My kindergarten daughter rushed downstairs carrying her Chromebook. She was excited to have a virtual gym PowerPoint assignment from her teacher on how to bowl. The first slide had a video where her teacher showed how to roll a tennis ball straight. Ten toilet paper rolls were then set up as ‘bowling pins’ and they were knocked down with the ball. Now it was my daughter’s turn to try.

My daughter grabbed a tennis ball and some cut up paper towel rolls, then ran outside to practice on the back porch. After a few minutes and some practice rolls, she was ready to see the next part of her assignment.

The last slide listed the instructions for how my daughter can make a video explaining how to roll a ball and knock down paper bowling pins. Once complete, my daughter should submit her video for review.

“Are you ready to make a video?” I asked my daughter as I grabbed my cell phone. “You will make a video explaining how to roll a ball, then show how it is done.”

“That’s not right, Dad,” she told me shaking her head. “I know the rules.”

I reinforced what her teacher wanted her to do on the video. My daughter refused to believe I was telling her the correct instructions. I let her know again what was needed. Frustration appeared on my daughter’s face as her eyes welled up with tears. I had to take a different approach fast.

“Ok, what do you think your teacher wants you to do in the video?” I asked.

“She wants me to show how I roll a ball, Dad,” she answered in a disgusted voice. “Then try to knock down the paper towel rolls. That’s what she wants.”

We both said the same thing.

I paused, then answered, “You’re exactly, right. Great job. Let’s go make that video.”

She wiped her eyes and happily ran outside to make the video the way she heard the instructions.

As I shot the video of my daughter explaining how she rolls a ball toward the paper pins, I learned something important. Even though we both said the same thing, She wanted to make the video the way she heard the instructions, not the way I told her.

Allowing my daughter to have a say in how she presented her project made all the difference. It gave her ownership of the project and pride in the work she was doing. She felt great about the video and so did I.

She even knocked down two of the seven paper pins we set up, which made her extra happy. So proud of my girl for taking charge and doing a great job.