Mumsnet Talk

Hi, I am seriously considering starting my 5 year old DS in taking Kumon lessons. I am a bit worried that he will have to practise everyday but I have a friend who's DS has really improved in maths due to Kumon.
Its a bit pricey but i feel that my DS could really benefit from the lessons.

Is there anyone out there who has had good or bad experiences with Kumon?

No experience but in a similar boat so will stalk your thread with interest

We started DS1 on Kumon the month he turned 4 and I've been very pleased with his progress. His pencil control is much improved. He can now count to about 40, he recognises numbers when written down and can write all his numbers. He's now starting to recognise letters and he's starting to write them too (we're also doing phonics work with him - so this isn't all Kumon).

It takes about 15 mins a day, that's all, but understand that YOU will be the one to take responsibility for it initially. I thought it was going to be about DS1 learning the discipline to do it, but it's about you sitting him down, preferably at a regular time each day, and getting him to do it with your supervision. I'm pleased with it though and would recommend it.

So what happens when you go to a centre then - do they supervise or do you have to?

You go once a week to the centre and your child does one of the exercises with a supervising adult - at least the younger ones do. But if you call your local Kumon contact he/she will talk you through the specifics relating to your child's age and study programme.

I had a couple of years of experience of Kumon when I was a nanny and the four children that I looked after were all enrolled. I found that the children who were naturally better at maths took to it very well and flew through the levels. Be prepared for them to overtake your own ability if you are anything like me and have completely forgotten most of the maths that you have done since leaving school! Makes helping them tricky!
The children that found maths more difficult and really needed the extra help that Kumon is supposed to give them got frustrated with it quickly. They are only supposed to be spending ten minutes at a time on it (like a quick drill), which is fine at the lower levels, but as it gets more difficult for them this can become unrealistic and takes longer and frustrates them even more when they see the other kids who are better at it skip off while they are still struggling to get through it.
I would say that for kids with an aptitude for mathmatics that you want to give an extra push, then it is brilliant and you will be amazed how quickly they fly through the levels and progress to doing mathmatics that is quite advanced for their age group. If your child struggles I would think about it a bit more as it can just add more stress to homework time that may already be a battle ground.
Re supervision- at home you will of course need to make sure they sit down and do it. They are supposed to do it totally alone- again unrealistic with little ones that find it difficult. At the centre they go in and collect their booklets and sit down on their own to do the day's workload, then they take it to a supervisor to be corrected. From what I remember there are tutors there to help out any kids who need help, but I don't think this is a huge feature of the sessions. It is not like employing a tutor to come to the house for a half hour session.

You don't say why you want your child to do Kumon?

Is it because he's bad at maths?
Or lacks confidence in maths?
Or you don't trust school to teach him?
Or he likes maths?
Or because you don't want his friend to be better than him?

Kumon only teaches a tiny subset of the maths curriculum that is taught in schools.

It's very expensive for what it is - endless worksheets. You can get him to do worksheets every day for free if you want.

I cannot recommend Kumon. I did try the English version for a month with my 2 who were both behind - and it was really rubbish. There is no teaching. All it is is endless worksheets, and they start the worksheets far too easy, and after a month the worksheets were still too easy.

If you want to drill him in maths every day, then do so. But you don't need to pay Kumon for the pleasure.

Hi thanks for your info!
My DS seems to have a good grasp on numbers but he also lacks confidence and can get put off quite easily.
Kumon might help him to progress by giving him the confidence he needs. I also don't feel that there is enough time for the teachers at school to give each child what they individually need, 30 pupils in one class is too many and the teachers can only do so much.
I am a working mum and i try to do as much as I can with him but i don't want him to fall behind.....my DS being a summer baby makes it harder.
I think he is too young for a tutor ( or is he?) so I am a bit stuck.

If you think that Kumon will be getting something tailored to your son, I would think again. Once they are given their starting level they just progress through the set stages. It isn't a very personal service. Not the one I went to anyway. Maybe because it was quite busy; it was in central London.

Why don't you just print worksheets from here

Or join

ixl
mathletics
mathsfactor
mathswhizz

We started my son on Kumon maths at aged 5 because this was what the wife wanted.The early worksheets were repetitons of various dot counting combos. As the weeks progressed more dots were used and I remember thinking that I'm paying £xx/month for this?

We stayed with Kumon despite my reservations and after about a year we saw a difference. He could see the answer in his head. I mean, he didn't have to add up a set of numbers in his head or on paper. Its like speaking a foreign language fluently. You don't need to translate from French into English. You just know what is being said to you.

Yes there are cheaper/free alternatives but not every parent has the time to sit down with their child for 20 minutes every morning before work. Not every parent has the time to endlessly google for free material.

I would recommend Kumon Maths if you would like to improve DCs maths and you don't have the time or inclination to find/make up free material. Yes, during the early months it looks as if you are wasting money what with the same old repetitve worksheet but there is logic to it all.

But if you are thinking going for the 11+ then I suggest you stop at the end of Year 4 and switch to more traditional 11+ prep work (kumon maths is nothing like 11+ maths)

Thanks IndigoBell for the worksheets

PushyDad - You are right in saying not everyone has the time to do all that research and extra practice before and after work. I am a working Mum and find it hard enough trying to fit everything in as it is.

Do you feel that Kumon is a good background to have in the early years if going for the 11+

We enrolled our daughter nearly 4 years ago when she was 7(mainly due to the peer pressure as almost all her class children were doing it and we wanted to try it out). She is at least 2-3 years ahead of her class children as she has a good aptitude for maths. There were times when she was finding it difficult and getting frustrated but you just have to guide them, be positive and support them.
As pushydad says - I would have not got free materials from the web(busy with work, family commitments and not organised enough), But am pleased with her progress with Kumon. I dont think KumonEnglish is as good as Maths.
It is getting difficult for me to help her as it gets tougher(am good in Maths but have not done maths since my A level 15 years ago).I do suggest that we can stop now - but she does not want to.....

Hi bbaloo

Sorry for the late reply (I haven't been watching this thread).

We kept it going to the end of Year 6 at which point DS was about 2 years ahead of the national average. Apart from bragging rights it didn't help one bit with his 11+ maths exams.

We didn't expect it to. Coming from a non-pushy state primary school we knew DS was going to be behind the other prep boys so we kept Kumon going in Year 6 just for this.

It sounds like time and maybe money is an issue with you. If that is the case then I highly recommend Kumon maths up to the end of Year 5. Thereafter, if the purpose is to get DC to pass the 11+ then your time and money will be better spent using maths material specific for 11+