Is trading pins a good activity for the youngest kids?

[entirelysplendid]

Hi! I was wondering if those of you with Kindergarteners and First Graders could offer some advice on pin trading while we are at Disney World? Our little ones love to collect things and the pins sound like they might be a good idea, but I am not sure if the 6 and 7 year olds need another activity while we are there or if adding pins to the adventure would be overload? (This is a first trip for the kids.)

 

[lwc]

Last time we went my littles were 4 and 6. They LOVED pin trading. The 4 year old especially.

They are now 7 and (turning) 9 and both pulled their pins out a few days ago and started talking about them - they remember certain trades, have favorites, etc. it was quite a bit of fun for them.

That being said, on our last trip we only spent 4 days out of the week in the parks, and every single meal was TS. So our pace may have been a bit more relaxed than yours will be.

We also purchased a relatively inexpensive grab bag lot for trading, so we didn't sink a whole lot of $$ into it. If you go this route, be careful. There are lots of counterfeit pins out there, and while they are cheap and perfectly tradable, and pretty much look just like the real thing, they aren't authentic. If you care about this there are places you can get grab-bags of authentic pins for far less than retail to trade.

 

[Julylady]

If this is your first trip, I would skip pin trading. On subsequent trips it might be fun. We pin traded with two young girls ages 8 and 5. They were hesitant at first, but then gained confidence to interact with cast member adults. We stepped back and let them negotiate. However, there were some tearful moments. The younger one didn't Like giving up any of her pins. She loved looking at and picking out a pin from the cast member, but when it was time for her to give one up....there was trouble.

The pins and lanyards are also heavy on little necks. After a while they would take them off and try to hand them to me. I say try because we have always had a very strict rule that everyone carries their own stuff in the parks. After a couple of days, they didn't want to do it any more. That being said....at ages 13 and 10 they still have the lanyards in their bedrooms and take them out and look at them fairly often - which is more than I can say for most souvenirs.

Edited to add: My Mom still lets them pick out a new pin every trip to add to their collection which they very much enjoy.

 

[Thing 1]

At that age, I would allow them to start to purchase pins, but hold off on trading or wearing them. It might be fun to tell them a bit about pen trading and how they will want to start a collection first. Maybe at each park they can chose one pen, or maybe a pen for each "trill" ride they are willing to try or whatever way you choose. As someone said, a lot of kids are not going to want to wear the lanyard all time and who wants to carry them. I think kids should be able to communicate well with the CMs before they try to trade.

 

[entirelysplendid]

Thank you all for your replies! I really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences. Sounds like holding off trading might be best for our family and purchasing a few to start their collections will be fun for this first trip. Thanks again for the help!!

 

[mandis77]

My kids LOVE collecting the pressed pennies at WDW! It's a lot of fun, they look at them all the time at home.

 

[Lilliputian]

I think that "just" WDW is plenty for a first trip at those ages. It's a lot to take in.

Pressed pennies make a nice extra if you do want something. I wouldn't do pin trading with young children. Have you ever seen yours freeze up and take forever deciding which cheap toy they want at the end of a dentist appointment? It could be much worse with pins and even involve tears if they're hot, tired, or hungry.

 

[MainMom]

My son and niece both pin traded at age 6. They loved it and it was not too much for them.

 

[VirginiaR]

Good thread discussion - I think my daughters (2 and 3) may be too young to enjoy but sounds fun!