Coin collecting is a meaningful activity that you can pass on to your children. Time spent collecting together can be special and meaningful. When you’re older, you may even pass on your entire collection to your child.
If you want to help your child develop a lifelong passion for coin collecting, here’s what you need to know.
Check for Motivation, and Time it Right
Before putting effort into teaching your child about coin collecting, gauge your child’s interest in the hobby. Ask your child if they would like to learn coin collecting. If your child is not interested, wait until they are. You may be able to spark their interest by showing them your coin collection and explaining what makes the coins valuable.
Timing is important, as is maturity. You can gauge whether your child is mature enough based on how they take care of their toys and how often they lose things. Children who lose things a lot or who damage their clothes are probably not ready for coin collecting.
Collect the Right Tools
Before your child will be ready to start coin collecting, they’ll first need the right tools. Start with a pair of white gloves and a magnifying glass. Make a big show of giving your child their own tools for coin collecting so they’ll feel a sense of importance about the hobby. Explain to your child why these tools are important. Buy your child high-quality tools they’ll enjoy using and be proud to own.
Make a Dedicated Spot for Coin Collecting
Clear space in your child’s room for coin collecting. If they don’t have space for a coin collection right now, give them a shelf or table specifically for their new hobby. Position the space up off the floor to prevent coins from getting lost or mixed up with other toys.
Introduce It Gradually
Children generally won’t spend as much time on coin collecting as adults do; their attention spans won’t last that long. If you want your child to like and appreciate coin collecting as much as you do, don’t burn them out by trying to spend too much time working on the hobby.
Start off by spending 10 or 15 minutes in a session discussing your coins, showing them your favorite coins, and sharing small lessons about how to take care of coins. Let your child use their new gloves and magnifying glass during these sessions. Do this once a week until your child is a little older and more capable of spending more time on the project.
Get Your Child a Book
You can find many age-appropriate coin collecting books for young readers, such as Coin Collecting for Kids by Steve Otfinoski or Lots and Lots of Coins by Margarette S. Reid. Once you’ve gotten a book for your child, read it together to talk about some of the lessons taught in the book.
Share Your Passion
What do you love about coin collecting and why? Talk about coin collecting, your favorite coin collecting moments, and what you love most about coin collecting. Discussing your passion for the hobby will help your child understand and appreciate the hobby. Drop anecdotes at random times so your child will grow up hearing about how you feel about coin collecting.
Model Good Collecting
You know all the do’s and don’ts of coin collecting. You know the best location to keep coins and how to handle your coins safely. Model good collecting behavior when you’re working with your coins. Your child will learn by observing the way you handle your coins and will hopefully mimic your actions. This will help your child develop good coin collecting habits themselves.
Use the Metal Detector Together
Metal detectors are especially interesting for children, so your metal detector is a good tool for getting your child interested in coin collecting. Go out together using the metal detector. Help your child use the tool to find coins. Allow your child to keep your findings, and make this the start of your child’s coin collection.
Work With an Expert
Bring your child to your local coin dealer to give them an introduction to the world of coin collecting. Let your child pick out some small tool or coin album from the coin shop to help your child start their first coin collection. While you’re there, introduce your child to the clerk and encourage your child to ask the clerk questions that could help them develop their passion for coin collecting.
If you have more questions about how your child can start a coin collection with you, talk to a representative at your local coin shop. At Rocky Mountain Coin, we are happy to help our hobbyists introduce coin collecting to their children. For more information about how you can introduce your child to coin collecting, call us today.
