When to use ACTIVATE™: Strengthening your cognitive skills is like going to the gym—you can’t expect to see improvement if you don’t go regularly and work hard while you’re there. Students should use ACTIVATE™ about 3 sessions per week, 20 minutes per session, for at least 12 weeks in order to see real improvement in their executive function skills. You can use ACTIVATE™ on a computer, Chromebook, tablet, or smartphone, and you can use it any time that is convenient for you and your students. That could be in the evening while you’re making dinner, in the car on the way to sports practice, or on the weekend when your student is bored and looking for something to do.
How to play: Start by having your student put on headphones, which will help them focus and hear the audio instructions. You’ll also want them to use the touchscreen or a mouse so they can react more quickly to the games. Every time your student logs on, they will have several games to choose from. They just pick one and the program starts automatically. The game will run for 5 minutes and then they will come back to the main page to choose their next game. If there is a game they consistently skip because it is hard or they don’t like it, there may be times when that is the only one they can choose. Encourage them to try their best and get through it so they can get back to their favorite choices. Once they’ve completed 4 games, your student can go to the store and trade in their points to decorate their screen. They can trade their points in right away or save up for some of the bigger animated and personalized decorations, like fireworks or aliens. See the videos below for more detail about each of the different games.
What are these tests? ACTIVATE™ has built-in tests to check your student’s skill level in attention, self-control, working memory, and risk-taking. The tests will show up automatically the 3rd and 4th time your student logs into the program. The tests show up just like the regular ACTIVATE™ games and run for 10 minutes each. Your student will have up to two tries to complete each test. The tests will repeat again every 600 minutes to see how your student’s skill levels are changing. Remind your student to focus on these tests and try their best! Click here to learn more about ACTIVATE™ tests!
How to keep your student motivated: The ACTIVATE™ games are designed to be challenging, and your student might get frustrated when they hit a difficult level. Remind them they can do anything for 5 minutes, no matter how hard it is! The ACTIVATE™ team has prizes you and your student can earn for hitting minute milestones or playing certain games. Be on the lookout for more information from the BrainFutures team! Your student’s school may also award points, recognize students on the announcements, or have other incentives that your student can work toward in ACTIVATE™.
Game specifics: To learn more about each of the games and how they change as the difficulty level increases, look at the videos below.
ACTIVATE™ physical activities: In addition to the computer games, ACTIVATE™ has a series of physical activities that can help students build their executive function skills. These activities can be done indoors or outdoors, with groups large or small, and with minimal equipment. Choose a physical activity to try out with your student 2-3 times per week to boost their skill development! Click here to learn more about ACTIVATE™ physical activities!
Is there anything else I can do to help my student build their executive function? Yes! Follow BrainFutures for tips and resources and be on the lookout for upcoming webinars or events through BrainFutures and your school!
Click here to learn more about the research behind ACTIVATE™
If you have problems using ACTIVATE™ or questions about the program, please email activatehelp@brainfutures.org.
Supported by the Maryland Community Health Resources Commission and Maryland Consortium on Coordinated Community Supports. The views presented here are those of the grantee organization and not necessarily those of the Commission or Consortium.
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