Thoughts on Kumon please.

[MAK]

I'd love to hear other people's personal experiences on the Maths & English Kumon programme please.

My eldest has been doing Kumon for almost 6 years. I've spent over ?8000 on both the English and Maths programme. My 2nd child is also doing Kumon now.

The problems I face with the Kumon method is that it:

- is really repetitive

- it is boring and monotonous

- if you don't complete the sheets in 10 mins you have to re-do all the sheets

- it is really expensive at ?120 per month

- very time consuming eg we spent 2.5 hours on it daily!

- it doesn't follow the national curriculum at all

- it requires patience, patience and more patience esp' when kids hate doing it

- it requires parental guidance

- parents have to mark all the sheets themselves

- I still have to pay for additional private tutoring!

- I've never ever seen my children smile while doing Kumon

- even the face on the Kumon logo is looking gloomy and depressed!

My eldest had a private 11+ assessment and the feedback shocked me. They're no where near prepared for sitting the 11+ exams. This is what has upset me. I've spent so many hours and so much money investing in Kumon and it all feels like a complete waste.

I am seriously thinking to leave the programme. I've spoken to the instructors but naturally they have to sell their business. I'd really love to hear other people's personal experiences please?

[ontheedge]

Can't understand why you've stuck with it for 6 years

[bawdy-nan]

Why not just stick with school? I'm pretty sure they'll be learning what they need already (unless they're really struggling and need extra support, but that's likely to be given in school anyway). Why not just give up on it and have a more relaxed (fun?) time with your children. It's a cliche, but they grow up so quickly and as they progress through school the pressure to perform only intensifies. If you want to do "improving" things with them there's a good deal to be said for talking to them and getting them to talk about and develop their ideas.

[mybaby178]

Hi I did Kumon with my eldest for about 1 year, it is great for mental maths skills but no so much for word problems or tying into what they are learning at school. My child has an excellent recall of all timetables. division and is very fast in her mental maths test and alot of this is down to Kumon. We stopped when it got onto a topic that she was not going to cover in school for at least another 2 years and didnt see the point in her doing it.

Without sounding harsh if your child needs Kumon and extra tuition and is still not at the level that they should be for the 11 plus you might just have to accept that this isn't the right path for them. If they need all this extra help just to get them into a school - what will happen once they are in and can't keep up with those children that are naturally able to cope and who haven't been heavily tutored.

[MAK]

bawdy-nan Wrote:

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> Why not just stick with school? I'm pretty sure

> they'll be learning what they need already (unless

> they're really struggling and need extra support,

> but that's likely to be given in school anyway).

> Why not just give up on it and have a more relaxed

> (fun?) time with your children. It's a cliche, but

> they grow up so quickly and as they progress

> through school the pressure to perform only

> intensifies. If you want to do "improving" things

> with them there's a good deal to be said for

> talking to them and getting them to talk about and

> develop their ideas.

Yes, eldest was struggling a lot at school and needed extra support. Thanks for your great advice. :)

[MAK]

mybaby178 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Hi I did Kumon with my eldest for about 1 year, it

> is great for mental maths skills but no so much

> for word problems or tying into what they are

> learning at school. My child has an excellent

> recall of all timetables. division and is very

> fast in her mental maths test and alot of this is

> down to Kumon. We stopped when it got onto a topic

> that she was not going to cover in school for at

> least another 2 years and didnt see the point in

> her doing it.

>

> Without sounding harsh if your child needs Kumon

> and extra tuition and is still not at the level

> that they should be for the 11 plus you might just

> have to accept that this isn't the right path for

> them. If they need all this extra help just to

> get them into a school - what will happen once

> they are in and can't keep up with those children

> that are naturally able to cope and who haven't

> been heavily tutored.

Thank you so much for the invaluable advice and it's great to hear another parent's personal experience with the Kumon programme.

[Goodliz]

My eldest did Kumon English when he was in year 1 and 2 as he had been put forward for literacy interventions at school so we thought we had better do some extra at home to help him catch up.

