Category Archives: Education

Education

5 Ways to Increase the Chances That Your Child Will Choose to Go to College

In this day and age, it’s more important than ever that kids go to college, yet too often they make the choice not to. Whether it’s because they’re afraid of the cost, they don’t think they need it for the career they want to go into, or they’re just sick of schools, it can be difficult for parents to see their child decide to pass on what could be such a useful opportunity.

At CodeREV Kids, we think it’s important to remember that the college prep doesn’t start when your child is a senior in high school – it starts much earlier. Here are a few things you can do to help steer your child toward the rewarding track of college.

1. Let your children know you value college

If you went to college, talk about it fondly. If you didn’t, talk about how it could have opened doors for you.

2. Ask your child what they want to be when they’re older

Of course, you’re not looking for your seven-year-old child to pick a career they’re going to stick with, but you can show them that you’ll support their goals. Encourage whatever their dreams are and put your child in touch with anyone you know in the field. Then connect that job to the need for a college degree.

3. Start your child off with challenging coursework

Studies show that if a high school student takes a single college-level course, their chances of going to and completing college go up.

4. Show them learning can be fun

The biggest obstacle you have is not letting your child think that learning is boring, too hard, or something that’s not necessary. At CodeREV Kids, we offer technology classes that are fun, useful, and will foster a love of learning in your kid.

5. Visit colleges when you’re traveling

The next time you go on a family trip, take a few hours to tour the local university or college. Talk to your child about the programs available at that school and whether or not it would offer the type of programs they need.

These are just a few ideas to help improve the chances that your child goes to college. All parents want their children to succeed and college can make that more likely in a wide range of fields. Reach out to the instructors at CodeREV Kids if you need more ideas on incorporating tech into your child’s learning program.

Education

4 Tips to Improve Your Child’s Test Taking Skills

Is your child struggling with tests? While helping them to learn the material on the test itself is an important part of test prep, don’t forget to actually teach them how to take tests. CodeREV Kids is here with four tips that can help boost your child’s test taking skills.

1. Don’t wait until the last minute

This may seem like obvious advice, but remember that your child will do best if they don’t cram in the days before the test. Study after study has shown that spacing out study sessions is much more effective than a single, long study session. To teach your child to do this, encourage them to group topics into different sessions, show them how to take on smaller chunks of material, and make sure they’re covering each topic more than once.

2. Practice several test formats

Just ensuring that your student knows the material on the test won’t help if they don’t understand the format of the test. Teach your child strategies to eliminate wrong answers on multiple choice tests, have them practice essay questions, and practice allotting time so that your student doesn’t spend half their test-taking time on a single question.

3. Encourage the right attitude

Do you want your child to do well on their test? Of course you do. But this single test isn’t going to make or break their entire future. Make sure that they understand that preparing is what sets them up for future success. Studying, like learning to code, builds a child’s confidence – which improves all sorts of school performance factors. A child who’s too confident is likely to rush through a test, while a student who is under too pressure may have trouble focusing. Help your child understand a middle ground.

4. Remember that overall health will have an impact

Of course you want your child to be rested every day they go to school, and you recognize that a good breakfast is important, but it’s even more important on test days. If your child has the option of sleeping for an extra half hour or studying for that same time, remember that sleeping is going to be better for them.

At CodeREV Kids, we know how important studying is to a child’s future. We also know that our coding programs help children improve their critical thinking and problem solving skills – both of which can help them do better on tests. Reach out to us today to learn more about our numerous programs.

Education

How to Take Your Good Student and Turn Them Into a Great One

Your child is a good student and that’s something to be proud of. But if you’re likely many parents of good students, you’d likely prefer that they were a great student. There are actually several steps you can take to encourage your child to excel even further. At CodeREV Kids, we’ve here to offer some simple tips.

Make sure your expectations are clear

In many cases, parents work so hard to praise their children for what they’re doing – as they should! – that their child doesn’t even realize that there are other things they could do to excel even further. Take this example: A student gets rewarded for getting a B. Are they going to push even harder to get As if they already know you’re proud of their Bs?

This certainly doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be supportive, but it does mean that you can push them by letting them know that you believe in their ability to do even better. Stick to talking about their potential – not just their grades.

