Try, Try Again

 I remember the first time I pulled out a set of leggos with Flannery, and I was so excited to share what had been one of my favorite toys as a kid with my daughter.  

Trouble was, though, that she picked up a leggo, tried in vain to push it down onto the base, then gave up in disgust and moved on to another toy nearby.  I tried not to be too crestfallen, but I had really hoped that she would share my love of building and patterns and even architecture.  

But, as the saying goes, if at first you don't succeed...

I brought out the leggos a few weeks ago, and this time, Flanna built a whole house frame all on her own.  I helped her add the roof and the porch, but the main building was all her own doing!   We worked on the little house for close to two hours, and sweet Flanna just didn't want to stop working until it was perfect.  It was really fun, and such a happy moment for me to pass down an activity I had so enjoyed at her age.   

Sometimes I need to remember that the first experience or the first response to an activity or skill isn't the be-all end-all.  Backing off and then re-introducing the activity later can sometimes work wonders.  

You'd think potty training a toddler would've taught me that.  How quickly we forget!

What do you need to try, try again with your kids or students?  What do you need to back off from for a bit?