Getting kids interested in the hobby

[hidden_hunter]

What do people recommend to get young kids interested in the hobby? My son’s recently turned one and I’m starting to think about what I can do to encourage him early to be interested

 

We’ve taken him to a few different museums already and working demonstrations - being so young mostly the movement of things interests him the most but gotta start somewhere :-)

 

What sorts of things did you guys do or recommend? 

‘

(I thought I’d make a slightly more positive thread than what happens to your stuff when you cark it)

[Terry Bond]

For starters get some tool in his hands. Let him work with you. Make the garage and workshop special places and show him how much fun it can be. Our grandson has been playing with tools and old cars all his life. He's 21 now, a mechanic professionally and loves to drive my GTO. That's the future.

Terry

[Borough Essex]

On your old car(s), focus on mechanical reliability over cosmetic appearance so that his childhood memories aren't of hanging around bored somewhere waiting for the tow truck to come rescue you. In this way he is more likely to carry the flame after he has decide dad is a bit doddery and has to have his car keys taken off him:)

[89tc]

I got into the hobby through no fault of my own. My family happened to be poor, so I had to supply the tools to my father and push the brake pedal during brake bleeding when I was 6 years old. Instead of trailering a car to the dump when we were bored of the color like people do now, back in the 1970's my father was constantly working on the car to keep it barely alive. 

 

 So to answer your question, buy yourself a real piece o' sh** car that constantly breaks down, and your son will learn all about cars (and curse words) very fast!

[1935Packard]

Kids have minds of their own, so they'll enjoy what they enjoy.  But I think your best shot at having your kids interested in old cars is by making old cars something they do with you that you clearly enjoy.  Make it a fun thing they do with dad (or with mom, as the case may be), and they'll be more likely to want to do it too.  

 

 

Edited November 22, 2021 by 1935Packard (see edit history)

[Larry Schramm]

I agree on getting the kids involved.  When they come of driving age, TEACH THEM TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE AND LET THEM DRIVE IT.  I had my son driving our 1915 Buick truck when he was only 16 and just got his drivers license.  I even let my daughter & son-in-law take the cars and drive them. They know where the vehicles & trailer are with all of the keys.  All of our offspring have that access.

 

Call me crazy if you like, but you can not take it with you.  You will be remembered by the memories that you provide to your family & friends & society.

 

If you keep saying no,  it becomes a do not touch object and their interests will go elsewhere. 

Edited November 22, 2021 by Larry Schramm (see edit history)

[pfloro]

As others have stated, get your son involved with anything mechanical and with hand tools. Today's world is so electronic and devoid of things with moving parts. There is less to physically explore "under the covers" and take apart to "see how it works".  

 

As a pre-teen, I had an Erector set.  I built cars, elevators, and planes. Of course, I utilized the battery powered electric motors in my projects. Granted, I was mechanically inclined.  Being steered towards things with moving parts helped me learn "how things work".  

 

It's harder today to demonstrate mechanical stuff to a child as there is less of it around.  However, it can be done.

 

When I was semi-retired, I worked in an elementary school and took care of the computers.  I also went into the 3rd grade classrooms and did a particular Edison science demonstration. I would pass out vinyl phonograph records and explain a little about how they stored sound. Then I took a piece of paper, rolled it into a cone, and stuck a pin in the small end. The students gathered around an old phonograph as I "played" a record with it. 

 

They were totally mesmerized...

 

Paul

Edited November 22, 2021 by pfloro (see edit history)

[Guest]

Toys.

It all starts with toys.

 

[John_S_in_Penna]

23 minutes ago, 1935Packard said:

Kids have minds of their own, so they'll enjoy what they enjoy.  But I think your best shot at having your kids interested in old cars is by making old cars something they do with you that you clearly enjoy.  Make it a fun thing they do...

 

I think the above is very well said.  The best anyone can do

is expose his children to the hobby, and the enjoyment it can

provide.

 

However, God made everyone an individual, and everyone is different. 

The son of an auto mechanic may become an expert trumpet player;

the son of a history professor may come to love working in concrete.

