Exploring New Interests with Your Blind Child

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Engaging in hobbies and recreational activities is crucial to emotional and social development. Hobbies are a wonderful way to experience different social circles and develop a passion alongside others. The elementary years are a time to explore various hobbies and passions. Fortunately, you can adapt many hobbies and activities to suit the needs and abilities of children who are blind or have low vision. It may take some communication, trial, and error to figure out how to best adapt the hobby or activity for your child, but the effort will be worth it. 

In today’s digital age, there are even more opportunities for adaptive hobbies through online communities, virtual classes, and innovative technologies. 

Music 

Music offers the opportunity to learn patterns, rhyming, rhythm, and ways to express emotions. It’s more than just learning to play an instrument—it’s about singing joyfully, dancing, moving your body to the beat, and expressing creativity while building confidence. Adapting music may include braille music sheets or adding raised or tactile markers on an instrument. 

Explore new music opportunities: 

  • Virtual Music Classes: Join online music lessons specifically designed for accessibility. 
  • Adaptive Music Apps: Utilize apps that offer audio feedback and tactile learning tools for playing instruments. 

Explore music: 

  • Singing – Use large print or braille to learn words. 
  • Concerts – Enjoy a favorite or local music group or concert. Don’t forget to bring headphones or earplugs if it may be too loud. 
  • Instruments – Learn to play instruments such as piano, keyboard, drums, guitar, ukulele, violin, bells, or bongos. 
  • Move to the Music – Learn various dance styles, including jazz, tap, hip-hop, and ballet. 

Sports 

Adapting sports for your child who is blind or has low vision may sound overwhelming. However, there are many ways to tailor sports, and there are even sports specifically designed for athletes who are blind or have low vision. Your child will likely become interested in the same sports you enjoy playing or watching. Finding ways to share your passion and joy for your favorite team and sport will create a bond with your child and memories for a lifetime. These sports can help children build physical fitness, coordination, and teamwork skills while providing a fun and competitive outlet for their energy. 

Explore sports: 

  • Beep Baseball is for athletes who are blind or have low vision. It uses a ball that beeps and bases that buzz to help players navigate the field to score runs. 
  • Cycling with a tandem bike is a great way to stay active and enjoy riding with a sighted partner. 
  • Judo adapts by maintaining contact with your opponent during the match. This sport shares many attributes with wrestling. 
  • Swimming adapts by providing a ‘tapper’ who taps the swimmer when it’s time to flip-turn. 
  • Track and Field athletes can use a guide runner for many events. Adaptations for the long jump include a beeper that speeds up as the athlete nears the takeoff point, and the shot put can be adapted using a beep baseball for younger athletes and a hula-hoop to develop staying inside the circle. 
  • Blind Hockey is a form of Ice Hockey. Players use a larger, slower puck that makes noise, and goal nets are customized to be three feet high instead of four, with a rule that requires one pass before scoring. 
  • Alpine skiing has four disciplines: downhill, slalom, giant slalom, and super-G. Work with your local mountain’s adaptive ski program to help provide the needed adaptations for new and advanced skiers. 
  • Blind Soccer utilizes a ball containing bells and kickboards to provide physical boundaries for the playing area, with four players and one goalkeeper. 
  • Goalball is a sport for athletes who are blind or have low vision. Competitors play on a court, with goals covering the width of the backline on either end. 
  • Virtual sports and gaming are becoming more accessible. Join virtual sports leagues that connect athletes and gamers from around the world. 

Arts and Crafts 

Art is another hobby for children who are blind or have low vision. Using a variety of textures and materials, these children can create tactile art pieces that they can explore and enjoy. Some children may also enjoy sculpting or working with clay, providing a fun and tactile way to express their creativity. 

Explore arts and crafts: 

  • Consider the following adaptations for the craft area: task lighting, light/dark contrast for the tray and project, a magnifier, creating boundaries with a lipped tray, smaller containers for smaller parts, a ruler in large print or braille, and containers to organize materials or unfinished projects. 
  • Try crafts that need little to no accommodations, such as origami. 
  • Try raised lines for coloring and use scented markers or pens. 
  • Use Puffy Paint with glue and shaving cream. 
  • Weave, knit, or crochet with different textured yarn. 
     

Reading, Writing, and Journaling 

Reading, writing, and journaling can be great ways to explore creativity and experience the stories of others. A good book can transport you to new places and provide insights into different lives and experiences. Writing and journaling allow your child to express themselves, be creative, and share their emotions. 

Explore ideas for reading, writing, and journaling: 

  • Enjoy a braille book or large print book. 
  • Listen to an audible book. 
  • Record your own story. 
  • Use a braille writer or technology to type your thoughts or ideas before writing your story. 
  • Use bold-lined paper and bright-colored markers to journal. 
  • Use scented stickers and tactile markers to add to your journal. 
     

Gaming/Technology 

Gaming and tech hobbies are great for kids who want to stay in touch with friends after school. Working with others in online games helps develop teamwork, creativity, and problem-solving skills. 

Explore gaming or tech hobbies: 

  • Explore the following vloggers or social media influencers: Lucy Edwards, Mike Mulligan, Toby, John Furniss, Justin Bishop, Anthony S. Farerro, Sadaya Paige, and Ash Dunford. 
     

Building and Constructing 

Building and constructing allow your child to work with their hands, explore different textures, work on spatial awareness, and develop problem-solving skills. These projects encourage creativity and help build determination while developing independent living skills, like hanging photos or building shelves. 

Explore building and constructing: 

  • Start with playing with Lego or Lincoln Log sets. 
  • Find out if your local community center has building workshops. 
  • Try a Home Depot Kid Workshop on the first Saturday of every month from 9-12 (check with your local store). 
  • Visit a Hands-on Museum that offers exhibits for building and construction. 
  • Libraries may offer STEM opportunities. 
  • Adaptive 3D Printing Workshops: Join sessions where children can design and print tactile objects, merging technology with hands-on creativity. 

Acting and Theatre 

Participating in acting or theatre supports communication skills, confidence, creativity, and teamwork while exposing children to different cultures and time periods. Acting allows one to work on verbal and nonverbal communication, understanding body language, and expressing emotions. Your child will learn to take risks and build self-confidence through practice and performance. A performance involves teamwork among actors, stage crew, and technical staff. 

Explore ideas for acting and theatre: 

  • Consider the need for lighting adjustments, including sunglasses, if your child is light-sensitive. 
  • Provide high-contrast markings for the floor and stage edges. 
  • Work with the lighting and sound crew to adapt equipment for your child’s needs. 
  • Provide large print or braille scripts. 
     

Remember that every child is unique, and the hobbies and activities that work best for one child may not be the same for another. By providing various options and allowing your child to explore and discover their interests, you can help them find hobbies they enjoy and excel at. Exploring and finding ways to tailor hobbies to your child’s needs takes time. Talk with your TVI, O&M Specialist, and other team members to brainstorm additional considerations for exploring specific hobbies. Your child should have access to activities and pastimes that can provide a lifetime of enjoyment.