From Our Parent Panel: Fun for Older Kids (That Isn’t Rides)

There is no doubt that Walt Disney World is the most magical place on Earth! But sometimes you may find yourself asking, “What is there for older kids to do at Disney World, besides ride rides?” This may especially be true now that things look a little bit different at the parks! Well, I can tell you as a mother of 2 kids, ages 11 and 9, there are still plenty of activities for kids to enjoy besides just riding rides (which are pretty awesome by the way) and they don’t have to break the bank! Two of our favorite activities are pin trading and coin pressing! Here are some of our best tips and tricks!

Pin Trading- Did you know that you can trade pins with Disney Cast Members as well as other park goers? This is something my family loves to do! I have found that you can buy assorted packs of authentic Disney pins on Ebay for very cheap! I usually buy them in packs of 50-100. We split them up and take the ones we don’t want to the parks for some trading! These make great stocking stuffers or even fillers for Easter baskets! My kids enjoy it, and even my husband and I, the big kids, enjoy it! It’s fun to see what you can collect! My husband collects hats; I collect Little Mermaid and anything Beauty and the Beast or Lion King (I have just a few favorites), my son collects the Fab 5, and my daughter collects anything princess!

Of course Disney is ensuring the safety of all their Cast Members and guests so they have a streamlined contactless method for trading! You place your pin in a box, where it is later taken out and sanitized before being placed on the Cast Members pin trading board. You then choose the pin you want with a corresponding number from the Cast Members board and they will take it off for you and set it on the counter for you to pick up! Easy Peasy!

Part of the fun with pin trading is choosing how to display them! Of course if you are going to display your favorites out in the open you may want to invest in locking backs so you don’t have to worry about losing your pins! We have found several stray pins at the parks that people have dropped and it is usually next to impossible to find the owner! There are cute Disney pin trading bags that you can purchase from multiple retailers. Some provide better protection against losing pins than others so just make sure to check before purchasing! Lanyards are another great option and this is what my kids choose to do. They only put the pins they are planning to trade on their lanyards and when they don’t feel like wearing them we have plenty of room in our essential park bag to store them away!

Right now there are still lots of pin trading posts available! Here is a list of places you can go!

MAGIC KINGDOM

1. Main Street, U.S.A. The Emporium Camera Centre at Exposition Hall

2. Tomorrowland. Space Mountain gift shop

3. Fantasyland. Fantasy Faire gift shop. Mickey’s Philarmagic shop.

4. Frontierland. Splash Mountain gift shop. Pirates of the Caribbean gift shop.

5. Liberty Square. Memento Mori.

ANIMAL KINGDOM

1. Discovery Trading Post

2. Africa. Pin Station

3. Dinoland U.S.A. Primeval Whirl

HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS

1. 5&10 Store, Hollywood Boulevard

EPCOT

1. Pin Trading Headquarters

DISNEY SPRINGS

1. Pin Trader’s

RESORTS

1. Each Resort has one pinboard typically located at the cash register of the resort gift shop.

Coin Pressing- Another favorite activity for my family and I is to collect pressed coins throughout Disney World resort property! You’ll need to be prepared if you plan on collecting pressed coins! The first important thing to know is that there are 3 different types of coin press machines which require different amounts of coins, cash or even credit card! We set a $ amount limit for each of our kids at the beginning of the trip so they know how much money they get to spend on their pressed coins and they can choose how to divvy that up between the different options. We also take a baggy for each of the kids with their names on them to put in our park bags so that they don’t lose their precious coins! Here are the types of machines you will find…

✔ Old Hand-Cranked Penny Press Machine- $0.51 Each (2 Quarters To Pay + Penny to Press)

✔ Old Hand-Cranked Quarter Press Machine- $1.25 (4 Quarters To Pay + Quarter To Press)

✔ New Digital Coin Press Machine- $1 Bill Each or $3-$10 For 3-12 Pennies

You may also want to let your kids know that there is no shortage of options when looking for pressed coin machines so no need to jump on the first few you see. They are located all throughout Disney World Resort property. Here is a link to help you find them if you want to prepare ahead of time. If you don’t want to plan ahead, don’t worry, you will see plenty along the way, sometimes even in the line queues which helps to make line time more exciting for the kiddos!

Lastly, what do you do with those pressed coins once you get home? My kiddos have pressed coin books that they keep in their rooms! They put their new Disney pressed coins away in their books when we get back from our trips and they have a memento they can look back on anytime to remember their trips to the happiest place on Earth! You can find pressed coin books at many different retailers which again make a great stocking stuffer, Easter basket filler, or a great gift option to break the news that you have an upcoming trip!

Sometimes it’s the little things that help put the cherry (or pixie dust) on top of an extra magical vacation!

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About the Author

Sheena Mutchler is a founding member of the Parent Panel. She has 2 children, ages 11 & 9. She has a passion for all things Disney, and loves how much joy Disney has to offer for “kids” of all ages.