It really did help to close the gap with his literacy but once we felt he had caught up we stopped it. This was also for a number of other reasons:

Money.

It was a bit of a battle to get him to do it every day.

I felt mean making him do it every day.

Whether it was the Kumon that helped close the gap or just development and teaching at school I don't know (and will never know) - but I do think it was worth it for that period of time as it gave us a structure for helping him at home.

All that is years ago now as he has just started year 7 and is at secondary school. I found the Bonds books good for extra stuff to do at home if it was needed.

[Growlybear]

My daughter did Kumon maths for about five years and I thought it was a really excellent system. She started when she was 7 because she was so bored with the maths she was being taught towards the end of the Infants and wasn't being stimulated or stretched at all. She complained continually about the maths at school and asked if I could find somewhere else where she could do some more challenging work, so it was entirely her choice to start Kumon.

We found that Kumon was brilliant at reinforcing the basic maths functions, and gave her the building blocks to really make progress. I was shocked initially at the very low starting level after her initial Kumon assessment, but the tutor explained that they took children back to a level where the answers to questions were virtually automatic. She moved through the levels very quickly, and for most of the time, really enjoyed it. We decided from the outset that if we were going to pay for my daughter to do Kumon, we would commit to doing it seriously, and there was never a single day when she didn't do the worksheets she had been given, even on holiday. My daughter was stimulated with her maths work throughout her time with Kumon, and was doing quadratic equations by the time she was 9, and some GCSE level work when she left primary school. She only stopped Kumon because she had a long journey to and from secondary school, and it was difficult to get to the classes when she got home from school. She went on to get an A* at GCSE and an A at A Level in maths, and I've always put this down largely to Kumon. I've also always been convinced that Kumon helped her with secondary school entrance exams, and she was offered places at every school she applied to, with maximum scholarships at two public schools.

I do think the individual tutor makes a huge difference, and my daughter really got on well with the staff at her Kumon centre.

[Pugwash]

My grand daughter did Kumon Maths in Orpington whilst she was in primary school - did it for about a year. Benefited a lot from it and her maths at school improved, This improvement continued in secondary school and she was placed in 'exceptionally bright' stream at secondary school for maths, which she put down to the Kumon teaching.

[MAK]

Goodliz Wrote:

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> My eldest did Kumon English when he was in year 1

> and 2 as he had been put forward for literacy

> interventions at school so we thought we had

> better do some extra at home to help him catch up.

>

> It really did help to close the gap with his

> literacy but once we felt he had caught up we

> stopped it. This was also for a number of other

> reasons:

> Money.

> It was a bit of a battle to get him to do it every

> day.

> I felt mean making him do it every day.

>

> Whether it was the Kumon that helped close the gap

> or just development and teaching at school I don't

> know (and will never know) - but I do think it was

> worth it for that period of time as it gave us a

> structure for helping him at home.

>

> All that is years ago now as he has just started

> year 7 and is at secondary school. I found the

> Bonds books good for extra stuff to do at home if

> it was needed.

I too feel so mean making my children do it as they find it so repetitive and boring. I want their learning experience to be fun. Will look into getting those Bond books.

Thank you for sharing your experience and the suggestions. :)

[MAK]

Growlybear - Wow...well done to your daughter for getting an A* in Maths. Amazing achievement.

Pugwash - Great to hear Kumon helped her in the long-run.

Thank you both for your replies.

[Pugwash]

Granddaughter also got an A in her GCSEs and is now doing AS level in Physics having also got an A in this subject

[Jellybeanz]

My 6 yr old does the maths and has done since he was 4. I had same doubts but it's been great for discipline and solo working. I found booklets were too long so they've halved them and it's far easier to fit in daily now. I considered cancelling but a colleague of mine told me she did Kumon and private tuition and found the Kumon had helped, particularly in maths, as it made her do the work, whereas the tutor was a bit of an easy ride.

My son has def benefited albeit I find it a chore!!