With over 4 million students in more than 50 countries and regions worldwide, you have to be living under a rock to not have heard of Kumon. The Kumon method of learning has proven to be effective in advancing children’s capabilities in the world of Mathematics and Reading, but it is much more than just that. Born out of the love of a parent for his child, Kumon has many valuable lessons for your child – a passion for learning first among them. Kumon reviews often focus on maths and reading, but here, we’ll share with you how Kumon goes far beyond the subject matter.
The Beginning: A Father and Son
The story of Kumon began with its founder, Toru Kumon and his son who was having a difficult time in math during Year 2 in elementary. When first developing the Kumon method, Toru Kumon prepared worksheets for his son to help him in school. Toru Kumon knew that the problems many high school students had in math stemmed from their trouble in basic calculations. To address the problem, he designed the worksheets in a way that would foster a mindset for self-learning.
The result? His son was able to reach integral and differential calculus when he was just in the sixth grade. Looking at how this method had helped his son, Toru Kumon then offered the same learning opportunity to the neighbouring children. There was no looking back after that. The Kumon method has now become the world’s largest after-school learning programme. But despite its tremendous growth, passion for learning is still at its heart.
Life Lessons Your Child Can Learn from Kumon
It’s a little-known fact that the Kumon learning method is not limited to just mathematics and languages. Just check any Kumon reviews online and the focus is often on the subject matter. But along the way, children pick up many more lessons that will be invaluable in their lives. Here are some of the few:
1. Passion for Learning
To excel at anything, it is most important to learn to enjoy what you’re doing. At Kumon, the starting point of your child’s journey is not determined by his age, but rather by his abilities.
To see this in action, you’ll notice that students are placed at a level where they can easily obtain a perfect score of 100. This is to boost their confidence and make learning a delightful experience for them rather than a chore.
2. Reading Ability
The ability to read is a key skill that affects all aspects of a child’s development. Reading is a great way to build your child’s communication skills. It helps improve his vocabulary and aids him in articulating his sentiments better. Kumon’s reading programme equips students with an advanced reading ability through different categories.
3. Self-Motivation and Independence
At the Kumon centre, instructors are not there to “instruct” kids, but to guide them. They observe students when studying new content or when reviewing previous lessons. Through the process, they show examples of previous work to help the student find a solution on their own. Kumon teaches kids to believe in their capabilities and solve problems by their own merit.
4. Building Confidence
Has anyone ever thrown a math problem at you randomly and you were too embarrassed to answer? Perhaps you knew the answer but thought you couldn’t say it out loud as you were put on the spot. This confidence problem is addressed by Kumon. Through the Kumon method of learning, Kumon ensures that children are confident in their capabilities.
Kumon was established with the philosophy that all kids have boundless potential. Through individualised instruction, each child is able to unleash his latent potential. By helping the child discover his own capabilities, instructors increase the child’s confidence in himself.
5. Life Skills
Ever heard of the statement that success is the sum of small and repeated efforts? That is primarily what the Kumon learning method is all about. The worksheets are designed in a way that allow students to progress slowly and not jump from one level to the other. On a subconscious level, Kumon is teaching your kid to always take small steps towards their goals and ambitions.
Beyond Math and Languages, Teaching Life Skills
Kumon goes way beyond language and mathematics skills. By enrolling your child in a Kumon learning centre, you are equipping him with essential life skills that will prepare him for the future.
Kumon is priced at SGD140 per month for each subject regardless of your child’s age. A SGD40 registration fee is applicable for new students. For more information and updates on promotional pricing, please visit https://kumon.sg.