I get this question/statement all the time in the shop. "My kid started collecting pokemon , but I don't know anything about it" most parents want to support their child's hobby but don't know where to start. In this article I hope to give some pointers on how to support your child in their pokemon collecting hobby.
1. Be supportive. Let your kids know you enjoy their excitement into pokemon card collecting. Be genuinely interested in what they are telling you about their cards. They will be your first stop to knowledge into the cards. If your hope is they will eventually join you in your sports card collecting you have to be supportive of what they like also.
2. Youtube. When new sets are out, or you just want general knowledge of cards check out YouTube. There are a few negative channels out there but guys like Dany phantump and pokerev come in big supply. They are knowledgeable and explain things about the new sets and old that are educational. Around new set release time they will spoil the cards and give you an idea of the cards that will have value, while informing you about what's new.
3. TCG PLAYER. If your child is into collecting and the value of the cards. This is a must have app on your phone. The app is for all trading card games. It uses picture AI to identify your card and give a value in seconds. If your child also wants to enter the selling game this is an easy platform to learn and grow their collection. It's also a great app to verify trades and make sure they are fair.
4. Your child. If you take interest and use the 3 bullet points above you'll have a little bit of knowledge, but the most important is listen to the child. You want to know what they collect and brings them excitement. They will show their excitement when you show interest in what they are doing. They will be more willing to talk to you about what they like and share their excitement. You'll find out everything that moves their needle in pokemon collecting by their excitement in knowing you've taken an interest. Maybe even take up a small collection of a pokemon you think looks cool. In my case my daughter collects Pikachu and I've taken up charizards.
5. Have fun with it. There's a lot of cool looking cards out there. Find out what they need and help them. Shopping for pikachu has become a fun assignment with my 4 year old. We are trying to get every pikachu ever made. And with pokemon there is generally a lot of affordable versions of the single cards. Makes it more enjoyable on the wallet.
To summarize the biggest thing with learning about pokemon is supporting their hobby. They will be the biggest source of information. Your hobby shop is also a great source of information , don't be afraid to ask them questions. All in all it's really not a difficult hobby to get basic knowledge in. And most parents who do show an interest start collecting as well, just a fair warning lol. Thank you for reading and let me know what you thought in the comment section.
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