Find the right motivations for your child

Just making a small change in your child’s study habits can make a big difference. Take this as an example: Let’s say that you’ve always required your kid to finish their homework as soon as they get home from school. Instead, try letting them watch a TV show first. This may encourage them to focus more on their books because they won’t be rushing through to get to that TV show. Try different things to see what works best for your child.

Don’t get stuck in a rut

Your child’s life shouldn’t be all about school and homework. Yes, you want them to excel, but you should work to allow them to have passions outside of school. Certain extracurricular activities can benefit your child overall, like sports and music, while other extracurriculars, like learning to code, can actually prepare your child for the future.

At CodeREV Kids, we do think that every child has potential and that a child’s parents and instructors should encourage each child to reach their full potential. That said, remember that the journey should be fun. Make sure that you’re not focusing so much on grades or scholastic performance that you forget to give your child time to just be a kid. Once again, CodeREV Kids has options that are both educational and a lot of fun for your kid.

Education

Does Memorization Help Kids in the Long Run?

At CodeREV Kids, we believe that the best way for kids to really learn STEM skills is to get involved. We offer a wide range of hands-on coding classes that can help your kid to learn to code from a young age. That said, there are some fields where memorization still has a place.

Memorization can help improve a child’s language skills

When you think about memorization, do you think about kids simply memorizing important facts and then forgetting them as soon as they’re done remembering those facts for a test? That may not be useful memorization, but remember that there are other types. For example, you likely know the lyrics to more than one song by heart. That’s memorization!

Whether kids memorize poems, lyrics, passages from books, or something else entirely, they’ll become more familiar with the rhythm, vocabulary, and cadences in the English language. This is why kids are so fascinated by Dr. Seuss’s books – they are written with lovely tempos and upbeat sounds.

Do your kids need to build organization skills? Memorization may help

When a child memorizes something, they are doing several things they’re not even aware of – including breaking down a big task into smaller tasks that are much easier to complete. For example, consider when you memorize a song without meaning to. You don’t memorize it in its entirety the first time you hear it.

What’s more likely is that you hear it a few times, memorize the chorus, and as you hear it more and more, you start to fill in the rest of the song. This is all done without you even knowing it! Your brain is organizing the song into parts and automatically knows that the best bet is to memorize the part that’s heard over and over again – the chorus.

Memorization works with other skills

If there’s one thing we’ve learned over the years at CodeREV Kids, it’s that when kids learn one skill, it helps them with others. As they learn how to memorize, they’re also learning visualization skills, they’re learning how to rhyme, they’re building association skills, they’re learning about repetition, and they’re using reviewing skills.

Each of these skills will help them in the future as they learn other subjects, whether language or math related. Kids don’t have to start off memorizing an entire book. Just start with a fun quote and move on from there.

Education

A Blast from the Past: Learn Why Dictation is Making a Comeback

Whether you refer to it as a game or as a learning activity, dictation may be old school but it’s still a great way to find out how your child is doing with their language art skills. It’s very simple: Just read out a sentence or two and have your kid write it down, word for word. They may choose to physically write it out or they can use a keyboard. What you’re looking for is skill-level in language so the medium doesn’t matter. In addition to showing you where their skill level is, dictation can help kids in a number of ways.

Dictation can help increase your child’s listening skills

If your child has trouble listening, try this: Read a sentence while they sit and listen. Read it again and have them write it down while you’re speaking. Then read it a third time while they check their work. Once they’re done, move on to the next one. This teaches them to listen without even realizing what they’re doing.

Find out what common mistakes they’re making

If you’re relying solely on what you hear when your children talk, then you’re not up to date on their language skills. For example, do they know the difference between their, they’re, and there? Do they know when to use it’s and when to use its? What about two, too, to, or you’re and your? These can be confusing but if you don’t see them write them down, you’ll never know if they’re really perfected them.

Teach them to focus five minutes at a time

A common complaint of parents is that their kids have trouble concentrating. At CodeREV Kids, we recommend your child comes to us and learns how to code. They’ll figure out how to focus very quickly and will love doing it!

Another option is to teach dictation five minutes a day. They may not have the focus to do it for twenty minutes at a time, but if you tell your kid you’re going to dictate five sentences, they can likely focus. As time goes on and they learn to look forward to this challenging activity, add a few sentences to the game. Just make sure they’re still having fun and be sure to check their work every time.

