Kumon - Discussion

[vividlaurel]

Thanks foreverj. I know the P1 will bring other problems, esp for word problems. But hopefull the foundation will be strong and so they should be able to cope with it.

foreverj:

hi vividlaurel

better late than never! its great that u r seeing benefits of the programme b4 starting pri 1. but i think parents cannot run away from providing some guidance cos as sleepy said, the MOE syllabus is quite different. i believe she's talking about the problem sums.

[shiningstar]

vividlaurel:

Hi,


My kids (K2) started Kumon maths from Jan and have moved up almost 5 levels in that time. I find that their maths ability has improved and I have also signed them for the free trial in English and will continue that also as I feel my DD needs more coaching in the language.

In retrospect I wish I had started it earlier (when they were in K1), may have more benefits.

Hi Vividlaurel,

Wow...seems that your kids are enjoying their kumon lessons. You mentioned about wishing to start them earlier to gain more benefits...so in your point of view, what will be a suitable age to start and what can I do as a parent (besides practising on his fine motor skills) to prepare my son to be ready for the classes?


And to Foreverj,
Long time no hear!! How's your dd doing? Still coping well in Kumon? HOw much time do you need to spend doing those worksheets with her everyday? i thot it seems that the children really need to stay focus for quite a while in order to work through the worksheets...is that right?

[vividlaurel]

Hi shiningstar,


I think K1 is the best time to start. When my kids first started level 7 (the lowest I think), it was just counting dots which K1 can do. It used to take just 2-3 minutes a day which is just right for a child of 4-5.

Other than that if your child is in Nursery or K1, I would say let him enjoy life atleast till K2. After all, once they reach primary school, we kiasu parents won't let them be in peace.

shiningstar:

Hi Vividlaurel,

Wow...seems that your kids are enjoying their kumon lessons. You mentioned about wishing to start them earlier to gain more benefits...so in your point of view, what will be a suitable age to start and what can I do as a parent (besides practising on his fine motor skills) to prepare my son to be ready for the classes?

[foreverj]

shiningstar:

And to Foreverj,
Long time no hear!! How's your dd doing? Still coping well in Kumon? HOw much time do you need to spend doing those worksheets with her everyday? i thot it seems that the children really need to stay focus for quite a while in order to work through the worksheets...is that right?

ok la, everyday is not easy making her sit down to do the worksheets, mainly becos its so boring. already told the instructor to reduce the 20 pg (10 pieces) down to 10 pg (5 pcs) and she stil will wonder around, dance, do something, everything but her hw :stupid: so end up can take 15 to 20 min! and she'll complain abt her hands tired etc etc. to a certain extent, i agree becos she needs to control her hands to write the numbers properly. but she could finish those colour, circle, cross out kind of exercises with ease. so make me wonder sometimes whether really true?

i see how long we can persevere for this. hopefully once we get thru the numbers thru 220, it wil get better and more interesting?

[apple79]

Hi,


I am just wondering if the child will suffer a burnt out from doing so much worksheets.

[vividlaurel]

I guess it depends on the child as well as the level he is in. The initial sheets my kids got could be finished in less than 5 mins and so they were fine with it. Now it takes upto 15 mins to do them, but in my case (K2 kids), I consider this as preparation for P1 where they will have much more.

apple79:

Hi,

I am just wondering if the child will suffer a burnt out from doing so much worksheets.

[foreverj]

apple79:

Hi,


I am just wondering if the child will suffer a burnt out from doing so much worksheets.

hi apple 79, that's y the instructor needs the input of the parents who is coaching the child. if we sense its too much for the child, we adjust the number accordingly so that the child continues to progress, albeit at a slower pace. at this young age, we really are not preparing for any exam, so just move at a pace that the child can take. in that sense, less stress compared to when the child has to struggle with exams in primary school.

[sleepy]

apple79:

Hi,


I am just wondering if the child will suffer a burnt out from doing so much worksheets.

Yes, mine got burnt out frequently. I can tell from her resistance & slowness when doing worksheets

There was once I had to stop her lessons completely for months to give her time to 'recuperate'. Only when she asked to return to Kumon that I allowed her to resume her lessons

sleepy:

Must strike a balance somewhere. I told teacher to assign 3-5 pages a day only, 10 pages a day is mission impossible for her

To quote myself
3 to 5 pages workload is just about right for my girl. She can't handle too many pages

[foreverj]

haha sleepy, i always face resistance from my dd everytime i take out the kumon wksheets lol. so use all sorts of methods to help her get thru it. even if take 20 min to half hour also never mind. just take it as an activity lor. perhaps focusing on the learning attitude and the fine motor skills more impt at this stage for my dd rather than the speed at which she can finish. :roll:

[apple79]

Thanks for all the tips.