The son of a lawyer may become an auto mechanic.

One of our local members, a past AACA national president, raised

his children by involving them with old cars and many car events;

but none of them show much interest in old cars as adults.

 

I became an antique-car fan in childhood.  No one had to encourage

me, and no one had the foresight to do so.  I took my father to car shows!

 

You can knock at the door, but don't push at the door.  One child

may reward you by following in your footsteps!

 

 

Edited November 22, 2021 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[1912Staver]

My son played endlessly with his Hot Wheels , and attended many events with me when he was young. But today there is a lot in his life that is more interesting than cars. I have not given up hope, but at 21 at least cars are not his thing. 

[Terry Bond]

55 minutes ago, GregLaR said:

Toys.

It all starts with toys.

 

Yes-but unfortunately, it's become increasingly difficult to find toy cars that really represent "antiques." All you see in stores these days is monster trucks or hot rod toys.  There are a few exceptions, but they are hard to find.

Terry

[Aussi John 1]

It's very difficult to interest young people in prewar cars, to them an old car was made in the 90s.

 

A young person in the old car movement is at least in his forties, as he has been buying a house bringing up a family etc.

 

 I was 25 when I bought my first project, it took me until was forty one to put it on the road, but I came from a car family and had a lot of help. see before and after pics of the car.

[Bryan G]

I grew up with my father being in the auto repair business, while also owning a series of older cars. It occurs to me that the vehicles I always found most interesting were quite different from the type he generally owned. Along the way seeds were planted by cars in the neighborhood that just did something for me. Why was I fascinated by things like flathead-era Plymouths or Shoebox Fords, while the kid down the street ignored them? I say, you can lead the horse to water...and it might drink! Expose the child to a wide variety of cars and trucks, and if they show a particular interest feed it. 

[Studemax]

When I was a kid, I was underfoot in the garage and shop all the time... "Can I help?". Working on the tractors, the mower, and Mom's Ford.

 

It's the same now with all the little ones - even the girls want their own tools. Kids want to be where the action is. It damn sure isn't on the couch.

[Ozstatman]

1 hour ago, Aussi John 1 said:

 I was 25 when I bought my first project, it took me until was forty one to put it on the road, but I came from a car family and had a lot of help. see before and after pics of the car.

 

John,

 

Have seen your Stude a couple of times over the years at the annual Linnwood House day, very nice car.

Edited November 22, 2021 by Ozstatman (see edit history)

[keiser31]

2 hours ago, GregLaR said:

Toys.

It all starts with toys.

 

It may END with toys, too....

[1937hd45]

Both our kids and grandkids made it to Hershey before their first birthdays. Oldest daughter drove the 1912 T when said she could touch the pedals at the age of six. Training wheels came off her bike the following week. Oldest grandson is very mechanical, and can wheel and deal at Hershey since he was seven.

[Buick35]

My only grandchild just turned one in October. He's been to one car show and seems to be mechanically inclined by the way he trys to stack his toys ,etc.Our son at his age was into computer games.He likes old cars too. My son-in-law I don't think so much.I asked him if he wanted to drive my old car and he told me he can't drive a stick.Id like to give my grandson a ride in my old cars but it would be hard to put a car seat in them.I have a 35 Buick without seat belts and a 74 mgb.

Edited November 22, 2021 by Buick35
Spelling (see edit history)

[John348]

Every person is different, besides cars I am a rabid baseball fan, my sons not so much, but they love hockey but yet I have no interest, you  just never know. 

Forced interest never ever works

Edited November 22, 2021 by John348 (see edit history)

[89tc]

Legos, old school erector set, and model cars will turn him into a mechanically oriented adult. Video games and his own phone at two years old will turn him into a socially awkward zombie adult who will need to have his car flat- bedded to the dealership when it gets a flat tire. 

[Pete O]

I think I've expressed this unpopular opinion in another thread like this.   I don't care if kids today are interested in the hobby or not.   Kids today either have the itch for old cars or they don't, period.  Nothing we do will convert those that would rather be on their phone every waking moment and would prefer a self driving car so they can do just that.  Those that have the itch don't need encouragement; they'll find the hobby on their own.

