Tag Archives: education tips

Skills

Have You Made New Years’ Resolutions with Your Kids?

You may think that since we’re already a few weeks into January, it’s too late to make a New Year’s resolution with your kids. Or you may think that resolutions aren’t really that helpful. At CodeREV Kids, we think it’s never too late and we think there’s nothing wrong with setting a few goals. Here are some tips we have to help you create resolutions that work.

Set resolutions for both school and home

It’s understandable that parents want to pair up home and school but the truth is that the work done at either one is different and should be rewarded differently. Children should have a resolution to get their daily chores completed but also to do well over an entire semester. The goals necessary to reach these very different objectives aren’t identical, so don’t choose a single resolution to cover both of them.

Create resolutions for extracurricular activities

Extracurricular activities are fun and kids don’t need to set goals with them, right? Well, you’re partially right. What we’ve found is that any kid who wants to sign up for our coding classes can increase their self-esteem, their problem-solving skills, and their overall STEM skills. However, if you set goals these results can be even more significant. For example, consider setting goals to get your kid from our simple Minecraft server to our modded server.

A great goal for every child: Learn how to ask for help when you need it

Resolutions and goals can help kids learn how to problem solve. They can teach them how to take a big goal and break it down into smaller, more easily completed goals. However, if you’re not careful, you may end up trying so hard to show your kid they can do it all on their own that you discourage them from asking for help.

You do want your children to be self-sufficient and to work to solve problems on their own. However, once they hit a wall, you want them to feel comfortable asking for help. One great resolution is to have your kids identify situations in which they may need to ask for help. Whether they need a math tutor, assistance with chores around the house, or have a problem with friends that they need support with, teaching your kids how to ask for help is a great lesson.

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.

Education

Simple Tips to Help Your Kids Learn from their Mistakes

Everyone makes mistakes. It’s those who are capable of standing up afterwards and moving on that are truly successful in life. Helping your kids learn from their mistakes is a great way to help prepare them for the real world. However, at CodeREV Kids we know it can be difficult to do so. That’s why we’re here to provide you with some simple tips that will help you prevent your kids from being paralyzed by their mistakes and installed will help the move on and grow from them.

Help your child recognize what went wrong

The truth is that 9 out of 10 times, your child knows exactly what they did wrong. For example, if they got a bad grade on their report card, then they likely know that it’s because they didn’t do well on a particular test and they know they didn’t do well because they didn’t study as much as they should.

However, kids don’t always make these connections. That’s why your first reaction after your kid makes a mistake should be to ask them what went wrong. After you’ve established what the problem is, then you can find ways to move on from it.

Set goals and offer rewards

Once you’ve come up with the problem together, you can brainstorm the solutions together. For example, it may involve studying more, doing extra work, asking friends for their notes, or getting to school a little early and talking to the teacher. Let your child come up with some ideas on what they could do differently next time and then pick one or two and set them as goals.

You’ll also want to offer a reward if your child meets their goal. Some parents balk at this part and believe that simply doing well should be reward enough. The truth is that this is an important point in their lives and you want to help increase the chances that they’ll have positive associations with working hard.

Get them extra help if they need it

It’s important to teach your child to learn from their mistakes but it’s also important to teach them that it’s okay to ask for help when they need it. For example, if they’re having trouble understanding math or science, then you may enroll them in coding classes that give them hands-on, relevant exercises to learn the basics inside and out. Reach out to CodeREV Kids for more information on the options we offer.