Out With The New and In With The Old — Grandparent Hobbies is Where It’s At

In today’s screen-riddled society, hobbies have taken a technological turn. What used to be opportunities for exercise, cognitive enrichment and time spent outside is now a cesspool of online gaming and short-form video content. 

In 2026, doomscrolling is the pastime of choice for students everywhere, and the tech monopoly needs to loosen its grip on young adults once and for all.

Hobbies should encapsulate around 20% of free time in the average person’s life, according to Dorie Clark. Much like the turbulent tide of Lake Michigan, interests and pastimes ebb and flow, shifting with the personality of the beholder.

Recently, the increase in digital hobbies alongside the norms of the American work ethic caused teens’ average time spent with hobbies to decrease. 

This poses a concerning issue — hobbies are dying out. 

So now, the youth must return to physical and hands-on activities. “Grandparent hobbies.” 

Having a leisure activity is proven to be connected to increased physical well-being. Activities allow for hobbyists to experience lower cortisol levels and have even been linked to lower blood pressure levels. 

Especially when so many aspects of joy and leisure are digitalized, an unplugged activity is paramount to keeping a balanced lifestyle. Not to mention the added benefit of taking a break from headache-inducing screens.

Grandparent hobbies take on many forms — from pickleball to actual pickling — and often vary from mainstream to cozily niche. 

Jigsaw puzzles, which are often considered a chief grandparent hobby, were invented in the late eighteenth century and have remained steadily popular since. Boasting numerous benefits, jigsaw puzzles serve to improve neuroplasticity, which, in turn, can prevent neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia. In addition to their use in cognitive health, they’re easy to find and come readily in varying levels of difficulty to challenge a hobbyist of any skillset.

Beyond activities helping increase cognitive function, hobbies like quilting or cross-stitch have an impact on nervous system regulation as well. Cross stitch requires meticulous needlework and hours of concentration — the antithesis of doomscrolling or watching YouTube videos.

If more tactile activities don’t align with a student’s interests, a computer-based but highly educational hobby option is provided by Loyola. Loyola Libraries offers access to Ancestry Library for students and staff to be able to search ancestral records and learn about their family. Genealogy and research are highly popular among older folks and intriguing for those who may want to find class photos of their parents from the sixth grade. 

If stationary and deep focus hobbies aren’t a favorite, try pickleball. Though controversial within the tennis and court-sports community, it’s favored by seniors because of its low-impact quality and its help in joint lubrication.

The Chicago Park District has almost sixty pickleball courts scattered throughout neighborhoods and along Lakefront Trail, touting accessibility and ease for Chicago residents. 

Student schedules are jam packed these days, filled with study sessions and classes leaving little room for leisure and excitement. It’s natural. 

That being said, the benefits of picking up a hobby, especially one distant from technology, or a few hours  far outweighs the cons. Whether it be knitting a scarf or birdwatching in the Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary, grandparent hobbies are the best way to decompress after a long school week or even to make use of a break between classes.

In all, maybe our grandparents are onto something. Though Gen Z may often poke fun at “old people stuff” like watching SNL or taking up calligraphy, these hobbies are popular among seniors for a reason. 

Next time, instead of bedrotting or doomscrolling, try picking up a good Ravensburger jigsaw puzzle or starting a NYT Games sudoku. Though leisure activities may seem tedious and pointless, they’re vital for keeping the mind and body spry, healthy and ready to take on school’s next challenges.