From Guitar to Gardening to Chess: Thousands of Free and Paid Online Courses for Every Hobby

Online Courses for Every Hobby

What do you like to do with your leisure time? Our Class Central Classmates enjoy a range of hobbies. @dhawal plays badminton and cricket, @suparn loves chess, @fabio likes to keep fit, @kiri (who designed our delightful Class Central calendars) makes beautiful drawings and paintings, and @pat plays the ukulele and makes crochet items.

With these diverse interests in mind, we have compiled a list of online courses and resources for many different hobbies: visual arts, music, writing, crafts, food, filmmaking, sports, and many more. We’ve included a selection from more than 250,000 in the catalog, and you can click on the links for more free and paid courses in each subject.

Looking for something to do together? Cooking, dancing, pottery, gardening, and chess are just some hobbies that make great couples activities.

Some hobbies are solitary, others are best enjoyed in a group. They can be creative, casual, such as watching movies or reading, or serious, where you commit to learning or improving a skill. And while we pursue hobbies for fun rather than financial gain, sometimes they can lead to extra income or even a new career.

Years ago, I made crochet bookmarks and sold them on eBay and through a friend’s shop for some pocket money, then in 2012, I discovered free online courses and took a wide range of them over several years purely for interest. The more courses I took, the more I learned about the online learning sphere, and this hobby eventually led to a job at Class Central.

What Are Good Hobbies?

Not sure where to start? Here are some hobby ideas by type. You’ll find fun and interesting hobbies, hobbies for adults, teens, and children, creative, musical, and active, including indoor and outdoor hobbies.

Table of Contents

This article is long. To make it easy to navigate, we’ve divided it into sections. Click on a section to jump to the corresponding topic.  You’re sure to find your ideal hobby in our list!

Artsy Hobbies: Drawing, Painting & Visual Arts Courses

Watercolor house, photo of eagle, cartoon drawing of a person doing mathematics
Watercolor by Nielda, Photo, Cartoon Drawing

Learn to draw from scratch or improve your sketching with these courses. Find courses on absolute beginner drawing and painting to specific techniques and art materials such as pixel art, manga, even calligraphy for the Fans of Harry Potter, Bridgerton, or period drama lovers.

Don’t think you’re artistic? Well, I don’t believe that (we’re all born artists). But there’s also a list of collage courses if you want to start with something light.

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Learn Music Online: Guitar, Piano, Singing & More

Pat's ukulele group
@pat‘s Ukulele Group

Learn how to make music with online guitar, piano, drums, or singing lessons so you can join a band or choir. Or try DJing (surprisingly, it’s not as hard as it looks) or composing your own music.

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Guitar

See more Guitar courses →

Also see our guide to the Best Guitar courses.

Piano

See more Piano courses →

Also see our guide to the Best Piano courses.

Singing

See more Singing courses →

Also see our guide to the Best Singing courses.

Ukulele

See more Ukulele courses →

Also see our guide to the Best Ukulele courses.

Bass Guitar

See more Bass Guitar courses →

Violin

See more Violin courses →

Cello

See more Cello courses →

Banjo

See more Banjo courses →

Mandolin

See more Mandolin courses →

Harmonica

See more Harmonica courses →

Saxophone

See more Saxophone courses →

Drums

See more Drums courses →

Other Instruments

Music Production

See more Music Production courses →

Also see our guide to the Best Music Production courses.

Music Theory

See more Music Theory courses →

Also see our guide to the Best Music Theory courses.

DJing

See more DJing courses →

Beatmaking

See more Beatmaking courses →

Songwriting

See more Songwriting courses →

Also see our guide to the Best Songwriting courses.

Music Composition

See more Music Composition courses →

Audio Engineering

See more Audio Engineering courses →

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Film, Video & Performance

Have you ever thought, “Wow, my life would look great on film”? We have courses that’ll help you start. Learn the best filmmaking and editing techniques with these online courses.

And there’s something for born performers and screen-confident personalities. If you’ve thought about starting a podcast but held back because of the how, you’ll find some podcasting courses, too.

P.S. As a bonus, we even have magic courses for those who were always fascinated with how magicians just know the card you picked!

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Filmmaking

See more Filmmaking courses →

Video Editing

See more Video Editing courses →

Also see our guide to the Best Video Editing courses.

Videography

See more Videography courses →

Podcasting

See more Podcasting courses →

Also see our guide to the Best Podcasting courses.

Vlogging

See more Vlogging courses →

Livestreaming

See more Livestreaming courses →

Magic Tricks

See more Magic courses →

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Writing for Fun or a Side Hustle

Fabio's creative writing
A sample of @fabio’s creative writing group meeting

If you want to (finally) write your first book or a script for a movie, learn how with these online courses.

And if you want a daily activity to channel your emotions, find journaling and poetry courses below too.

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Creative Writing

See more Creative Writing courses →

Also see our guide to the Best Creative Writing courses.

Screenwriting

See more Screenwriting courses →

Fiction Writing

See more Fiction Writing courses →

Novel Writing

See more Novel Writing courses →

Poetry Writing

See more Poetry Writing courses →

Blogging

See more Blogging courses →

Also see our guide to the Best Blogging courses.

Memoir Writing

See more Memoir Writing courses →

Travel Writing

See more Travel Writing courses →

Journaling

See more Journaling courses →

Short Story Writing

See more Short Story Writing courses →

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Crafting Hobbies: Crochet, Knitting, Sewing & More

Crochet items
Crochet flowers, bookmarks, and other items by @pat

Crafts have always been amongst my favorite hobbies. I started crocheting as a teenager, moving from flowers to bookmarks to scarves and bags, making many gifts over the years. I’ve even sent bookmarks to Classmates all over the world.

