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Trading cards for children: what to buy and what to avoid

For a child who has just become interested, a small pack is almost always a better buy than a large one. The joy is in the opening, not in how much is in the box, and five small occasions beat one big one. The most common trap is an adult buying an expensive display that the child opens in ten minutes, and then the child has nothing left to look forward to.

Quick facts

Best first purchase	Blister pack, Mini Tin or a few loose packs
Best gift	Elite Trainer Box or tin, with lots to unpack
Best for playing	Two ready-to-play decks, one for the child and one for you
Avoid at first	Expensive displays and expensive single cards
Most important accessory	Penny sleeves, so the favourite cards last

By age

Younger children	Sticker packs, blister packs and cards for swapping. Simple, cheap and durable. Albums for Marvel or Disney work in the same way as the football albums.
Middle years	Pokémon or a trading card game. This is where swapping in the school playground begins.
Older children	Ready-to-play decks and real games, or a collecting path they have chosen themselves.
Teenagers	The same products that adults buy, often with their own budget.

How to make the first time fun

Put down a soft surface and have card sleeves ready before you open anything.
Open together, one pack at a time.
Say beforehand that most cards are common cards. That makes the disappointment smaller.
Let the child pick out a few favourites that go into a sleeve straight away.
Keep the rest in a box, so there is something to sort another day.

Buying to play together

If you want to play, two ready-to-play decks are the single best purchase. They contain everything you need, the rules are designed to be learnt at the table, and you can start playing within a few minutes. It is a much better experience than opening packs and trying to build a deck from whatever happened to turn up.

Booster packs almost never give you a playable deck. They are made to add to a collection, not to start a game. This is the most common misunderstanding among adults who buy for children.

What children actually appreciate

Opening several times. Five small packs beat one large box.
Having something to swap. Duplicate cards are an asset, not rubbish.
Their own place for the cards. A card binder or box that belongs to them.
Playing against someone. A game is more fun with an opponent.
Recognition. Characters or players they already like.

Common mistakes

Buying a display as the first gift.
Buying an expensive single card. Children rarely value cards the way adults do.
Buying booster packs in the belief that the child will be able to play with them.
Buying Japanese products for a child who wants to play with their friends.
Forgetting the card sleeves, so the favourite card is ruined after a week.

Frequently asked questions

What age are trading card games suitable for? Simplified rules work early on, but building your own deck takes a few more years.
What does a good first purchase cost? A blister pack or a couple of loose packs is enough.
Are cards a good gift? Yes, especially a box with several things inside, such as an Elite Trainer Box or a tin.
Does the child need accessories? Penny sleeves are enough for a long time. See the accessories guide.
What do I do with the duplicates? Keep them. They are the child's currency for swapping.

The formats, from cheapest to most expensive

Loose packs	Lowest price. Good for giving several times.
Blister pack	A few packs plus a promo card.
Mini Tin	Small collector tin, a good gift for younger children.
Ready-to-play deck	Playable straight away. The best buy if you want to play.
Elite Trainer Box	Feels most like a gift, with several things to unpack.
Display	Most expensive. Rarely the right first purchase for a child.

About swapping in the school playground

Card swaps between children are part of the hobby and almost always a good thing. Problems arise when the values are very different and a child swaps away something expensive without knowing it. A simple way to avoid this is to agree at home on which cards may be swapped and which stay in the card binder.

Another tip is to let the child have their own small stack of cards that are there specifically for swapping. That way swapping is fun without the favourite cards being at stake.

About cards and money

Cards are a hobby, not a form of saving, and it is worth saying this plainly to a child who has heard otherwise. Prices move in both directions, often quickly, and no box is guaranteed to be worth more than it costs. A child who collects because it is fun gets something out of it every time. A child who collects so that it will be worth money is almost always disappointed.