Learn Something New, Together

Following up on last week's post about sharing a skill or talent with your child, today learn to do something new with your child. Try a new recipe. Learn some Hebrew words. Find a YouTube video on making paper origami. The point isn't what new thing you learn to do, it's that you show your child how to learn something new.

• Start with a question (I wonder how you . . .) or a statement (I've always wanted to . . .).
• Do some research. Use the internet. Ask your spouse. Borrow a cookbook. Call grandma.
• Build, bake, practice, experiment. Make mistakes. Try again. And again.
• Do some more research.
• Keep at it. Make a goal. "When we get really good at baking, we should try baking our own challah" or "We're going to practice and practice with building and constructing until we're ready to build a birdhouse."
• Don't give up. Persist. Let your child see that you're capable of learning, too, even when it's hard. All of us can always learn something new.
• Have fun.