6 hobbies that are really just adult versions of what you loved as a kid

I spent hours as a kid making mixtapes. Recording songs off the radio, carefully cueing up tracks, creating the perfect sequence for whatever mood I was trying to capture.

Now I'm in my forties and I still do essentially the same thing. I just call it curating playlists and building my vinyl collection instead of making mixtapes.

The fundamental activity hasn't changed. I'm still obsessed with organizing music, discovering new artists, and sharing what I find with people who might appreciate it. I've just upgraded the format and given it a more grown-up name.

This pattern shows up everywhere once you start looking for it. The things we're drawn to as adults often connect directly to what fascinated us as children, just dressed up in more sophisticated packaging.

Here are six examples.

1) Photography is just playing with cameras

Kids love cameras. They'll take hundreds of photos of random objects, their feet, blurry shots of nothing in particular. They're not trying to create art, they're experimenting with capturing moments and seeing the world through a frame.

Fast forward to adulthood, and photography becomes a serious hobby. You invest in equipment, learn composition rules, study light and shadow. You post your work on Instagram, maybe even sell prints.

But strip away the technical knowledge and expensive gear, and you're still doing what you did as a kid: pointing a device at things that catch your attention and pressing a button to keep them.

I started carrying a camera around Venice Beach a few years ago. I told myself it was about honing a skill and building a portfolio. Really, it's the same impulse that made me beg my parents for a disposable camera on every childhood vacation.

The joy comes from the same place: noticing things and wanting to hold onto them.

2) Cooking elaborate meals is playing with your food

Children mix things together to see what happens. They're fascinated by transformation—flour becomes dough, ingredients combine into something new.

As adults, we call this cooking, and suddenly it's respectable. We spend Sunday afternoons experimenting with recipes, adjusting flavors, trying new techniques.

But the fundamental pleasure is identical: combining things, watching them transform, experiencing the satisfaction of creating something edible that didn't exist before.

I spent years perfecting cashew cheese and Thai curries, telling myself it was about eating well or mastering a craft. Partly that's true. But mostly it's the same fascination I had as a kid when I'd mix random ingredients together in the kitchen to see what would happen.

Adults just have better ingredients and actual technique, so the results are more consistently edible.

3) Video games are still just playing pretend

Kids create imaginary worlds. They assign themselves roles, make up rules, lose themselves in scenarios where they're heroes, explorers, or whatever character they want to be.

Gaming is the same thing with better graphics and more complex narratives. You're still stepping into another world, taking on a different identity, and experiencing situations outside your actual life.

The fact that the world is rendered on a screen instead of imagined doesn't change the core activity. You're playing pretend, just with someone else building the world instead of making it up yourself.

People who game seriously talk about storylines, strategy, skill development. But ask them why they enjoy it, and underneath all that, it's usually about escape and inhabiting a different reality for a while.

That's the same reason kids spend hours in imaginary worlds of their own creation.

4) Gardening is making mud pies with purpose

Children are drawn to dirt. They dig holes, plant things, water them, watch what grows. They're fascinated by the process of putting something in the ground and seeing what emerges.

Gardening as an adult is literally the same activity, just with more knowledge about what you're planting and why.

You're still playing in dirt. You're still fascinated by growth and transformation. You're still getting your hands messy and experiencing the satisfaction of nurturing something into existence.

I grow herbs on my balcony in Venice Beach. Basil, cilantro, mint. I tell myself it's practical, saves money, tastes better fresh. All true.

But really, I just like watching things grow. Same reason I was obsessed with growing beans in cups of dirt as a kid, checking them every day for signs of progress.

5) Collecting vinyl records is organized hoarding

Kids collect things. Rocks, cards, action figures, whatever captures their attention. They organize their collections, categorize them, feel satisfied by the act of accumulation and arrangement.

Adult collecting is identical, just with objects that cost more and come with cultural cachet.

Record collecting, vintage items, rare books, whatever the focus, the impulse is the same: finding things, acquiring them, organizing them, deriving pleasure from the collection itself.

I have a wall of vinyl records from my music blogging days and beyond. I can justify it as appreciating analog sound quality or supporting artists. But honestly, it's the same satisfaction I got from organizing my collection of band t-shirts as a teenager.

The collecting itself is the point. The organization, the hunt for specific items, the completeness of having a full set or rare find. That's pure childhood impulse wrapped in adult justification.

6) Building things in workshops is advanced LEGO

Kids love construction toys. Building things, taking them apart, building them differently. The satisfaction comes from turning scattered pieces into something coherent and functional.

Woodworking, home improvement projects, building furniture, it's all the same fundamental activity. You're taking raw materials and assembling them into something that serves a purpose or looks good.

The fact that you're using real tools instead of plastic blocks doesn't change the core satisfaction. You're still problem-solving, figuring out how pieces fit together, and experiencing the pride of creating something with your own hands.

My neighbor spends evenings in his garage building model ships. Incredibly detailed, time-consuming projects. When I asked him why, he shrugged and said it's relaxing.

But I watched him work on one once. The focus, the satisfaction when a piece fits perfectly, the way he stands back to admire progress—it's identical to a kid building with blocks.

Final thoughts

There's something reassuring about realizing that the hobbies we're drawn to as adults often connect directly to what fascinated us as children.

It suggests that our core interests and sources of satisfaction are relatively stable. We don't fundamentally change what we enjoy, we just find more sophisticated ways to pursue those same fundamental pleasures.

This isn't about being immature or refusing to grow up. It's about recognizing that the things that brought us joy and engagement as children weren't random—they reflected genuine interests and inclinations.

As adults, we have the resources, time, and knowledge to pursue those interests more deeply. We can turn childhood fascinations into skilled hobbies. We can spend money on better equipment. We can learn techniques and develop expertise.

But underneath all that development, we're often still chasing the same feeling we had as kids when we first discovered these activities.

And there's nothing wrong with that. In fact, there's something right about it. It means we haven't lost touch with what genuinely engages us, even as we've grown up and responsibilities have multiplied.

The hobbies that stick are the ones that connect to something deep and consistent in who we are. They're not just ways to fill time. They're continuations of lifelong interests, dressed up in adult packaging but rooted in the same curiosity and satisfaction we felt as children.

So if your hobby feels suspiciously similar to what you loved at age eight, you're probably onto something.