Millennials, Gen Z Ditch Screens for ‘Grandma Hobbies’

With artificial intelligence rapidly expanding and screens constantly demanding people’s attention, it might seem that technology dominates the interests of younger generations. But reality looks a little different. In fact, many Millennials and members of Gen Z – often called Zoomers – suffering from digital fatigue are ditching screens to pursue what some are calling grandma hobbies that reconnect them with the physical world.

Grandma Hobbies

The term grandma hobbies covers a wide-range of activities, including sewing, crocheting, knitting, felting, embroidery, scrapbooking, painting, drawing, bird-watching, cooking, gardening, baking, jigsaw puzzles, canning, and more. The most obvious feature of grandma hobbies is the lack of technology, but exceptions for the screen-free standard are made when someone is learning a new skill with the help of an online video or social media support.

“Hobbies are really important, and a lot of us have lost them, or we just don’t prioritize them enough, or we think we’re too busy. But just finding little bits of time to carve out to do these kinds of things is a really wise use of time,” said psychology professor Jaime Kurtz of James Madison University, who examines happiness in her research.

Michaels, North America’s largest arts and crafts retail chain, recently released its annual Creativity Trend Report, which showed people are “moving past the passive scroll and seeking out the friction of a physical hobby,” according to Heather Bennett, the craft giant’s president and chief customer officer. Over just the last six months, Michael’s website recorded a 136% spike in searches for activities that fall under the grandma hobbies umbrella. Additionally, yarn accessory sales rose 40% year-over-year, searches for needlepoint jumped 251%, and sewing pattern searches spiked 152%.

Mental health specialist Shelly Dar said Millennials and Zoomers are embracing grandma hobbies because people are generally “overstimulated and under-nourished in ways that matter.”

“There’s also a longing for tangible skills that feel real and useful. In an economy where so much work feels abstract or precarious, being able to grow your own tomatoes or mend your own clothes is grounding,” Dar said. “And honestly, we’re lonely. These hobbies connect us to generations before us and give us something to share with people around us now.”

Grandma Knows Best

It turns out grandma was onto something. The hobbies most often associated with elderly women are known to reduce stress, ease anxiety, and deliver a sense of accomplishment. Dar noted that grandma hobbies can help regulate a person’s nervous system, with movements like knitting or kneading dough and the feeling of soil or yarn signaling “safety to our bodies.” “Studies on knitting have shown it reduces anxiety and chronic pain, with effects similar to meditation,” Dar added. “Gardening has been linked to lower cortisol levels and improved mood.”

Grandma hobbies also stimulate the formation of “new thought patterns and cognitive processes,” which can help improve focus and reduce the risk of dementia and cognitive decline, according to Patricia S. Dixon, a Florida-based licensed clinical psychologist.

“Research shows that learning new skills—such as playing a musical instrument or picking up a new language—can enhance cognitive function and memory,” Dixon explained. “This engagement promotes neuroplasticity, the brain’s remarkable ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections.”

For generations that have grown up in a largely digital world, the solution to online overload may be surprisingly simple: just ask grandma.

1. “Grandma hobbies” cover a wide-range of screen-free activities, including sewing, baking, knitting, and bird-watching.
2. The hobbies most often associated with elderly women are known to reduce stress, ease anxiety, and deliver a sense of accomplishment.
3. Online searches for hobby supplies have exploded as Millennials and Gen Z look for ways to get a break from technology.