Are your children collectors? My children have collected different things over the years. As toddlers, my children loved collecting rocks and sticks. I put a basket by the front door so they had a place to put them all. 

One of the things I have learnt as a parent is that we need to allow children to become who they are. They might have weird interests or not fit into our aesthetics but that's them. We need to support our children, to follow the child and this includes what ever they need to collect.  

Caspar has a collection of old and foreign coins. This has been driven by friends and family who pass their coins to him after traveling and a grandparent who also has a coin collection. Otis mostly collects found things, feathers, dead insects and interesting seed pods and rocks and minerals. It's fun to watch their interests evolve into collections or for their collections to change as their interests change.  

Collections are a way children can express themselves, learn more about their interests and take pride in their work and collecting efforts. Collections can teach children more about the world in which they live and can also provide an interesting link to the wider community.

So I've been thinking, how can we support our child's collecting and collections? 

• Provide or suggest correct or professional tools - think microscopes, scalpels, tweezers, measuring devices, magnifying glasses, guides. 
• Support the storage of collections - acid-free paper, collection books, adequate storage or discovery boxes.
• Provide books or help find research books so the child can learn more about their collection. 
• If possible allow them to arrange or display their collection, as desired. 
• Role model, look after your own collections, share your collections and interests with your child. 

Some collections are purely practical, Otis has a fantastic collection of over fifty cookie cutters, it's always a delight when he finds an interesting and new one. Do you have a collection?