Five Reasons Why Your Kid Should Collect Stamps

An interesting read:

http://www.chron.com/living/article...-5806361.php

What a great article! Thanks for bringing it to our attention wt1.

Yes, excellent. Extremely well argued, not quite the typical boilerplate on this topic. I had no idea that "average" pedagogues were beginning to see stamp collecting as a way to counteract the deleterious effects of video gaming and web-surfing. This one needs to go viral among the home-schooling and general education and parenting worlds.

Yes..But try to convince them..Almost impossible..Kids (my 4 kids) look at stamp collecting as a hobby their Dad's did years ago..A hobby for older people..Great article, but if 100 kids would read it, I dare say probably not one of them would begin collecting..Too bad.

Sadly, there's a lot of truth to that statement, especially when the kids are approaching their teens. But on the other hand, if you do it when the kid is really young, you never know when you might activate the collecting gene.

My kids really don't collect anything, they're just not interested even though they grew up in a house where my wife and I collect lots of things, they never cared. They don't want to put together a collection, they want things they can use and play with. They're just not interested in stamps or coins or cards or anything else, they want things with a purpose and a function.

Well it's a nice thought. But other activities meet those five reasons, such as playing piano and collecting pokemon cards, activities my children and I participate in. While I enjoy collecting stamps, I find that music/art, strategy based gaming, and sports are more important developmentally. Frankly, stamp collecting is kind of dull and you can't expect a large number of children to find it competitive with the activities I've noted, plus school, screen time and socializing. The best I hope for is to spark a small interest now that will blossom when they are older.

I've found that those most successful with engaging their children in other, non digital activities, actually join their children in the activity. If adults commit the time to play board games, collect and play pokemon or whatever, join in music or art based activities or play sports with their children from a young age through the years the children take a keener interest.

Silly me. I thought the article gave actual examples of kids, including high school students, initially doubtful, finding stamps interesting. But with hardened pessimism reigning serenely here, I can see how naive I was to take the article at face value.

I'll do better next time. I promise.

That was a very good read and I wish more teachers would interact with their students unlike the sterile environment now days. Thank you.

I have got 2 of my youngest grand kids going with me to the local stamp club..I supply everything needed, BUT, will they continue on their own.??????....Probably NOT...

All nicely written and read. Thank you.

Good read - I'm not a kid anymore, but just learned today, collecting stamps, that the Czechoslovakian army was responsible for liberation of Dunquerque, France during the second world war. Who'd a thunk?

Matt

I actually have a grandson who lives down in Virginia (long story!). I sent him a package last Christmas with a stamp collecting starter set I'd put together (purchased an old US album on line, included a pair of tongs, some hinges and a packet of a few hundred US stamp). His mother informed me after the fact that he showed no interest. But his Dad was pretty excited!

You are probably referring to my post as being pessimistic so I'll respond. I enjoy stamp collecting and my son finds stamps interesting. I never said their weren't children that find it enjoyable and engaging. I'm merely pointing out there are other activities that meet those five benefits mentioned in the article.

Being a parent of two children with wide interests I recognize that their time is more precious than commonly thought in these discussions. While maybe they could spend more time collecting stamps, I'd actually be happier if they learned to play a musical instrument at an advanced level, played on an A level soccer team or learned software development skills. They can acquire an interest in collecting in other ways, as well, and I am perfectly happy with that. One such activity is collecting Pokemon cards, with the added benefit that they actually play this highly strategic game. My job as apparent is to foster diverse interests.

I'm sorry if that sounds pessimistic. That's reality in my family. My children have been exposed to stamp collecting, participate occasionally, understand the joy of a collecting hobby, even if it is not stamps but collectable cards. One day, when something as tame (I originally used the word dull) as stamp collecting becomes more attractive than competing interests, as it did for me when I reached adulthood, hopefully they will find it interesting and take a deeper dive.

The point I'm trying to make is those five benefits can be achieved by many activities including digital based activities. What is important is they develop the skills that are important for their lives. They can be introduced to many activities, including stamp collecting, and if parents do a good job of fostering diverse activities, set a proper example, and participate in things they are also interested in, they will probably turn out okay and maybe adopt some of the parents interests as well.

A good example of how not to parent. A friend of my son came to our house and saw that I have 250+ board games and a large collection of video games and gaming consoles and was astounded. He was amazed that I was a gamer, that I played video games with my kids and board games as well. When he saw that both my wife and I had Pokemon cards and had created Pokemon decks and competed in local tournaments he almost had a stroke. Why? Because his parents take no interest in what their children find interesting.

So my other point is that the best way to get a child interested in the parent's hobbies or interests is to take a genuine interest in theirs. Hieronymous, one of your earlier posts said that video games and web surfing had deleterious effects. I say that your myopic view of the interests of the younger generation is what has the most deleterious effect on stamp collecting. That and the propensity for some parents to use TV and digital devices as a means to keep their children occupied while they pursue adult interests.

Sure exposing kids to the joys of stamp collecting is great. But you better be exploring and participating in the interests of the younger generation as well.

I forgot to mention this. While my point of view may appear pessimistic I actually am fairly optimistic that my children will be happy and excited to inherit my stamp collection when they are older. That's almost 100 percent due to my wife and I participating very heavily in activities our children find interesting (and we do too) e.g., cartoons, video games, board games, sports, collectible card games and so on.

Edit: what goes around comes around.

I think if we want to encourage stamp collecting in any age group, we should also encourage a love of history, geography and culture (among other things). People who are generally into that kind of thing, whether they're 8 or 80, are more likely to find stamps interesting and become stamp collectors.