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I agree with you Kathy. My kids love pins! They are ages 6, 4 and almost 3. We live in So Cal and go to DLR often, but they will also trade with each other at home. My 6 year old has certain characters, namely eyeore, mr. toad and princesses, that she collects. She has a pin book where she keeps the pins she wants to keep, and she wears her traders on a lanyard around the park. My 4 year old changes what she wants to collect every other week. She likes looking for hidden mickeys and completing pin sets. (She usually trades a set away as soon as she has completed it so she can start looking for a new one). My (almost) 3 year old does not try to collect anything at all. He just likes to walk around wearing his lanyard and trading with people. He trades with CMs, and, I think because he is so young, guests often come up to him to trade. He loves it! All 3 of mine like the pin boards at DLR. We also end up talking to other families a lot more, because the kids all seem to like to trade with each other.

I also collect, so I am kind of choosy about what I will trade. My rule of thumb for the kids, though, is that their pins are their pins. They can trade whatever they want, and I just stay out of it. (I don't want to be a hyper active 'pin coach'. I want it to be fun for them). I have intervened a couple of times when I felt that they were being pressured a little too much to trade by the pin collectors at the tables in DTD. Other than that, they are on their own, and can trade for what they like. (I do buy used traders in bulk off of ebay so that I don't pay too much for them. That way I am not that stressed about pin value). They are very polite, use their manners, and can get the pins on and off the lanyards themselves - even my 3 year old. One suggestion - take a sealable bag with you to keep lanyards in while you are walking around. My 3 are pretty active, and I found that the pins would fall of the lanyard when they were jumping around. (We lost several this way at first). I keep their pins in their bags while we are going to the attractions, and only give them their lanyards when they are going to trade. I would also start them out trading with CMs until they get the hang of it. The CMs have been very patient and helpful with my kids, and, because they don't negotiate their trades, the kids can trade for whatever they see that they want.

If you don't invest too much in their pins and look at it as a fun activity rather than serious collecting, kids can have a great time trading! BTW, I have twin girls, but they are only 3 months, so they are not trading...yet. Have a great trip!

Liz

When my kids first started pin trading, we only traded on the boards of with CMs to avoid the 'misunderstandings' when they couldn't trade for a pin they wanted. Now that my 6 year old has been trading for awhile, she understands LEs and is starting to get the concept of trading for 'like-value' pins. My 4 year old is even starting to catch on. She is very protective of her HMs, and will only trade them for other HMs. I'm a homeschooling mom, so any chance to incorporate learning into fun is always a plus for me!

We usually avoid the traders at the tables, because they tend to be more serious collectors, but we have lots of fun trading with guests in the park and especially with the CMs. I definitely think the parent sets the tone, though. I try not to make my kids feel 'entitled' to something just because they want it. Even when someone doesn't want to make a trade, they are usually very gracious, and my kids learn that they can still have fun even if they don't always get what they want. (an important lesson for sure!)

Liz