By Emily Marshall
Most evenings, while my 5-year-old and 2-year-old boys are wreaking havoc in my living room with remote control cars and stuffed animals strewn about and LEGO bricks causing a minefield for anyone walking through, when I’m not playing with them, rather than checking-out and being sucked into the mindless void of doomscrolling social media on my phone, I choose to engage in my favorite “grandma hobbies”.
What in the world is a “grandma hobby” – you might be wondering. A grandma hobby is a cozy, hands-on hobby –with no screens involved, and often popularized by older generations, i.e. your grandma. Think: crocheting, embroidery, knitting, baking, reading, birdwatching, sewing, gardening.
Last year alone, I read 42 books! A number I am quite proud of (should my next column be some book reviews?!) I have baked numerous loaves of sourdough and countless batches of cookies. I have cared for the lives of snake plants and spider plants and various other greenery on my kitchen counter and throughout my home – and I’ve even propagated a few to give to friends. I’ve been working forever on my purple “Henrietta the Hippo” amigurumi (amigurumi is the Japanese art of crocheting stuffed yarn creatures). I will finish her someday. And this year, I picked-up embroidery, too. I’m slowly gaining experience with the split stitch, the satin stitch, the French knot – as I create fun little designs.
I have very fond memories of my mom going to her knitting group every Wednesday night when I was a kid, or sewing my brother and I beautiful and unique Halloween costumes, like the year I was Peter Pan with my own moss green velour tunic. She fully embraced the idea of grandma hobbies, way before she was a grandma!
All these cozy, hands-on hobbies pull us out of the digital world and into analog – into the real world. They help us connect with real life and could easily help us connect with each other. It’s much more engaging to sit with a friend at a coffee shop and knit together than to sit with a friend at a coffee shop and look separately at one’s own phone.
While we sit and knit together, or crochet, or bake, or whatever hobby sounds the most fun to you – we get the opportunity to know each other. We can take the time to share our lives and our stories. While the sourdough rises, we build connections and roots.
This year, my friend, who lives in the faraway metropolis of Detroit, and I are connecting through the grandma hobbies of reading and embroidery. For every book that we read in 2026, we are designing our own little “patch” to represent that book. We are then embroidering said patch onto the sleeve of a sweatshirt to create a visual representation of all the books we’ve read this year! For those who like tattoos, think sleeves, but embroidered and on a sweatshirt, not skin.
This project has sparked connection and lively conversations. From: What book are you reading? To: Which stitch would best help me create this patch? We are living our best grandma lives in our 30s with preschoolers at our hips.
Have you ever thought about trying out one of these cozy, hands-on hobbies? What has stopped you? These activities are not only fun, but they’re also good for your soul. They slow you down. They pull you out of your own head and into the moment. They are great for mindfulness and calm. They stretch the creative side of your brain and get you thinking in new and unique ways.
Or maybe grandma hobbies just aren’t for you. They aren’t your thing. You might not have nimble fingers, or perhaps you don’t have the patience to learn the names of all the species of birds you see flying past your picture window day after day.
If grandma hobbies aren’t for you, I strongly encourage you to get plugged in somewhere else! Having purpose and community is so important in life. Did you know the Campus for Creative Aging can provide that for you? The Campus for Creative Aging has classes where you can learn and engage and try new things. And it has people from all walks of life with whom you can find community. Check it out at: campusforcreativeaging.org. Or stop by and say, “hi,” at 2920 Lakeview Ave in St. Joseph, Michigan.
Emily Marshall is a care manager supervisor/social worker for Region IV Area Agency on Aging in Southwest Michigan. Call the Info-Line for Aging & Disability at 800-6542-810 or visit www.areaagencyonaging.org. The Generations column appears each weekend in The Herald-Palladium.