16 Apr Maintaining Engagement on NumBots

Posted at 10:41h in Teaching by

We were recently asked, “How do we keep our students engaged on NumBots long-term?” It’s a great question, and one we hear often! So, we thought we’d pop our top tips into a blog to help you keep the momentum going in your classroom.

From making the most of Challenge Mode to introducing paired play and using Scrapheap Stories to build resilience, these strategies will keep students excited about their learning journey. Let’s dive in!

1. Encourage Challenge Mode more

  • If your children have already mastered the early levels, shifting their focus to Challenge Mode could provide variety.
  • You could run a weekly Challenge Mode leaderboard in class to encourage friendly competition – you can do this via the Certificate Hub.
  • Perhaps introduce a “Challenge of the Week” where they all attempt the same challenge and discuss strategies.

2. Use Scrapheap Stories for motivation

  • Play a growth mindset audio stories that emphasises perseverance and learning from mistakes.
  • Have a class discussion about times they found something hard and how they overcame it.
  • Maybe introduce a class reward system where persistence earns small incentives (e.g stickers, badges, praise).

3. Introduce small group or paired play to enhance collaboration

  • Pair up students who are at similar stages and let them work together to discuss strategies.
  • Have a “NumBots Buddy” system where students explain concepts to each other, reinforcing learning. Check out our collaboration case study here.

4. Customise their progression using Story Controls

  • If certain levels are too hard, temporarily turn off those skills via Story Controls and allow them to consolidate before reintroducing them later.
  • Be mindful that when skills are reactivated, they may be bounced back to earlier levels covering those skills.

5. Introduce ‘NumBots Exploration Time’

  • Allow students to freely explore different parts of NumBots during a designated session without pressure to advance.
  • Encourage them to find their favourite levels, challenge friends to create the wackiest robot in their custom shack, or set their own learning goals.

6. Celebrate small wins & personal bests

  • Beyond certificates, download personalised achievement resources where students track their own progress and personal bests. You can download our NumBots Stage Colouring sheets here.
  • Focus on effort and persistence rather than just progression.
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