Free time after work or study is called leisure time. It is the time for fun and entertainment. Hobby is a way how to spend a free time and how to relax and to do something what you enjoy. It is also an activity, which keeps you busy and fills up your free time. It gives you a pleasure.

To have a hobby is a very important thing because it gives people a space for an outlet from daily routines and problems. People have a need to realize themselves in a different ways than it`s their routine job. For young children and teenagers it is the way to develop their skills and talent and of course keep them away from bad things as for example drugs, alcohol or a bad company.
I find most hobbies very useful. Many technical wonders have been found accidentally as the side effects of a certain activity.

People pick up hobby because they want to relax and do something for their health. I can say that all kinds of sport are good for health.

People may have many different hobbies during their lifetime. Hobbies change with our interests, age and are very important. Our life would be empty without them.

We can sort hobbies from many different points of view but the very basic sorting is to divide hobbies into girls` and boys` ones and men`s and women`s hobbies.

Many people spend their leisure time practising their hobbies. There are many types of hobbies. One of the traditional ones is the collecting of objects. People can collect everything from small things as stamps, pictures, postcards, matchboxes, badges, flags, coins, model of cars, ships or trains through bigger things like clocks, teddy bears and porcelain up to proper cars, guns and army equipment. The collecting becomes a life-long hobby for many people. It is an international hobby, too. There are collectors` clubs all over the world. They often meet to exchange the things they collect. People who have started collecting are mainly obsessed with this activity. This hobby doesn`t have to be expensive when you know where to look for the nice pieces for your collection. But sometimes people are able to give a lot of money just to have what they want.

Nowadays it`s very fashionable to have a dog, a cat, goldfish, a canary, a parrot, a guinea-pig, white rabbit and other exotic animals. It is an interesting and useful hobby but very often an expensive hobby. The pet keeps a company and it gives its owner and opportunity to find and get to know new friends. To give a pet a good care requires a good knowledge of its habits and behaviour.

Many people also love gardening, which is still one of the most popular hobbies. It`s easy to forget all the problems in the garden when you breathe fresh air and listen to the birds` voices. People like to grow their own vegetables and fruits but also flowers. They like to have a nice garden next to their house. For many people it isn`t hard work but it is relax for them. For example, for me it is hard work and I would never do it. I hate to work in the garden. When I was a child I had to work in our garden but now, my mum knows that I hate it so I needn`t work in the garden now.

Do-It-Yourself has become a very popular hobby. Many people like to do some practical jobs in the house or weekend cottage in their leisure time. They can repair or even make some pieces of furniture, do some house decoration or wall-paintings. I like to watch the program about it in the television but I can`t make it myself.
There are people who like to do the car-repairing by themselves, others do some cookery etc. Numbers of books are published every year to give step-by step instructions how to make or repair something .

Then there are hobbies practised by people who enjoy the arts. Drama acting, choir singing, folk dancing, modern dancing and pop-music playing in amateur groups are favourite activities of those who want to develop their talent. Photography, painting and drawing are also hobbies of art-loving people.

At present, more and more people of all ages are concerned with their health and spend some of their leisure time doing exercises to keep themselves fit. For this reason many sports and games are practised as hobbies. Hiking, cycling, rowing, playing golf and tennis are enjoyed by people all over the world.
For those who prefer physical exercises indoors, body-building and fitness centres are opening up all over the world. They help people stay healthy and fit. The same result can be achieved by walking, jogging, swimming and aerobic which are also useful, effective and very popular ways of spending leisure time.