Anyone heard of Kumon?

[Wills]

And have you used it and what did you think? A friend of mine has just been going on about how wonderful it is. For me its a form a tuition and as a recent SAHM I'm shocked that I'm considering it. In my high fluting ideals I'm there so I should be the one helping my kids do well. I should be there at all times calmly helping them to fly where they are able and achieve what they can etc etc. In reality I have 3 kids and their clubs and their dinners. There are many evenings that just seem to disappear without me sitting down to listen to both of my school age kids. The moment I seem to sit with one the other two prompty go green eyed on me and demand attention. The image in my head of two little heads at the kitchen table focusing on work with me happily helping each of them when they need just doesn't work! (dd1 is 7 and dd2 is 4). I suppose none of this would have come to head if it werent that for the first time I don't feel that dd1's teacher is giving her enough. At her infant school she did spectacularly well but now at her juniors she's being passed over. Again I wouldn't worry but she's upset, she's really upset. She's asked me more than once to go in and tell her teacher she can do more.

So here I am considering tutoring.

Well, what do you think?

I think probably if you did small bursts of numbers work every day (whether Kumon or not) it would help a child with their numeracy. My understanding is that Kumon makes the 10 minute task easy by creating discrete worksheets. I've heard good things about it though apparently it's very very dull.

I wholeheartedly agree with clutteredup and I am also a primary maths teacher. I have come across so many children who use kumon and have absolutely no understanding of what they are doing mathematically at all. Yes they can follow a basic written method to add, subtract, multiply and divide but have no way to get into a problem. These children struggle as they move up the school anyway as so much of the maths curriculum is focussed on reasoning and problem solving... in other words USING the maths. If they have no real understanding of what they are doing they are just as lost.

Kumon keep sending me stuff as maths coordinator for the school - I tell the office to file it under BIN!

Have you tried speaking to your dd's teacher/ headteacher or the maths coordinator in the school? Much cheaper than kumon...

Good luck
bb xx