12 Engaging Hobbies to Strengthen Your Marriage

Last Updated on March 9, 2024 by Andrea

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Hobbies in marriage can happen by chance or by design. My husband and I sort of fell into a hobby lately. I’ve always enjoyed cooking and baking. A couple of years ago he bought a big green egg. And his new hobby began! Together we have a cooking hobby. He barbecues and I make dessert. It’s a great system and we both love what we contribute.

In a marriage, shared hobbies can be more than just a way to pass the time—they can strengthen your bond, improve communication, and create lasting memories.

Discover 12 engaging hobbies that can revitalize your relationship and bring you closer together. From adventurous outdoor activities to creative indoor pursuits, find the perfect hobby to ignite your passion and deepen your connection. Explore how hobbies can be a fun and rewarding way to nurture your marriage and create a stronger, more fulfilling partnership.

Why find a hobby?

When we engage in shared hobbies with our spouse, we find several benefits:

1. We get quality time
2. We get to practice communication and problem solving skills
3. We reduce stress
4. We learn to collaborate as a team
5. We can rekindle the passion and romance

All of these are great reasons to find something you enjoy doing together!

What hobbies to explore:

The first step is to plan when you have time for engaging in a hobby. Don’t have a planning stystem yet? This is an online planner that takes the guesswork out of the process. Without further ado, let’s look at some activities you might enjoy. I’ve organized them into three categories – relationship health, physical health, and spiritual health.

Relationship health:

1. Take up photography. This is a great hobby because it can be done anywhere – city, country, and everywhere in between. While you can buy fancy equipment, you don’t have to. Many phone cameras rival fancy ones. Not sure how to take good pics? Check out this article. Each of you can take pictures and then compare. And go old school – get the best ones printed and hang them on your walls!
2. Go shopping – but make it a challenge! Set a budget and see who can get the most at a store for that amount of money. Window shop with pretend money. Plan your future dining room or living room. Plan your future car and see what’s available.
3. Take a class together. Just Google “classes near me” and you’ll find all kinds of things – cooking, baking, painting, physical fitness, arts, and more! Make it a point to attend one class per month and learn lots of new skills.
4. Become movie critics. Watching movies is a time-honored date activity. Make it yours by dedicating yourselves to becoming critics. Decide what your evaluation criteria will be, then choose some movies. Make it a point to see them regularly. Go to dinner after and pick them apart. Be sure to try some new genres to broaden your horizons.

Physical health:

1. Try fishing. Whether you plan to cook it up for dinner or practice catch and release, the act of fishing can be very relaxing. You don’t have to be a pro to try this out. When you begin fishing you can add to your hobby by watching fishing shows to learn different strategies. See, even more hobby-related activities for you!
2. Hiking. Another outdoor activity, this requires no skills. Just grab a comfy pair of walking shoes and hit the trail. Not sure where there is a trail near you? No problem…check out Trail Link. Hiking a trail gives you lots of opportunity to talk and enjoy nature. Walking not enough? You can check Trail Link for more challenging trails.
3. Give water activities a try. This idea has lots of variations. You can go swimming, surfing, kayaking, or skip rocks. Don’t know how to surf? Take some lessons. Not sure where to kayak near you? Do a quick Google search. Don’t know how to swim? Buy some life jackets. Don’t let objections hold you back.
4. Get physical. Pick up a sport – go to the gym together. Planet fitness has low monthly rates and the YMCA has great family rates that accepts some insurance. Try basketball or pickleball. Do something that requires you to be active. Extra points if you learn something new together! This hobby doubles as a health improvement hobby, so get out there.

Spiritual health:

1. Try Bible study. I know, Bible study as a hobby? Absolutely! While it’s not for everyone, this hobby is a great way to engage in meaningful discussion AND grow your faith. This is a great Bible study for couples and the price is fantastic. When we grow our faith together we are building a bond that no man can tear apart. Seriously, give this a try!
2. Volunteer. This doesn’t have to be fancy. Make a meal for a sick neighbor. Offer to hang someone’s Christmas lights (or even better, offer to take them down!). Buy a drink for the person behind you at Starbucks. Check out your church for local needs and fill a need. Want something larger scale? Register at Volunteer Match and find your next new way to make your world a better place!
3. Attend Christian concerts. Haven’t listened to Christian music? Give it a try! Christian music encompasses all kinds of genres – country, R&B, hip hop – you name it, there’s a Christian variation for you. My two favorite concerts are For King & Country and Casting Crowns.
4. Read the Bible in chronological order. This Bible is a great way to read the Bible. It’s a study Bible but in the order in which events occurred. Once I read this Bible, I more fully understood the roots of my faith and the order of Jesus’s life. I highly recommend this chronological study Bible.

What next?

So what hobby are you going to try first? With 12, you can try one every month and see what you like the best for a whole year. Let us know in the comments what hobbies you enjoy with your spouse!

Did this article stress you out a bit? Is life too busy and you can’t imagine adding one more thing? Here’s my work-life balance webinar that will help you take control of your schedule TODAY!

With love,

🌸 Andrea

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