If you’re looking for the joy of creating with delicate movements and a calm mind, I recommend these crafting hobbies. These can be great side quests too: learn to make soaps, candles, jewelry. ceramics, and more.

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Crochet

See more Crochet courses →

Also see our guide to the Best Crochet courses.

Knitting

See more Knitting courses →

Also see our guide to the Best Knitting courses.

Embroidery

See more Embroidery courses →

Sewing

See more Sewing courses →

Quilting

See more Quilting courses →

Cross-Stitch

See more Cross-Stitch courses →

Needle Felting

See more Needle Felting courses →

Origami

See more Origami courses →

Macramé

See more Macramé courses →

Pottery

See more Pottery courses →

Ceramics

See more Ceramics courses →

Jewelry Making

See more Jewelry Making courses →

Beading

See more Beading courses →

Candle Making

See more Candle Making courses →

Soapmaking

See more Soapmaking courses →

Bookbinding

See more Bookbinding courses →

Scrapbooking

See more Scrapbooking courses →

Card Making

See more Card Making courses →

Paper Crafting

See more Paper Crafting courses →

Resin Art

See more Resin Art courses →

Woodworking

See more Woodworking courses →

Leatherworking

See more Leatherworking courses →

Weaving

See more Weaving courses →

Screen Printing

See more Screen Printing courses →

3D Printing

See more 3D Printing courses →

Also see our guide to the Best 3D Printing courses.

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Cooking & Baking Courses for Hobby Cooks

Cooking

Cooking classes make a great couple’s hobby and family hobby. If you want to take a hobby with a loved one, we’ve got you covered.

These online courses cover the basics right up to advanced techniques (baking, pastry-making, and cake decorating) and also teach you Masterchef-worthy presentation of food and drinks (find interesting mixology and beer brewing courses too).

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Cooking

See more Cooking courses →

Baking

See more Baking courses →

Bread Baking

See more Bread Baking courses →

Cake Decorating

See more Cake Decorating courses →

Pastry Making

See more Pastry Making courses →

Wine Tasting

See more Wine Tasting courses →

Mixology & Bartending

See more Mixology courses and Bartending courses →

Beer Brewing

See more Beer Brewing courses →

Fermentation

See more Fermentation courses →
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Home & Garden

Pat's garden
Dragonfruit flower, pansies, and trees by @pat

From indoor plants for apartment living to growing your own food, let these gardening courses teach you all you need. Or go one step ahead, design your home decor or garden landscape with these courses.

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Gardening

See more Gardening courses →

Plant Care

See more Plant Care courses →

Beekeeping

See more Beekeeping courses →

Floral Design

See more Floral Design courses →

Interior Design

See more Interior Design courses →

Also see our guide to the Best Interior Design courses.

Landscape Design

See more Landscape Design courses →
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Nature & Science

The Moon through a telescope

The sky’s the limit! Learn about the weather or take a trip to the heavens with an astronomy course. You don’t need a telescope.

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Astronomy

See more Astronomy courses →

Also see our guide to the Best Astronomy courses.

Meteorology

See more Meteorology courses →

Also see our guide to the Best Meteorology courses.
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Strategy Hobbies: Chess, Poker & Board Games

Playing chess
Class Central Classmates playing chess at a meetup in 2024.

Want to learn chess openings and strategy, get better at poker, or pick up mahjong: the social game that’s been having a moment? Here are some courses to get you started.

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Chess

See more Chess courses →

Also see our guide to the Best Chess courses.

Poker

See more Poker courses →

Mahjong

See more Mahjong courses →
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Electronics

Keyboard
@fabio is rebuilding a keyboard

You don’t need to know programming to take up tinkering with Arduino or Raspberry Pi with these online courses. A genuine interest is enough.

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Arduino

See more Arduino courses →

Also see our guide to the Best Arduino courses.

Raspberry Pi

See more Raspberry Pi courses →

Also see our guide to the Best Raspberry Pi courses.
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Sports

Badminton
@dhawal with badminton coach Howard Bach (gold medalist in 2005 world championship)

Learn how to play golf, tennis, or badminton, or if you already know the basics, these online classes will help you level up your game.

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Golf

See more Golf courses →

Tennis

See more Tennis courses →

Badminton

See more Badminton courses →
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Active Hobbies: Yoga, Dance, Martial Arts & Fitness

Pilates and fitness
@fabio loves to keep fit with a Pilates class or fun run

Want to let it out with kickboxing? Or get into shape with pilates? We’ve got a lot of courses, from online yoga and meditation to dance and martial arts. Start your fitness journey with these beginner and experienced courses.

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Yoga

See more Yoga courses →

Meditation

See more Meditation courses →

Also see our guide to the Best Meditation courses.

Mindfulness

See more Mindfulness courses →

Pilates

See more Pilates courses →

Dance

See more Dance courses →

Martial Arts – Boxing and Kickboxing

See more Martial Arts courses, more Boxing courses, and more Kickboxing courses

Tai Chi

See more Tai Chi courses →

Calisthenics

See more Calisthenics courses →

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The post From Guitar to Gardening to Chess: Thousands of Free and Paid Online Courses for Every Hobby appeared first on The Report by Class Central.

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