26 Social Hobbies To Make Friends And New Connections

Last Updated on November 14, 2021

You have all you could ever want; the love of your family, your childhood friends, your career is flourishing, you have moved to a new area because of that promotion. But you know something is amiss. “Your Social life”, because you have not made new friends in a very long time.

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But you still find it difficult to put yourself in uncomfortable situations, feeling socially awkward because it’s has been a while since you tried.

But thankfully we have curated a list of 26 hobbies to make friends, break the ice and meet new people very easily. A word of advice to make friends be a friend and really be interested in people.

Best Social Hobbies To Make Friends And Meet New People

Best Active Social Hobbies

Learn to dance (Join A Dancing group)

Dancing is an incredibly active hobby. You can join a dance club(class) and find people with the same interest. There are different types of dancing: ballet, ballroom, contemporary, hip-hop, jazz, tap dance, folk dance, and Irish dance.

Take your pick and you will meet people of different backgrounds and cultures willing to make friends with you.

Join A Running group

Running is a very popular hobby to meet new people. It is a great hobby to keep in shape as well as meet people with the same interest. Studies even prove that people who run together in groups do much better than those who do it alone.

If you live in the US, a great place to start searching for a running club is the Road Runners Club of America or your local parks in your area.

Play Soccer

Who can argue with this? Soccer is a great way to meet new people. It has great health benefits, increasing muscle and bone strength, lowering body fats, and improving muscle tone, and a great way to spend your free time.

Pick a day from your busy life in the week and join a soccer club. Not only will you not make friends but the satisfaction of actually being among new people is invigorating.

Basketball

Basketball, one of the best sports out there is a great way to meet new people and have fun doing it. It is a good way to exercise and shed off some of those love handles at the same time.

The great thing about basketball is that those who play together treat themselves as family and a community where trust is built.

However, if you think you don’t have the skills to join the game, there are online basketball courses on the internet to help you up your game.

Volleyball

Very much like basketball, volleyball is also another great way to socialize with people and make new friends in the process.

Volleyball as a sport builds a community of friendly and kind people you can trust, breaking that social anxiety we feel among strangers. A great way to fight depression and anxiety and keep fit at the same time.

Also, it is easy to learn, just some basic fundamentals and you are on your way. Volley2s is a great way to start learning.

Swimming

Although swimming can be done solo, it doesn’t have to be. So far as you can strike relevant conversations with people about swimming— new swimming gears, swimming techniques, and new swimming locations, it can be a very active social hobby to engage in and make quality friends. Not to talk of the physical benefits you will gain from the activity.

If you don’t know how to swim, learn the basics from this video, and always make sure to check in with a pool assistant or a lifeguard to avoid any accidents.

Group Hiking

Another fun and socially active hobby you can take up is hiking. Hiking groups provide you the opportunity not only to make new friends but to explore nature and get out of your comfort zone. You get to be among people who are not family and build quality relationships as you move along.

I suggest you use this beginner guide to Hiking by the HikingGuy to learn the basics.

Group Cycling

Cycling is a fun and active hobby that can really make you a lot of friends and see new places. Group riding is the most efficient way to start as a beginner and pick up the basics of cycling.

Learn effective techniques on group riding and win friends.

Geocaching

Geocaching is like a treasure hunt where hidden containers or caches are hidden to be found by following coordinates on your GPS or a smartphone. It can be performed in teams and can be done anywhere in the world.

It offers a great way to meet new people and really bond with others other people you are not familiar with. It is a beautiful community of really kind and nice people.

If you consider yourself an introvert, this is a great hobby for you because it will help you break the ice on social anxiety.

You can join geocaching groups on Meetup.

Visit the Geocaching website for more information.

Paintball

If you are a very adventurous person and you don’t mind getting yourself dirty or even slightly hurt, then paintball is a very fun socially active hobby for you to do. It is a competitive game and in case you haven’t heard of it before, learn more about it here.

You can check your local area for indoor and outdoor paintball facilities. Most of them hold group meetings which you can join and start honing your skills.

Because it is team-based you get to play with people and have conversations.

Golfing

Golf is a fun and amazing hobby that helps you to meet new people even if you are new to that area or community. You don’t need to be good at golf, all you need is character. Just be nice and interested in learning and you will win yourself a friend for life.

Because golf is played in groups, it could be a big opportunity to meet with your significant other.

Join a Martial arts Club

Martial arts is a type of fighting style from the East not necessarily related to violence but spiritual and physical development as a person. It is related to other styles like Karate, Kungfu, Aikido, and Taekwondo.

With this hobby, you get to meet a lot of people and make great friends.

Check your local area for martial arts clubs.

If you want to bring yourself to a good level before joining, then there are a lot of martial arts training courses online you can join and learn.

SkillShare
Udemy
Global Martial Arts University

Zumba class

One of the fun hobbies you will ever come across is the Zumba dance. A great way to meet like-minded people who love to have fun while exercising their bodies. Join this hobby club and you will enjoy it.

Indoor climbing

Indoor climbing is another great hobby that provides the perfect environment not only to meet and make new friends but also provides a lot of health benefits. It strengthens your bones and helps reduce depression and anxiety.

