the advent of TLC's Extreme Couponing TV series. Collecting coupons and using them in a way that maximizes savings is a full-time hobby for some. When you do it right and go to a store, then walk out with $200 worth of products that you got for $30, you get a serious sense of satisfaction.


Investing isn't just for rich people. Learning to invest is a great hobby, and you don't need any money to start. There are several good "virtual stock markets" online that allow you to invest virtual money while you learn the ins and outs of investing. You get a certain amount to invest, for example, $10,000. Then you do research and choose which stocks and mutual funds you want to invest in. Make your purchase and watch to see if how much you earn or lose. It's a good way to get your skills up before investing your hard-earned money.

Start a Side Business

There are a million and one ways to earn some money on the side. You could set up a dropshipping account or sign up with some affiliate programs and start an online store. You can create graphics, put them on products, and sell them at CafePress. If you're artistic, you can create something unique and sell it on ebay or etsy. You can create an informational product showing someone how to do something you know how to do well and sell it online. There are hundreds of possibilities, and a Google search will give you thousands of different ideas.

Thrifting, Picking, or Dumpster Diving

This category involves gathering used items that people no longer want, and then using the items yourself or turning around and selling them to someone else. Many people have made good money going around to garage sales or estate sales, grabbing a bargain, then selling the item on ebay for a profit. You can also collect items, fix them up and restore them, then sell them or keep them for personal use. Some people enjoy dumpster diving for food items, but that's too extreme for me. This has gained in popularity after the debut of the History Channel's American Pickers show.

Other Volunteering Opportunities

There are lots of ways to take some time out of your week to help another. Here are some ideas:

  • Volunteer at your local hospital
  • Visit the elderly in a nursing home nearby
  • Help out in your local animal shelter.
  • Call up a church in your area and ask the pastor, "Is there a family in your congregation who has had a really bad time of it lately? What do they need?" Then go meet them and offer your help. You could make a new friend.
  • Find a cause that matters to you and contact an organization who caters to it. If you're passionate about supporting abused women, volunteer at your local domestic violence shelter. If you care about helping military families, reach out to those organizations. The possibilities are endless.

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RTalloni profile image

RTalloni 2 years ago from the short journey

Everyone can find something of interest in this look at hobbies. I'm really busy with a variety of activities, but you've got me interested in checking out a few more hobbies!

DzyMsLizzy profile image

DzyMsLizzy 2 years ago from Oakley, CA

Very well done, and many great suggestions. Let's see--I've tried or am currently involved in a number of those things.

Obviously, I write, since I am on HP; also on Bubblews; have several blogs...lol

I can crochet, but I get into trouble deviating from squares or rectangles. LOL following a pattern for anything more complex than a neck scarf or potholder seems to be beyond me.

I currently am getting involved in geocaching; I take karate lessons, and I do have a set of weights I ought to be using, instead of dusting now and then. :-)

"American Pickers" is one of our favorite shows, but we no longer have the physical ability for that kind of activity. And now that the show is popular, I'm sure the profit angle is decreased, as "everyone" will be trying it. (It's a shame, as hubby is a skilled person, and we could have made a go of that, had his health not declined.)

I've done scrapbooking, but now that everything has gone digital....

And I was involved heavily with Scouts when my kids were young. Done with that! LOL

Yes, I describe myself as a dabbler, or "Jill of all trades, master of none." LOL

Voted up, interesting and useful.


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