To a mature mind, the habit of collecting itmes might seem like a silly obsession, but to youngsters, creating a collection of the things they love is an amusing exercise. Collecting hobbies is more than just one of the fun activities for your kids. Creating a collection helps kids discover their passions, nurture their creativity, and, most importantly, learn valuable life skills they can apply in adulthood.
Below are some benefits kids get from building their own collections, as well as, practical tips on how you can ignite this passion. Included are challenges you should expect and how to navigate them.
Why Kids Collecting Hobbies Are Beneficial
Creating a collection isn’t just a mere hobby, it’s an activity where fun comes intertwined with numerous benefits, and especially for kids. Here are some of the benefits of collecting hobbies.
Helps Develop Organization Skills
Organizational skills are among the must-have skills for any job seeker, especially with the current heat in the job market. Among the many benefits kids get by growing their collection is the ability to develop these skills. Whether it’s sorting their trading cards in vaulted card displays or keeping the memorabilia they got from the last adventure in a sturdy box, creating collections, no matter the kind, offers a huge opportunity for kids to learn how to keep things in order.
Teaches Responsibility
One job of every parent is teaching their kids to be responsible. Most responsible adults didn’t learn accountability in their adulthood. They did so when they were young, and you can cultivate the same in your kids by encouraging their collecting hobbies. Kids see their collection as their treasure trove, so they’ll invest time and effort in caring for what they have spent time gathering.
Fosters Research
Kids are curious beings, and starting a collection is a great way to gratify that curiosity. When kids come across something and add it to their collection, it’s only natural that they will want to find out more about their new addition. This motivates them to research and discover something about what they just collected, and the process of doing so helps build and hone their research skills.
Gaining mastery in doing research at an early age is especially crucial, as it’s among the skills they will need in their later academic lives and perhaps even careers.
Collections Help Create A Story
When growing a collection, kids will have something to say about each item. It could be something as simple as where they got the piece from or an interesting fact about it that they stumbled upon while researching. As they tell a story they develop their story-telling abilities, which helps them build confidence and know how to express themselves more concisely.
Better Financial Management
Did you know that 40% of Americans don’t follow a budget, [er a post published by CNBC. The majority of those who have one in place, have at some point violated their budget. Most people struggle with maintaining financial discipline, and one way to cultivate good financial handling habits in youngsters is to allow them to grow their collections. Kids who curate items that need to be purchased can quickly learn how to budget for their money at a young age and how to develop smart money goals. They’ll know how to obtain pricing information, compare prices from different sources, and even save toward their goal — a valuable lesson they can carry into adulthood.
5 Things You Can Do To Encourage Your Kids Collecting Hobbies
Parents and caregivers play a crucial role in creating a love for collecting. Here are a few practical tips to motivate your child into the practice:
Provide Tools & Resources
Once you notice that your child is interested in collecting items, give them what they need to make the practice even more exciting. Shelves, boxes, and other organizational tools are among the things you can offer. You can even share books, apps, and other items that support their passion.
Model the Hobby
Share a story about your own collections as a child. Your enthusiasm can be contagious, and it might be the only thing you need to inspire them to plunge fully into the practice. If you don’t have a childhood record of creating a collection, maybe its time to start your collection alongside theirs. It will help them stay motivated in their hobby.
Support Exploration
One way to keep the collection going is to create opportunities for your kids to bring in more items. Organize a trip to the museum, a journey to the woods, or even take them to the flea markets. Kids may find something they love and make it part of their collection.
Celebrate Progress
Be your kids’ number one cheerleader for the efforts they’re putting into their collection hobbies. A simple statement like, “Wow, I’m in love with your collection, it’s so wonderful,” can motivate them to put even more effort into bringing in more additions.
Involve Them In Decisions
Don’t make the mistake of disposing of items you may find unessential without their consent. Instead, help them politely understand why they need to let go of some of the things. Consider using a statement like, “What do you think you’ve outgrown so we can make room for more items?” Or, you can even help nurture love and compassion by asking them, “What items would you like to donate.” Using these approaches is a polite way to free up space without demoralizing them.
Common Challenges & How To Overcome
Maintaining a collection, like any other activity, has its fair share of challenges. Here are some of the common pitfalls and ways to address them:
Space and Organization
The first challenge you’ll have is keeping your home organized after they begin pursuing this hobby. You don’t want to find that beautiful rock they collected at the beach next to the TV or the souvenir from the previous nature walk on your coffee table. Encourage them to use storage solutions such as labeled boxes, shelves, or other options, depending on the nature of their collections.
Sustaining Interest
Maintaining a hobby, especially for kids, isn’t easy. Kids have short interest spans, so don’t be surprised when our child no longer shows interest in something that seemed so dear to them only a few days ago. To keep this interest kindled, encourage them to tell stories about their collections, such as where they found their items. It will help keep their personal connection with the item, maintaining their enthusiasm.
Budget Constraints
Sometimes collections aren’t cheap, and a trip to the museum can be expensive depending on where you choose. However, keeping their collecting hobby fired up doesn’t have to be costly. Try encouraging them to consider low-cost or even free items.
Conclusion
Collecting hobbies offers more than just fun for kids. It develops organizational, financial, and other skills they need to deploy later in life. Growing a collection even nurtures them to grow into more responsible adults. Not every kid will show interest in a collection hobby, so it might take some effort to get them into it. Also, this hobby doesn’t come without challenges, much like any other. But with a few tips shared here, you can easily navigate all the pitfalls and reap all the benefits associated with this hobby.
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