Will my son enjoy pin trading?

[v3rs3]

My son is 6, we're leaving for a trip exactly one month from now for his 7th birthday. I've been thinking of buying him a starter set before we leave next month so he can trade with CM's and be a little more outgoing. He's very shy, but loves to collect things and we go to a lot of sports memorabilia, comic cons, and toy shows together.

I told him I'd buy him the Star Wars starter kit, and he said "No, that's okay", but then after I showed him some other cool Star Wars pins where Stitch was dressed up as all the character he said "Well maybe you can just buy that one."

I know that I'm the best judge to know if he'll like it, and I think he very well may, but I'm just curious if anyone else has been in a simliar situation?

 

[iamadisneynut]

My 6 year old is super shy, but loves pin trading. The CMs are great! I would do it!! My son has his sisters who love it too, but he will go and ask to see pins with some encouragement. It really is fun for them.

 

[bumbershoot]

My son is 6, we're leaving for a trip exactly one month from now for his 7th birthday. I've been thinking of buying him a starter set before we leave next month so he can trade with CM's and be a little more outgoing. He's very shy, but loves to collect things and we go to a lot of sports memorabilia, comic cons, and toy shows together.

I told him I'd buy him the Star Wars starter kit, and he said "No, that's okay", but then after I showed him some other cool Star Wars pins where Stitch was dressed up as all the character he said "Well maybe you can just buy that one."

I know that I'm the best judge to know if he'll like it, and I think he very well may, but I'm just curious if anyone else has been in a simliar situation?

He's a collector. That doesn't mean he's a trader.

He liked the second set you showed him. That means he's not going to want to give those up. If he's going to trade, buy him stuff he does NOT like. But once he runs out of things he doesn't like, he won't have anything left to trade.

Up the budget for pin collecting, and forget the trading part.

My opinion, as someone who buys what she likes and has NO interest in giving that up for other things.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

I agree with Bumbershoot. Pin trading would NOT have worked for me as a kid. I would've loved to collect, but there's no way I would've been willing to give one away once I'd become attached to it, even if I didn't think the pin was that great in the first place. And by "attached" I mean "4 seconds after it's in my possession". I wouldn't even be able to do pin trading now. Guess I never outgrew it.

 

[MSSANDRA]

It has never been something that would be fun for my boys. Oldest was shy when he was little and our little guy still is. Having to talk to strangers even to get a pen they might want would be difficult and stressful....not for vacation. Pens were an option for buying if they wanted then, but we never even considered trading for them.

 

[tink'smom2B]

I have tried to get my kids into trading, but they are collectors only! They never want to give them up!

 

[NEDisneyFans]

I love collecting AND trading pins, and used it as a way to help my quiet nephew interact more with CMs on our family trip when he was six, five years ago.

Over Christmas, I got him a lanyard and spread out my "traders" and told him to pick out three that he wanted to keep, and nine that he thought would be fun for someone else to keep.

We don't live close, but over the next few months I sent him pictures of the current CM pins (find the checklists here: http://www.disneyparksmerchandise.com/parksauthentic/hidden-mickey-pins/) and we talked about which set or sets he wanted to "hunt" on our trip, to try to complete an entire set. Because these pins can only be traded-for with a CM, it allowed me to focus on the enjoyment of the interactions as well as the fun of collecting, and so far it seems to be working!

He had a great time. Some pins he bought and kept (he'd received Disney Dollars from his grandparents), some he just traded to trade and some he traded to keep. That next Christmas, I made him a bulletin board for his "keepers," and started him on his own supply of "traders." (For Christmas and his birthday, I tuck a few pins into his stocking or card to add to his supply, and I try to only send ones that I know he won't want to keep.)

We're taking our next big family trip this June, and he's already asked me about "the pin game" and "what will we hunt for this year, Auntie?"

I can't wait!

 

[Pesky]

DS was disinterested (but he was 4.5 for our trip) but DD really liked the pin trading. But she wanted to GIVE them to the CMs to make them happy, she said. LOL. I deliberately bought some cheaper sets knowing my kids wouldn't want to keep them to incent them to trade some of the pins. Maybe get him one or two you think he would like and then another handful he wouldn't so he can get the idea that he can trade that starter set for ones he would really like.

 

[tink'smom2B]

I had no idea cast members had special pins Now it sounds like more fun!

 

[goofymoma]

A few years ago we went to LegoLand and all the employees have unique Lego guys on their name tag, we had to buy a few guys while we were there for them because they loved going up to them and seeing what guy they and and if it was worth trading the one they already had....some of them just gave them their guy.
I was thinking the same thing about pin trading - my boys wouldnt want to give them up. But then I went on ebay and you get buy lots of 25-50 fairly cheap. So I think I will buy each my boys a set of 25 for them to trade with while we are there this time.....and to bring along any duplicate Lego guys as we are going to spend a day @ LegoLand

 

[theladyloki]

We did a big family trip in June/July and my two cousins absolutely loved it!!!!! They liked that they were able to pick out things and trade for things that may not have been important to his/her sibling, but was important to her/him. They then would have to run over to us and show us all what he/she got and tell us a huge story!

Plus, we the adults liked it because it got them going up to and talking to the CMs - we had explained to my cousins that if they were ever separated from us, they needed to find a CM and tell them. So interacting with them by pin trading made them less shy and they then knew who to look for in case the worse were to happen (which thankfully didn't).

Plus, no shame in admitting, I'm 24 and my mom, best friend and I still pin trade like crazy to this day!

It's a blast getting too see your 'haul' and I enjoy talking with the CMs.

 

[MandiC]

I bought an assortment off amazon before we left so my daughter's weren't super excited since most of the pins they got weren't any of their favorites. I was unsure if they would enjoy it (ages 7 and 9) but they really did and they love the pins they got and remember which cms they got them from. I'm not sure they'll want to give up the pins they collected this trip on our next trip though so I'm sure we'll buy a new assortment to trade next time

 

[v3rs3]

I bought an assortment off amazon before we left so my daughter's weren't super excited since most of the pins they got weren't any of their favorites. I was unsure if they would enjoy it (ages 7 and 9) but they really did and they love the pins they got and remember which cms they got them from. I'm not sure they'll want to give up the pins they collected this trip on our next trip though so I'm sure we'll buy a new assortment to trade next time

This is kind of what I was thinking now instead of buying a starter kit. Getting an assortment, a Star Wars lanyard, and he'll probably keep/collect his favorites and hopefully be involved with trading away the ones he doesn't care much for.

Do you ever find many Star Wars pins on any CM's or are they a rarity? I'd assume they are harder to find than your other characters.

 

[poochie]

I just placed another order with Mousepinsonline.com. They are very reasonable and I use them for trading all the time. Expecting my shipment this week as I am leaving 4 weeks from today. You can get 10 pins for $16.50, or I ordered 25 pins for $41.25.

 

[MandiC]

I didn't see any Star Wars pins but it was just my daughters pin trading this time around so I wasn't really looking That said, once they got excited about pin trading they would marvel over the pins in all the shops and I promised them on the last day of our trip we would go to Downtown Disney's Pin Store and they could pick any one pin they wanted, so we did that too. I think the pins ended up being on of the big hits of our trip.