[60FlatTop]

I grew up without a real hero presence or people I would call mentors. At 73 I have told my wife that the person I am today basically is the product of all the people I did not want to be like. And I remember the personalities, hobbies, and general attitude very well. I made myself not like them.

 

Today I see many old fools holding there arms out tapping their fingers on their thumbs while completely ignorant of what they are imitating. They are seen in the car hobby. They will destroy a young person's interest as many of the same ilk changed my interest in certain cars when I was a kid.

 

As long as you can raise a son who will get you aside and ask "That man isn't right is he?" Whether an old car hobbyist, teacher, or neighbor, the child has a good chance of flowing into the interest of his choice.

 

A lot of the old cranks that I chose not to be like were ones my mother would have called "an old stinker".

[rocketraider]

Bernie, I'm reminded of a quote from Dirk Wittenborn's book "Fierce People".

 

"We are the sum of all people we have ever met"

 

I too have encountered people who I knew early on that I wanted to be nothing like them.

 

My dad could not have cared less about cars. They were appliances to him, and if he had to spend any money on a repair he bitched endlessly about it.

 

My Uncle Gene loved cars but wasn't mechanically inclined. He, however, taught me to appreciate styling and engineering, and how to enjoy a wash and wax afternoon. Gene loved golf too but could never get me interested in that!

 

My neighbor Harold was my mentor when it came to teaching me how to work on a car. At 12, if he was working on anything he'd call the house to see if I wanted to watch and learn. And I would trot the quarter mile over there to do that. His wife (who just turned 90 last week) always had a Pepsi and homemade cookies for me. Their daughters didn't get into cars much but one of the granddaughters did. She took community college automotive classes and has had a great career as a Toyota dealer service manager. She's known to pick up a wrench herself at that dealership though her job doesn't require it. Spending time handing Grandpa Harold tools and parts sowed a seed.

 

My elementary school bus driver ran a country store and did minor mechanical work on the side. He had a post lift outside and taught us boys how to do oil and lube jobs. Plus, even though he also had daughters, Melton understood boys and was good to talk with about boy problems. 

 

I wanted to be like Gene and Harold and Melton because, even though one had no children and the other two had daughters, they understood time spent with a mechanically curious boy was important.

[MarkV]

My daughter (16 months) is already interested. She helps me wash them. I give her some plastic baby tools and she ‘works’ on them. 
 

when I open the garage she runs up and hugs the 41 dodge. And of course she loves being behind the wheel! 

[60FlatTop]

Nothing like a Willys to get a family to play together.

 

And then there's always the worker bee.

[CHuDWah]

My experience was the reverse, I got my parents interested in the hobby.  I had toy cars/trucks and "building toys" like erector set and Lincoln logs.  And I was always taking stuff apart, much to my parents' chagrin.  Occasionally I was even able to get it back together.  🤣  I dunno whether I was naturally mechanically inclined or general curiosity and practice developed that skill.  My Dad was one of those guys that could figure out how to do most anything.  He was skilled with tools and taught me a lot about using them.  But he had no interest in cars other than them getting him from point A to point B.  By the time I was in middle school, I was building model cars and reading hot rod magazines.  My parents were of the "hot rods to hell" mindset so I had to hide the magazines from them, same as for my Playboys.  😁  About that time, we were traveling on vacation and ran across a car show.  My folks stopped early for the evening to indulge my interest.  I don't remember much about it except a beautiful dove-gray Marmon coupe.  I can still see it in my mind's eye.  I think that's where I really caught the antique car bug and I'm still partial to 30s coupes.  By the time I got to high school, I talked Dad into a dilapidated Model A (coupe, of course) that we restored.  That got him, and eventually my Mom, hooked, and working on/showing the car with them are some of my best memories.

 

Anyway, I think the answer to the OP question is get your kids involved with doing stuff with you, be that cars, underwater basket-weaving, whatever.  Teach them how to do it, then let them do it supervising as necessary.  Praise them if they do well and constructively correct them if they don't.  And if they aren't interested in what you are, get involved in what interests them.

