Talking about hobbies in English for children (A1): “I like taking photos” and a first penfriend email

Sixteen weekend hobbies, grouped by verb

Most hobby phrases start with a verb, so group them by that verb: your child learns a pattern, not a list. “Play” works for games, sports and instruments; instruments usually take “the”: play the guitar, but play football. In American English, football is usually “soccer”.

• play + game or sport: play chess, football, basketball, volleyball, tennis
• play the + instrument: play the guitar, play the piano
• do and go: do gymnastics, go shopping
• Other verbs: take photos, read comics, paint pictures, visit family
• One verb alone: fish, cook, skateboard

“I like playing chess”: like + -ing

After “like” and “don’t like”, the verb takes -ing, and only the verb changes: take photos becomes “I like taking photos.” With he, she or a name, “like” becomes “likes”: “She likes painting pictures.” In the negative, the -s moves to “doesn’t”: “He doesn’t like going shopping.”

Verbs ending in a silent “e” drop it: take → taking. That silent “e” also changes the vowel sound in words children learn to read at this level: “kit” and “kite”, “cub” and “cube”. Try reading face, space, kite, bike, rope, stone, June, cube.

• I / you / we / they: “We like playing volleyball.” “They don’t like fishing.”
• he / she / a name: “He likes playing the piano.” “She doesn’t like skateboarding.”

Asking about hobbies: do and does

To ask the person you are talking to, start with “Do”: “Do you like reading comics?” “Yes, I do.” or “No, I don’t.” About one other person, start with “Does”, and “like” loses its -s: “Does she like fishing?” “No, she doesn’t.” Below, two children talk about the weekend and a friend called Mina. Listen for what Mina likes and doesn’t like.

Finding a shared hobby: both, too and but

Read three short profiles together and ask: who has the same hobby as Ana? Your child gives the reason with “both”, “too” or “but”: “Ana and Ben both like cooking.” “Ben likes cooking too.” “Kai likes skateboarding, but Ana doesn’t.”

• Ana: “I like playing tennis and cooking. I don’t like skateboarding.”
• Ben: “I like playing the piano and cooking.”
• Kai: “I like skateboarding and playing football.”

Writing a first penfriend email

A penfriend (in American English, a pen pal) is a child you write to, often in another country. A first email needs a greeting, at least four short sentences and a closing. Short forms such as I’m, I’ve got and I don’t make it friendly; aim for at least two. “I’ve got a camera.” means “I have a camera.”

• Greeting: “Hi Ben,”
• About you: “I’m Ana. I’m nine and I’m from Spain.”
• Something you’ve got: “I’ve got a tennis racket.”
• Two likes and a dislike: “I like playing tennis and cooking. I don’t like skateboarding.”
• Closing: “Do you like cooking too? Please write to me! Ana”

A home game: hobby match

Each player draws six hobby cards and secretly circles three they like. Take turns asking “Do you like…?” and answering only “Yes, I do.” or “No, I don’t.” When you find a shared hobby, say it together: “We both like cooking!” Then your child reports to someone else: “Dad likes playing chess. He doesn’t like fishing.” The report practises likes and doesn’t. Across a week, play twice and keep one day for the email.

Common mistakes and quick fixes

These are normal. Repeat the sentence back correctly and carry on.

• “I like play chess.”: add -ing: “I like playing chess.”
• “She like taking photos.”: with he, she and a name, add -s: “She likes taking photos.”
• “Does she likes fishing?”: the -s is already in “does”: “Does she like fishing?”
• “Yes, I like.”: short answers use do: “Yes, I do.”
• “I don’t like fish.” about the hobby: that means the food or the animal; the hobby is “fishing”.

What comes next

Next, your child can say how often they do a hobby (“I play tennis on Saturdays.”), talk about things they collect and ask to borrow something: “Can I use your camera, please?”