Parenting Solutions

Starting a Collection: What Kids Learn

To a child, collecting things like stuffed animals or trading cards provides an exciting way to become more independent and a common ground for socializing. Read on to learn more about the life lessons your young collector is gathering.

He's Becoming an Expert

Any kid who's tried to explain the significance of a Yu-Gi-Oh! Elemental Hero Ocean card can tell you that there are some things grown-ups just don't get. And that's exactly how kids like it. "It's empowering for a child to know more about a subject than his parents or other adults do," says Kathleen Camara, PhD, associate professor of child development at the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Development at Tufts University, in Medford, Massachusetts. Your child's driven to learn more so he can continue to be an authority on the topic.

She's Taking On Responsibility

The same child who can't recall where she left her jacket and who has to be reminded a billion times to pick up her room will astound you with her devotion to caring for her prized possessions. "Collecting instills a sense of pride and ownership in young children. They want to protect and take care of their valuables," says Monica Cardoza, author of Child's Play: Enriching Your Child's Interests, from Rocket Science to Rock Climbing, Stamp Collecting to Sculpture. You can foster this enthusiasm by helping your child find a good way to display her treasures -- like on shelves or in albums, tins, craft boxes, or small hammocks for cradling stuffed animals.

He's Making Social Connections

Whether your child is negotiating a Pokemon card swap or informing a friend about the latest addition to his dragon menagerie, collectibles bring peers with common interests together. Collections that require trading, like baseball cards, also teach the art of friendly negotiation. If the stakes aren't high, let him make his own deals. "What might not seem like a fair trade to you, could be perfectly acceptable to him," Dr. Camara says. And if he later regrets trading, he'll learn to think through such decisions more carefully the next time.