Trying something new can be super hard. It’s imitating. It takes us out of our comfort zone. We feel like we’re not quite sure we got ourselves into. It might bring out some insecurities, perhaps ones that we didn’t know we had, but it’s usually worth it.  

Often, we learn new things. We experience things that we would never have experienced otherwise, AND, we might even have some fun along the way.

Recently, we tried something new for our preschool co-op. It was uncharted territory for both of us moms, but we figured it was worth a shot to try a different approach.

It’s no secret that we don’t do a lot of screen time, but we do use video chat to keep in touch with family who lives out of the area. The other family that we do preschool co-op with also doesn’t use a lot of screen time, so they’re not used to it either.

Since we can’t meet in person for a while, and we didn’t want the kids to miss out on the end of their “school” year, we decided to do preschool co-op through video chat. Super cool idea, right?

But, from an instruction standpoint, and trying to figure out how to do activities with four kids via video chat, it sounds scary as hell.

Why was it so scary and intimidating?

Because of it being something I’ve never done before. I had no clue what I was doing. I didn’t know how it would go. I didn’t know if I was adequately prepared, or what else I might need. (All things that are tough for someone who over plans and over-prepares. Also hard for a teacher at heart to not feel like there are backup plans in place).

But, we went for it and gave it a try. While it was not perfect, it went surprisingly well! We have a foundation, a starting point and something to go off of for next time. Not only did we see that this is a viable option for the future if we need it, but we also came up with a few more ideas that we might not have otherwise thought of… All because we decided to try something new, even though we weren’t entirely sure what we were doing, or how best to do it.

The takeaway:

Try something new. Get out of your comfort zone. Let your children see that you do new things too. You don’t always have all of the answers, and that’s okay.  Seeing you navigate something new and try something new is a great lesson for your children. They get to see how someone else thinks and how someone else approaches things, and there is a lot of value in that. What can you try today that’s new and get out of your comfort zone a bit?

Ready to try new activities with your toddler or preschooler? Join the Making Memories in May Activity Challenge! It’s free, so why not? Find out more about it here. 

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