Whether you’re stuck indoors and looking for something to do or just want to start a new hobby, we’ve put together this list of hobbies you can do from home.
And while they’re primarily indoor hobbies, I know staying in all the time can drive you crazy—it’s good to get out! A couple of these, like drawing and photography, can be done outside just as easily.
Ready to get started? Check out our favorite hobbies you can start at home.
Tea Blending
Among all of our indoor hobbies, this one is probably my favorite.
If you’re a loose leaf tea fan, try creating your own blends!
Start with a base of regular tea leaves—black, green, oolong, or white tea leaves. Or, if you’re going for an herbal caffeine-free blend, use rooibos or an herbal base like peppermint.
Add smaller amounts of secondary ingredients. Things like lavender, rose, mints, lemon-flavored herbs, and stevia leaves are just a few ingredients that go well with just about any tea leaf.
Lastly, you can flavor your tea even more with cocoa nibs, dried fruit, spices, and even crushed candy.
You can easily buy both tea leaves and the herbs and spices used in flavored tea blends on Amazon, giving you lots of ingredients to work with.
Alternatively, if you have a garden, just get the tea leaves and use your own homegrown herbs.
Check out our guide on making your own tea blends for more ideas on what you can incorporate into your blends.
Kombucha Brewing
Kombucha can look a little funky if you’re not sure what to expect, but it’s actually pretty good.
Not sure what kombucha is?
It’s a fermented tea that’s sweet, tangy, and a little fizzy. So almost like a cross between tea and soda, without a lot of the junk that gets added to commercial sodas.
The best way to get started is to get a scoby (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast), or as some brewers call it, a mother. This makes it much easier to get your first brew going, but it isn’t necessary. Store-bought kombucha can also get you started.
If you’re interested in brewing this unique tea, here’s our guide on picking out what you need to make it, as well as our favorite kombucha brewing resources.
Indoor Gardening
Looking to start a garden? It’s not too late!
You can start smaller plants indoors and either keep them trimmed so they stay small enough to keep inside or let them grow and put them out in early spring.
Both container gardening and hydroponic gardening make this an accessible hobby even if you’re limited to a small apartment or just don’t have the space outdoors.
While our gardening guide primarily addresses outdoor gardening, we’ve listed some of our favorite containers for indoor gardening, as well as the tools and fertilizers you’ll need to get started.
DIY Bath & Body
Making your own bath and body products is a great way to skip a trip to the store and customize your own products.
I like to make mine in large batches and sell off the rest at market days or gift to friends, family, and co-workers for birthdays and holidays.
It’s easy to get started making your own products with things you already have around the kitchen. You’ll need some storage and equipment to get started, but we’ve included everything you need for DIY bath and body products here.
Knitting
Knitting is a great hobby to pick up if you’re looking for a relaxing way to spend your free time.
And while your first instinct might be to go shopping for all the colorful yarn that catches your eye (guilty!), there are some things you’ll want to know first. Such as:
- Getting big, bulky yarn for your first project
- The best hooks and needles to pick out
- Our favorite markers and other tools that’ll make knitting much easier
- Some books and other resources to help you learn both beginner and intermediate knitting techniques
We’ve put together this guide on how to shop for the things you need to get started.
Amigurumi
If you enjoy knitting and crochet, try creating Amigurumi.
They’re a unique craft—adorable, stuffed animals. While you’ll typically use crochet hooks to make them, they can be knitted. It mostly just depends on the pattern and material you’re using.
You’ve probably seen some of these before. Here in the US, you’ll see a lot of influence from modern Japanese culture in these creations, specifically the quirky styles and colors associated with Harajuku fashion.
Whether you’re completely new to knitting or crochet, don’t be intimidated. There are some great beginner resources out there to help get you up to speed—we recommend starting with some of our favorite books.
Still Life Drawing
Looking to build or expand on your artistic skills?
Still life drawing is a great way to practice and build foundational skills you’ll need for a variety of different hobbies, not just drawing. The composition skills you’ll learn by doing still life drawing can be applied to almost any design-oriented work or photography.
We’ve covered some tips and techniques to help you get started with still life drawing. You’ll also find some great books to help you improve your drawing skills.
Photography
Photography is a great hobby for anyone with access to a camera. Don’t be put off if you don’t have a DSLR camera—most smartphones are well-equipped. Photos taken with your smartphone can be edited to look like photos taken with even more expensive cameras and lenses!
But if you’re looking to get started with a DSLR camera, we’ve included our favorite equipment in this guide.
And good news—even if you’re going the DSLR route, you don’t need to drop thousands on a camera to get started. You can always upgrade your lenses later.
(While this is a list of indoor hobbies, we recommend taking this one outside as well! Nothing’s quite as relaxing as a nature walk with a camera.)
Bread Baking
Everyone needs a little “comfort” food from time to time, and nothing beats the smell of baked bread, fresh out of the oven.
As much as I’d like to say it’s as easy as throwing some flour, water, salt, and yeast together, it’s not quite that easy. The recipes look simple, but execution can be tricky.
That’s why we’ve put together this guide with some necessary tips for beginner bread bakers. (Including things you might not immediately think of—like keeping a bread journal!)
Know a friend who would love to start one of these indoor hobbies with you? Share this with them and see what they’d be interested in!
