A great way to make small talk is to talk about what you do for fun or your hobbies.  It's also a great way to get to know someone. There are a few expressions that one can use when talking  about your interests and/or your  hobbies.

Conversation Opener:

"What are you into?"
"What are your interests/hobbies?"
"What do you like to do in your free/spare time?"
"Do you do anything for fun?"
"Do you have any interests/hobbies?"
"What sort of things do you do to relax?"/"What sort of things do like to do to help you relax?"
"What sort of  hobbies do you have?"
"What are you keen on?"

Possible Responses:

"I am really/quite into...(verb+ing/gerund + noun)."
"My interests and/or hobbies are....(verb+ing/gerund + noun)."
"I really like/enjoy..."
"In my spare/free time I like to _________."
"I like to __________ (list  hobby/hobbies) for fun."
"I like to...."
"My hobby is/hobbies are...."
"I am really keen on ____________ (verb+ing/gerund + noun)."
"I like/enjoy relaxing to ________ (noun)."
"I relax by _________ (verb+ing/gerund + noun)."

List of Reasons Why:


"...because it's a great way to relieve stress."/"...because it's a great stress reliever."
"...because it helps me to relax."
"...because it's fun and interesting."
"...because it's exciting/(other adjectives)."
"...because it helps me meditate/to clear my head/mind."
"...because it helps me to think."
"...because it's a great way to escape/get away from the everyday."
"...because it's a great form of meditation."
"...because my mom/dad/friend introduced me to it (and I've been doing it ever since)."

Dialog:

Jason has taken up a new hobby and has decided to call his friend Juan to share the news.

Juan:  Hello?

Jason: Hey man. Guess what?  Today I was at the bookstore and I found a Spiderman comic book from 1971.  Guess how much it's worth?

Juan: I am not into comics so my guess wouldn't be good.  How much?

Jason: $140!  Can you believe it?!

Juan:  I guess $140 is a good price? 

Jason: Yes.  One reason is because there aren't a lot of them out there anymore and the second reason is because I only paid $2 for it! 

Juan:  That is really good...  I didn't know you were into comic books?  I thought you were keen on collecting model cars?

Jason:  I am still into that, but I was at the bookstore with and saw boxes of old comic books a week ago that they were trying to get rid of and started to go through it and found it to be fruitful.  

Juan:  Really?  How?

Jason:  Because most of the comic books were in fine to very fine condition.  The problem is that they have so many of them and nowhere to store them. Maybe you would like to consider collecting...

Juan:  That's okay.  I will stick to collecting guitars, but thanks for the invitation.

Jason:  You are going to regret it... I got to run.  

Juan:  Bye.

Now Your Turn!

Use the phrases above to talk about your hobbies/interests or things you do to relax.

You:  What are you into? (You can replace it with any of the questions above).

Your friend:  I am really/quite into ___________ (verb+ing/gerund + noun).

You:  Why do you enjoy doing that?

Your friend:  I like it because/I like to doing that because....(give a reason)."

List of hobbies:
reading
fishing
hiking
bunji jumping
skiing
cycling
walking
stamp collecting
playing sports (can be more specific)
knitting
sewing
drawing
painting
sketching
baking
cooking
writing
blogging
playing board games
water sports
fixing things (computers, cars, things that are broken,...)
watching/observing wildlife 
playing video games
collecting/trading comic books
collecting action figures
scrapbooking
creating things with my hands
pottery
designing websites
photography
inventing things
collecting coins
collecting toys
collecting leaves
collecting insects
travelling 
thrill seeker
collecting Cd's/DVDs
listening to music
gardening
meeting new people
playing computer games
collecting musical instruments (e.g.; guitars)
collecting paintings
dancing
learning a new language
playing a musical instrument
exploring different cultures