[coachJC]

I think the biggest thing is just to expose them to it. If they are left in the house when you are working in the garage or you go on a weekend tour and don't take them along with you the chance of them being interested is slim. The problem is as others have stated, it is still not a guarantee that they will take up the hobby that we have. By the time I was 20 I was all in 100% with this hobby, my kids know that they are 19 and 20 are getting there but not like I was at there age. 

[Walt G]

On 11/22/2021 at 2:49 PM, CHuDWah said:

My experience was the reverse, I got my parents interested in the hobby.  

I did too! I loved the look of a car with running boards since the tv shows I watched in the 1960s were The Untouchables and The Roaring 20's. I wanted a car but it had to have running boards. My parents said "save your $- allowance, and birthday etc" so I did and when i was 13 bought a 1931 Plymouth PA sedan that hadn't run since 1935. My Dad helped work on that with me and we started to attend car shows via modern car ( those modern cars then are now collectible) and finally the two cars I had were a 1941 Packard 120 woody and a 1931 Franklin with a Derham built victoria brougham. My folks would drive the Packard to shows and I would take the Franklin. this went on for decades until they passed away. The car club people became their friends too and when I would go to an event without them the first thing I was asked is "where are your folks, are they ok?"

To get kids interested the phrase used to be "take a kid to a car show' that stopped with the pandemic. Now that hopefully we are heading out of that , my suggestion is to not only take them to a car show but to a cruise night.

Edited November 28, 2021 by Walt G
spelling correction (see edit history)

[hidden_hunter]

Some great suggestions, definitely will look into some more mechanically inclined toys - he’s a got a few odds and ends like a little john deer push toy that he loves 

 

Lots of fun stuff to look forward to!

 

Hershey is probably a little difficult for now, but who knows 🙂

[Professor]

Like many, my father taught me to work on cars because we did not have the money to afford to pay someone to work on our cars.  I started “helping” my dad around the age of 8 and continued up through automechanics classes in high school.  As soon as my son was old enough for a learners permit, I helped him buy a Corvair and we restored it together.  Ever since, my son has picked up where I left off.  I am confident that I passed the baton to the next generation.  Whether or not my son passes it on remains to be seen.  Here is hoping….

 

Joe

[1935Packard]

9 hours ago, Buick35 said:

Id like to give my grandson a ride in my old cars but it would be hard to put a car seat in them.I have a 35 Buick without seat belts and a 74 mgb.

 

 

I had seatbelts installed in my '34 Packard, and I put in car seats to give my young kids a ride in it.   They love it.  I don't stray too far, usually just a ride around the neighborhood, but they really enjoy it

[hidden_hunter]

I don’t think you can just put seatbelts in a car around here, would need a compliance certificate for vehicle modification so he won’t be able to ride in the car for quite a while 

 

I was thinking when he is old enough I might pickup a small stationary engine to work with him on

[TerryB]

Legos. Kids love Legos because they can build, tear down and rebuild into something else.

[tomcarnut]

Here my take. I grew up in the 70’s and my parents joined the Canton Chapter Ohio Region AACA thanks to a couple that would go to be President and First Lady of AACA, The Library and Museum. We did great driving tours in mostly 1930’s cars with lots of people my parents age who also brought their teenage kids so we had lots of fun. The really cool part is the parents and much older members treated us as Adults asking us to call them by first name. They also were extremely helpful later on when we were starting careers.  Those same kids like me  are just past 60 now and half are still involved with AACA including a few in the Canton Chapter. About six of us are at Hershey every year. 
 

I tried to do the same with the Southern Chapter as we has a few kids my daughters age on tour. While neither of my daughters who are now about 30 have any interest in cars, our current President son who was around back then has come on some tours with his wife. At a party this summer the son learned to drive his Dad’s 1915 Model T. 
 

We continue to try and get younger folks involved going to Brewery’s in the winter where talk up old cars and sometimes bring them on nice winter days. While I am not a big show or cruise in guy, I try to talk cars I have no problem letting kids sit in like my 1911 Ford, 1912 McLaughlin Buick or 67 Camero or 70 Vette. Always make a point at stops on Brass tours like Hershey Hangover to let kids sit in the car and try the bulb horn. 
 