If you want to start this hobby, I suggest you learn the basics and safety procedures here.

Best Intellectual Social Hobbies

Join A Book club

If you love books, then a book club is a great way to create a community of people with the same passion. Within the group, there is support and inspiration. You don’t even need to start a book club yourself. There are tons of book clubs in your area based on your interest.

First, check what you are interested in and use that as a guide to look for a book club you want to join.

You can also use Facebook groups and online to search for book clubs.

Learn a new language

Learning a language can be intellectually demanding but it offers a way to practice those skills with new people. That’s the best way to learn a new language.

You can use group language classes to learn a new language. You get to meet new people and make friends.

To make matters easier choose the language you want to learn and research the culture of the language.

Learning a new language can really do magic on your cv and has been known to keep you mentally fit.

Music club

If music is your thing and you love to sing and play new instruments, then getting to meet new people can be really easy and fun.

You get to meet like-minded people with different skill sets you can connect, network and build healthy relationships.

If you are a beginner and you want to learn the basics of either singing or playing an instrument, use the resources below to get started.

Join A Chess Group

This board game is very competitive that can help you connect and build relationships with new people.

Chess is a game that requires strategy and problem-solving skills which can help you engage with like-minded people.

A great resource to find groups in your area is MeetUp

More specifically you can join this chess group Board Game Day @ Flushing, NY at Meetup.

There are other board games like Mystery, Area control, legacy, and many more which are more of the adventure type.

Join A Coding Bootcamp

If you are an introvert, a college student, or are just someone who loves computers, you can join coding boot camps to meet new people, learn from them and grow your technical skills.

A coding camp is a short intensive program designed to teach people job-related skills like web development, data science, and cyber security which are relevant to the current job market.

You can make friends with like-minded people who can increase your network and connections.

Here is a list of some of the top coding boot camps you can join

App Academy
Hack Reactor
Nucamp
Thinkful
Full Stack Academy
Springboard
Lambda School
Ironhack
CareerFoundry
Kenzie Academy
Flatiron School

Documentary club

If you are someone who loves to research and learn the truth of any issue a documentary club is the best hobby to help you meet with similar people.

This unusual hobby of meeting together with people to analyze and debate on TV and Radio documentaries can prove to be a very good way to connect and make good friends with people.

Opinions are invited from everyone within the group and facts are properly checked for truth.

There are a variety of topics from historical, ecological, and creative issues and events in the world.

You can find Documentary groups on different topics and events at Meetup.

Meditation group

Meditation is the practice of learning to pay attention as you breathe in and out and noticing when your mind starts drifting somewhere else. Research shows that its practice comes with a lot of health benefits both mental and physical.

You can join a meditation group and connect with others who share the same interest as you.

Your local area is bound to have a lot of meditation groups. Search them out and build relationships on the way.

Best Creative Social Hobbies

Cooking

Cooking involves a lot of creativity. If you find yourself with this creative hobby, you have the potential to meet new friends by joining a group with the same passion and interest,

You get to share your wonderful recipes and cooking techniques with people and build beautiful relationships.

If you happen to be single, cooking is a great hobby to meet singles and bond with them.

If in case you are a novice to cooking, then you can use these beginner cooking videos to help you on your way.

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Writing club

Writing is a superpower and a great way to connect with new people who share the same interest. It is a way to learn new tips and trips from other writers and create awesome pieces together.

Writing groups come in different forms. From poetry clubs, essay writing clubs, articles to story writing clubs to specific genres like fiction or nonfiction.

However, if you love to write but still find it difficult to write, you are not alone. You can use these free writing courses to get u to speed and master the craft of writing.

Knitting club

Knitting is a very great social hobby that can help you connect with new people. Creating knitted materials, clothes, and beautiful objects which you can enjoy with people of similar interest and passion.

It is also a very relaxing hobby and an easy skill to learn.

]Search your local area for knitting groups and also MeetUp is an online resource to help you find knitting groups.

Drawing club

Are you an artist? If yes, then it is a great hobby to use this skill as a way to connect and network with other people and make friends. Even if you are a beginner artist drawing classes will provide a healthy environment to help you flourish not only in your skills but your social life as a whole.

You get to meet new people with different skill sets to learn from and network for collaborations.

If however, you want to get a little better before joining then use these beginner short courses to get you up to speed.

Join Pottery classes

Pottery is a very creative hobby of using clay to create ceramics, spoons, plates, teapots, hand-coiled mugs, and many other beautiful objects.

Just like drawing there are dedicated groups who share this interest. You can join these groups, meet new people and learn new things from there.

You also benefit from social engagement which helps reduce anxiety and depression.

What to do next

Meeting new people and networking with them is not easy but these hobbies will you break the ice and find common grounds to engage in conversations and help each other. Even if you regard yourself as an introvert there are sociable hobbies for you, it is a great way to break free from social anxiety and connect with other people every now and then. If you find yourself sliding back to your old ways check my hobby quotes to keep you motivated with whichever hobby you choose. We also have a huge list of hobbies you might be interested in.