My son always collected stuff right from when he was very young. It started with pebbles from the playground, and then went on to kinder egg toys and Pokémon cards and more. Some kids collect leaves, flowers, chocolate wrappers and so on. While it all seems like garbage, these ‘useless’ collections actually do prove useful to your child’s growth.
They are all material that can be an opportunity for kids to learn more about or research with. Here are some reasons why you should support your child’s collecting habits.
Experiencing the environment of collectibles
Usually, children who collect stuff, read a bit about them, keep these collectible items in order by sorting them and are also proud of their collection. When kids research their collections, they learn a lot about them inadvertently. For instance, a shell collection teaches children about oceans/ beaches. A Leaf or flower collection allows for exploring nature. A bead collection teaches appreciation of art.
Makes kids responsible
Kids who collect things, will usually ensure that their items are carefully kept in a safe place. They check in on them regularly and even when parents clean out cupboards, they insist on cleaning the collections themselves. This all goes to prove that they take responsibility in what they do. Collections help kids to be organised, to be on the lookout for more to add to the collection and also wait for opportunities to show it off to others.
Creating memories and happiness
When kids collect stuff, they also end up memorizing the name, place, location from where they gathered the item. This helps them to tell real-time stories about their experience in collecting the items. Their collection bring them joy and offers some kind of security.
Build social groups
Kids who collect usually bond well with others who collect the same items. This helps them form a small community which supports each other with the collections. Kids in this kind of group will work together to help each other collect, exchange and sort their collections. This helps their teambuilding skills.
So, the next time your child wants to collect something, go ahead and support them with their activity as there are more benefits for the small price that you pay to host the collection.