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Kids Collections

A Great Way to Boost Learning and Processing Skills

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I remember having collections as a child, don’t you? I remember the joy I felt when I added a new, sparkly rock to my rock collection. I recall my Hello Kitty sticker album where I not only collected, but arranged and categorized my stickers. I remember collecting these small fuzzy bears, which are now called “vintage” on eBay (Google it and you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about!) and miniature Trolls before they were a blockbuster hit. Guess I have kind of dated myself a bit! At any rate, while collections to us as adults might seem trivial or useless, children can benefit greatly from starting and managing their own collections.

If your children are anything like mine, they are always collecting what I think are random items. I am always emptying out pockets before laundry, cup holders in the car, as well as finding more random items around their bedrooms and the house. Often I’m tempted to gather up these random items and pitch them into the nearest trash can. In fact, not too long ago, we lived in an apartment. At one point there, our son’s stick collection was so big, we could have had a bonfire! Every time I left the apartment alone, I took a couple of sticks with me to find a new home for them!

I think sometimes we parents have difficulty not squelching a child’s desire to collect, because we just see clutter and space-takers that have no value. We often forget that many of us did this same type of collecting as children, and we also forget what children can learn from having sentimental collections.

A great thing about collecting is that it naturally provides some fun teaching opportunities, without your kids’ realizing they’re learning. Anna, whose 19-month-old collects different versions of the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse characters (stuffed animals, bath toys, chunky puzzle pieces, small figurines, stickers, etc.), highlights a great example of this exact situation. “At first it was just for fun, but then she started using them to draw comparisons,” Anna says. “She tells us which ones are bigger and smaller, softer and harder, matching in color, etc. She's also started using them to practice prepositions such as ‘Big Minnie is on small Minnie’ or ‘Goofy is next to Daisy.’ So not only does she just love them, but also they’ve become an easy, fun teaching tool too!”

Creativity is another benefit of children’s collections. “My oldest three kids are constantly collecting random things wherever we are (think Tinkerbell and her lost things). The middle two call themselves ‘junkers’ and they animatedly discuss what they can turn each new find into (e.g., this spring can be the neck of a robot, that part can be added to something else to create an airplane or rocket ship). It makes laundry day interesting for us with full pockets, but I love the creativity it engenders!” says Katrina.

Nora also shares how her son’s collection of stuffed animals fosters his imaginative play: “He will sit in his room for ages talking to and creating imaginative situations with his animals.”

Beginning a collection also can instill a passion in children, as well as introduce them to things they might not normally be interested in. For example, if your child’s grandparent shares a coin or stamp collection, or an older sibling has a baseball card collection, your

child may take up an interest in one of those or decide she’d like to learn more about it. This might lead to a trip to the library so she can pick out some books on her newfound interest, which in turn can lead to a renewed love of reading by finding a topic to be passionate about. Bonus!

At the same time, collections can foster relationships among people. Collections can bridge the generation gap, bring siblings closer together and encourage new friendships. “While your child is negotiating a card trade or informing a classmate about the new addition to his dinosaur collection, he's inspired to interact with other children. A collection can be a great way to boost self-esteem, as well as serve as a smooth entry into friendships. If your child is new to a school or neighborhood, discussing his trading card collecting can be a great ice-breaker. Meeting kids who share a similar interest could mean he's also found new buddies,” according to BabyCenter.com.

            Collecting can teach children the fine art of patience and responsibility as well. True collecting is slow. Anyone can go outside and find a load of sticks or rocks to add to their collection in no time at all. However, if your child is collecting coins, stamps, sports cards, etc., he will need patience in trying to find just the right item to complete his collection. Likewise, children learn that these same items require special care and attention, as some are quite delicate and need preserving.

I love the quote from Pyschology Today that says, “Sometimes a collection is not just a collection, but a spur to the imagination, to learning and creating. And that's what makes collecting in childhood a worthy pursuit.” We don’t hear much about collections these days, but maybe we should.

 

Top 10 things kids collect (according to TheTopTens.com)

 

 

Julie Collett writes from Overland Park. She is constantly finding acorns, sticks, leaves, rings, coins, etc., around the house that her children are “collecting.”

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