There are many options for kids learning to code, Breakout Mentors is the most personalized and designed for long-term growth. Discover how your son or daughter will advance through consistent challenges from an impressive college instructor.
Each student is carefully matched with an exciting mentor who will customize the project-based learning. Our curriculum, constantly improved since 2011, is the perfect blend of structure and open-ended projects for independence and grit.
Hold a 90 minute session with the same mentor each week, fit conveniently into your schedule. Students keep advancing year-round at the perfect pace and are proud of the fun games and projects they create.
Hear From a Student
Menlo Park Kids Learning to Code
In Menlo Park there are currently 4 kids working one-on-one with an exciting Stanford University mentor. Overall we have 115 students across the Bay Area, including many for multiple years — there is truly no limit to how far students can go!
The weekly session time and location will fit conveniently into your schedule, taken into account when pairing your son or daughter with the perfect mentor. The majority of sessions are held online, but you can also travel to the college campus for an empowering learning experience. In-home may be available for an extra-charge.
Beginner Kids Coding
The first kids coding experience is pivotal as beginners will quickly decide if they are interested in continuing. They need to be challenged at the perfect pace, with the support necessary to overcome challenges. It requires structure to learn the fundamentals, but enough flexibility to have fun bringing their own creative ideas to life.
Most Breakout Mentors 8 to 11 year-old beginners start with the drag-and-drop coding language Scratch. Kids are able to make fun games right away while mastering the fundamentals. Many older kids are interested in immediately jumping into a language with typed code, like Python or Java. We start with a series of small projects to establish the basics. Students quickly progress to making games like Pong, Breakout, and Space Invaders with their own creative features.
Regardless of the programming language, Breakout Mentors goes beyond tutoring – our mentors constantly adjust the difficulty to be just right. Kids are able to advance at their own pace, always challenged and having fun.
What parents say…
We just passed our second anniversary with Breakout Mentors. Our 12-year-old son has had two mentors and they’ve both been terrific: enthusiastic, knowledgeable, professional, and patient. They’ve been great about building a curriculum on the fly around his interests and keeping him engaged and learning. Highly recommended.
Father of 7th grade boy in Palo Alto
Learning to code helps my son satisfy his curiosity in a way that is creative and fun. The mentor has a collaborative teaching style, giving my son plenty of choice about what project to tackle, and then guiding him through the steps. He answers my son’s questions, and checks in frequently to make sure he understands. With the one-on-one format, the mentor can introduce new concepts at a pace that keeps my son challenged and engaged. At the end of each session, my son is always so excited to show me what he has achieved. A happy kid that is learning, creating, and building confidence – it doesn’t get any better!
My daughter has always loved her computer class at school – I just don’t think she truly understood what beginner programming was all about. The mentor has done a fantastic job of breaking down any barriers to learning for her. Computer programming is a fun, creative, artistic outlet for her and she obviously feels very comfortable working with her mentor.
What students say…