Education

Simple Ways You Can Prepare Your Child to Start a New School

Starting a new school can be an extremely stressful situation for a child – and it can be just as hard for parents to feel powerless to help them. At CodeREV Kids, we know that most kids will eventually transition into a new school just fine, but we’ve found some direct actions you can take that will help them along the way.

Get your child as much first-hand knowledge as possible

Much of the anxiety that comes along with starting a new school is the fear of the unknown. The more information you can give them, the better – and if you can do it in person, that’s ideal. Ask the school if you can tour it with your child. See if you can visit the classroom before or after school before the official start date. Find out if your child can meet with the teacher. Something as simple as playing on the playground can make a child feel more comfortable. When they can picture their new school, they may feel less worried.

Find ways to find friends

Of course, many kids are most afraid that they won’t find new friends at their new school. As a parent, there’s a lot you can do about this too. For example, ask the school if there are any parents willing to arrange a play date. You can also sign them up for extracurricular activities, such as coding classes. Even if the new friends they make don’t go to the same school, it will boost your child’s confidence that they’re capable of making new friends.

Buy them some cool new school supplies

Head out to your local school supply store with a list in your hand and let your child pick out the colors and styles they want. Let them pick out some cool new pens and pencils, allow them their choice of notebooks. As you’re purchasing these items, talk about the types of things they’ll use these new tools to learn. And of course, don’t forget to buy them some cool clothes for their first day of school!

Most kids starting a new school would be anxious. As a parent, you likely can’t prevent this altogether but you can help ease their minds. Keep them involved in classroom activities even if you move during a break from school and before long they’ll have play dates all over town.

Education

How to Reinforce What Your Child Learns in a Coding Class

At CodeREV Kids, it’s been our experience that most parents want to be involved in their child’s education and extracurricular activities but they often struggle when it comes to coding for one simple reason: Many parents don’t know how to code themselves. While it would likely be worth your while to learn to do so, we understand that not every parent has the interest or time to do that. That’s why we’ve provided several ways you can help reinforce what your child has learned in their coding class.

Check up with them regularly

The easiest way to ensure that your kids are progressing is to ask them. You may not understand everything that goes on in their coding classes, but that doesn’t mean you can’t ask how they’re going. If they’re having trouble, talk them through it – and then talk to us so we can adjust their coding plan accordingly.

Keep in touch with us

Our goals are simple: To educate and inspire your child. If we’re not doing so, we want to know about it. Likewise, if you want to know how your kid is doing, just reach out to us. We’re happy to provide progress reports and to give you tips on specific ways your child may need help at home.

Have rewards and consequences

We set up our classes so that they are a reward in themselves. That said, your child may come up against something that’s particularly challenging and they may have the urge to quit instead of working through it. These are the points at which it’s important to have a simple reward for their continuing progress, such as extra time on our Minecraft server, and a simple consequence if they skip classes, don’t prepare appropriately, etc.

Encourage them to make friends in their classes

We work hard to ensure that your kids are having fun in our coding classes but of course they’re going to have a better time if they make a buddy or two. Encourage them to hang out with their new coding friends outside of class. Be willing to drive across town to facilitate a play date. The more they look forward to going to class, the better they’re likely to do.

Do you have questions about the way our classes work or how your child could benefit from them? We welcome your feedback and are always happy to answer your questions. Reach out today!

 

Education

Self-Learning Vs Guidance: Which is Best for Your Child?

At CodeREV Kids, we work tirelessly to stay up to date on the latest information on the science behind how children learn. In some circles, there’s quite a bit of debate about which is better – letting a child learn on their own or guiding their learning process. We actually believe that neither is. Instead, a combined approach is most likely to work in the long term.

Consider this example

One of the best ways we can make this point is by giving you an example. Imagine that a child who’s never played golf is handed a golf club. They’re then told to spend half an hour practicing their swing. Once the half hour is over, a professional comes over and tells them what they’ve been doing wrong. It may be great that they eventually got guidance, but you must also consider that they’ve just spent thirty minutes teaching themselves the wrong way to swing a club.

There are limitations to self-learning

At CodeREV Kids, we believe the right way to handle this issue is by finding a balance. That’s why we offer coding classes that have plenty of instruction, but also give kids a chance to explore on their own. Our teachers are there not just to tell children what to do, but to inspire and challenge them. Your child will learn exactly how coding is done and will do it themselves.

