Majula Kumar, project director for the October 1996 Young Collectors Exhibit at the Smithsonian museum, says she was amazed by the extent of parents' involvement and encouragement in their children's exhibits. A parent has to know a child's area of interest, and often children will develop the same interests of their parents. One of the easiest ways to encourage your children's interests in collections is by taking them to the collections of the professionals - the museums. Seeing collections on a grand scale can inspire children as well as educate them. Children know that museums preserve historical artifacts, but they may not realize that they can become a part of that process.
Children have a chance to record their own versions of history through their collections.
But you do not need to be your child's only mentor. Feinberg, who has been collecting since age ten, organizes a program of mentors who are not only pen pals to young stamp collectors, but who also answer questions on collecting, identification and history of their pen pals' stamps. It's a chance for your child to arrange, classify and prioritize his or her collection. By showing it to others. Whether it's a grandparent visiting on the holidays or a stranger at a collectors convention, children gain valuable social skills from exhibiting their collections or joining collecting clubs.