We also do the Ohio Model T Jamboree most years. Lots of kids and 20 somethings attend these great three day tours over Labor Day.

 

Just a few ideas and I plan to do a lot more when I retire a few months. AACA, HCCA and the old car hobby has been extremely important to me and plan to give back at more in the future.

[pkhammer]

  Interest in cars kind of just happened for me when I was very young. Nobody in my family was into cars but I was lucky enough to have a pedal car when I was a kid and my other favorite toys growing up were Hot Wheels cars and Model kits. The library in my elementary school had a book called "Hot Rods by Ed 'Big Daddy' Roth" that I checked out over and over. Every time I went to town with Mom to shop I'd go to the magazine stand and have her buy me a Hot Rod or Cartoons magazine. By the time I was a teenager I built my own mini-bike and then put together an old motorcycle. I did have some neighborhood buddies that were into the same stuff and we hung out a lot and wrenched on stuff. Dad would poke fun at me some about being a "Grease Monkey" or fuss because I had something tore apart on the carport. Messing around with old cars is something that's always been part of my life. My 88 year old Mother still chuckles when I talk about my latest project.

  None of this rant helps to find a way to get kids interested. I think sometimes it just happens. My Wife and I weren't blessed with any children, but I think if I was I'd get them involved in a project at a young age. I think some people just have a natural desire to build, create, or restore. I would suggest restoring something like a pedal car with a child or building a soap box derby car or building a go-cart. Having them help YOU on a project is all well and good but how about helping THEM with a project?

[TAKerry]

My dad was a contractor and showed no interest in cars as far as I knew growing up. I got every matchbox and hotwheel ever made when I was young which led to model building. I would go into town every friday night with Pop and he would drop me off at the western auto where I would get a model and some paint. I have 3 brothers and a sister. My 3 brothers were in the van customizing business in the 70's, and would go to the the Street Rod nationals every year which I tagged along. I remember watching Prudhome and Garlits drag racing on saturday afternoons. I was riding a motorcycle when I was 8 and by that time had become a miniature motor head. I would say most of the influence was from my big brothers and stuff I watched on tv. Today I am a car guy through and through, I have one brother that is as obsessed with antique motorcycles. Thats about it. I did learn later in life that dad had a 64 SS impala that he loved and apparently he was a bit of a hot rodder in the 50's. Stuff he never talked about when I was a kid. He always wanted a vintage Studebaker and even belonged to a Studebaker club but never got one. I made up mind that if I wanted an old car I wasnt going to wait until it was too late.

 

I suppose the best way to get your kids interested is to let them tag along, teach them as you go and see if they develop an interest. My 8yo grandson likes to come into the shop when I am working and calls my current project car "his". His interest fades fast and I dont push it on him. Figure he will either take to it or not. No big deal either way. My son has little interest in cars but has taken his guitar playing to new heights. He has quite a collection now which started with the 2 guitars that I had in high school, so something rubbed off.......

[Michael Peternell]

[Michael Peternell]

Hook  them young. Nothing bad can become of this! 

[Borough Essex]

2 hours ago, hidden_hunter said:

I don’t think you can just put seatbelts in a car around here, would need a compliance certificate for vehicle modification so he won’t be able to ride in the car for quite a while 

 

I was thinking when he is old enough I might pickup a small stationary engine to work with him on

hidden_hunter, I'm in your part of the world and back in the day had three kids under two years of age, so put anchor points and three kids seats in my Hudson. I think you'll find you don't need any compliance certificates for it, unless things have changed in the last twenty years; issue of course is how safe you are in any old car, with or without seatbelts. I haven't put seat belts in the Essex yet; if I did would likely only do the back. The issues around where to put anchor points in cars with a separate chassis and frame is a whole new subject.

[nick8086]

He will still get this picture of him.. I have it on the wall. That picture is about 30 years old..

 

Just look at this.. He is into cars..

Edited November 23, 2021 by nick8086 (see edit history)