Balance is easier in small groups

One of the reasons we’re able to find a balance that works for our kids is that we don’t have huge classes. With a small class size, we can instruct on the basics, go through an example together, and then give kids free reign to practice on their own. When they encounter a problem, they can let us know right away. In some cases we’ll give them instructions on how to get past their obstacle, while in other situations we’ll encourage them to learn the right way through trial and error.

There is no one-size-fits-all coding class

In addition to offer small class sizes, we also offer an alternative schedule of classes that works at your child’s pace. Whether your child takes a little longer to grasp concepts, or they race right through them, these classes give them the opportunity to find the right pace. At CodeREV Kids, we believe strongly that teaching kids to code is teaching them to be ready for their future.

Education

4 Reasons Coding Will Pay Off for Your Kids

There’s no question that kids today are busier than ever and it can be difficult to fit it all in. However, there’s one thing that we at CodeREV Kids think every parent needs to make time for: Kids learning to code. It’s not because we think every child should be a programmer when they grow up, but because technology is rapidly changing the world we live in and learning to code better prepares our kids for that. Here are four reasons that coding is likely to pay off for your kids.

1. They’ll be ready for the technology of the future

Today, our world is becoming more and more reliant on technology. This is only going to increase as time goes on. From hardware to code to programs, we are a society that’s very reliant on technology. No matter what career path your child eventually choses, there’s a good chance it will be affected in some way by technology and learning to code can help prepare them for it.

2. Coding teaches kids to be makers

When kids learn how to code, they’re empowered. They gain confidence, they learn to be innovative, and they take on skills likely leadership and ingenuity. Coding is all about finding new solutions and teaching new concepts. If you want your child to be creative and to be able to solve problems than teaching them to code is a great way to get there.

3. Kids gain important logic and critical thinking skills

There are so many skills a kid learn when they learn to code. They discover how to solve problems on their own, the best way to tell a story, how to communicate effectively with others and with an audience, how to think methodically and creatively. In fact, learning to guide while also building a video game can be extra powerful because they’ll need to use both technical and artistic skills.

4. Kids love to code!

Most importantly, kids have a great time learning to code. They get to meet new friends, they’re motivated, and they learn a genuine desire to be creative in their world. At CodeREV Kids we’re so glad that kids gain valuable skills but the fact that our students have a great time is enough of a reason for us to show up to work every day.

Education

Making the Most of Winter Break: Check-In Tips for Parents

Most California schools are halfway through the school year and that means it’s time to consider what your child has accomplished this year and what they have left to do. At CodeREV Kids, we encourage parents to talk over the following check-in topics with their kids. Winter break is the perfect time to get caught up – or get out and learn some new skills.

Do they understand backward mapping?

Many adults don’t fully understand backward mapping so it’s no surprise that their kids don’t either. Essentially, backward mapping is looking at the due date for something and then setting dates for progress. For example, if a project is due on the 30th of a month, backward mapping might include setting the 5th as the due date for an outline, with a draft by the 15th and a second draft by the 25th.

Let your kids tell you when things are due

When you check-in with your kids, don’t sit down and go over everything that they should have done or should be doing. Instead, get them to tell you. Ask them to go over milestones that are coming up. This might be challenging at first but it’s important for them to learn these skills. Don’t interrupt them or correct, give them time to find the right answer on their own.

Talk about progress daily

As a parent you do want to be actively involved in your child’s academic success but you also don’t want to do everything for them. This can be a difficult balance to achieve. One way you can do so is by encouraging progress and asking them every day how they’re coming on their projects.

Remember they likely have more than one project

Backward mapping is very important but don’t stop after you’ve had them do it on a single project. The reality is that, depending on their school and their age, they likely have a number of projects. Encourage them to map them one at a time so they won’t get overwhelmed.

Give them breaks and appreciate the results

It’s hard to stay on task and it’s even harder for kids. Don’t expect them to sit down and study for four hours without a break. Encourage them to build in break time. They might take a walk around the neighborhood, get a healthy snack, or even get on their devices for a few minutes. Once their break time is up, it’s back to work. And of course, encourage them with fun rewards like Minecraft classes.