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Tag : Home Study

News

April 23, 2021

5 ways to develop math skills of early learners at home

Early Learners, Home Study, Kumon, Kumon Math

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Did you know that children’s early years are a time of rapid learning?

According to various studies, children learn more quickly during ages 0 to 8 than at any other time in life. As formative years have a high impact on a child’s life-long journey, parents and guardians should use this time for enrichment activities to support children’s development, learning, and future success.

Why don’t you start with simple math skills? After all, math is everywhere. You can begin enriching the math skills of your early learners, even while you’re staying at home.

Introduce math while doing daily tasks

Baking is in during the quarantine. While making the family’s favorite pastries, you can introduce numbers and measurements by asking your child: “How many cups of flour do I need? How many eggs do I have to add?” Loudly count numbers as you transfer the flour or egg into the mixing bowl and encourage your child to repeat the numbers after you. You may also use baking pans when teaching about shapes and cooking tools when teaching about measurements, such as teaspoons, milliliters, liters, and inches.

Sing and repeat number nursery rhymes

The Internet has provided us with easy access to numerous nursery rhymes. Maximize it by playing number nursery rhymes and repeating them with your child whenever you can. You can even make it fun and interactive by swaying to the tune or incorporating other movements such as clapping or stomping.

Represent numbers with colorful illustrations, objects

Several studies say that colors are effective in learning and play a significant role in enhancing memory performance. Use colorful illustrations, pictures, or objects when introducing numbers to your child. You may count the number of blooming flowers in the garden, fruits on the table, or crayons in the box.

Emphasize number when reading stories

Besides math books for young kids, reading other age-appropriate reading materials also enables your child to become more familiar with numbers and basic math terms. After reading The Little Glass Slipper story, for example, you may emphasize that the main character Ella has two sisters and that the fairy reminds Ella to be back home by 10 p.m.

Enroll in online learning programs

To give your child a head start in math before he/she begins formal schooling, you may also enroll him or her in online learning programs like Kumon.

At Kumon, your child studies colorful and engaging worksheets, which will help him/her develop basic skills, such as counting, number sequencing, and pencil grip. He/she gets to answer these worksheets every day and has scheduled online remote instruction sessions with a Kumon Instructor. The Kumon Instructor guides your child as he/she progresses from one worksheet to the next. This is to ensure that your child can achieve his/her fullest potential.

As your child’s very first teacher, you have the power to develop his or her math abilities, especially when you’re at home! But, there’s no need to fret because even the simplest activities at home will surely help!

News

July 9, 2020

4 Ways to Encourage Learning at Home

Home Study, Parenthood, The Kumon Method

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Being at home with your child gives you many opportunities to bond and discuss matters with him/her. It is also equally important to guide your child as he/she grows up, which means that you would have to take in the responsibility of understanding your child, and making yourself understood as a parent.

To be understood by your child, you first need to communicate with him/her effectively. If you can find the most effective way to communicate with your child, then guiding him/her towards the right path won’t be too difficult.

Guiding your child in his/her study is the same as reinforcing his/her learning at home. Here are four ways you can consider in guiding your child’s learning at home:

Listen to your child’s needs.

Be attentive to your child’s needs and give undivided attention. Show him/her that you are listening by nodding and smiling at specific points, or by affirming through your responses. Whenever your child honestly tells you the things he/she needs, do not interrupt. Instead, allow your child to explain while genuinely listening to him/her.

Acknowledge your child’s feelings.

Whenever your child shares his/her feelings on some matters, this is a good indicator that your child is openly expressive. Always consider his/her side before you share any reaction or advice. If your child experiences challenges in understanding lessons, the best way to respond is to acknowledge that his/her feelings are valid. Then, you can start working on the problem together.

Offer help whenever you can.

As parents, you would always want to offer a helping hand to your child – no matter what the situation is. Keep in mind that it is also essential that your child develops a sense of ownership for his/her actions. You can offer assistance by planning together on specific steps he/she can take to reach a solution. This act shows your child that you are in it together and that his/her ideas matter.

Reinforce positive praise.

Praise and acknowledge your child once he/she has achieved a goal. Consequently, reassure him/her that there is nothing wrong with making mistakes and that all efforts are always acknowledged. Being a parent with a heart of appreciation will encourage your child to emulate that same attitude as he/she grows up.

News

July 9, 2020

Conquer Math Through Kumon!

Home Study, Math, The Kumon Method

belleperez

To enable children to self-study especially at home.

When our founder, Toru Kumon, created the worksheets, his goal was for children to study high school mathematics with ease, even in grade school. Thus, he included only those topics that were essential to achieve that objective.

This is why the Kumon Math Program doesn’t cover all the math topics your child is studying in school. Comparing Kumon with your child’s school textbooks, Kumon materials are lean and straight to the point; they don’t encompass a wide-ranging curriculum. This makes the Kumon worksheets flexible – your child can study the worksheets at home as the program does not require multiple activities aside from the worksheets alone.

But you’re probably wondering: if Kumon’s goal is for my child to self-study higher math with ease, why aren’t there too many word problems?

Only a few sheets contain word problems. Looking closely at the contents of the Kumon worksheets, most of these are leaning towards calculation problems. If your child struggles a lot in solving word problems, shouldn’t Kumon address this concern to ensure smoother progress in higher math?

To answer this question, let’s first solve this problem: 48% of the students are girls, and 260 students are boys. How many students are there in total?

Now imagine your child solving that question. Even if he/she can understand the logic to the problem, if your child doesn’t know how to solve for x in the equation (x) = 260, then neither will he/she be able to answer the question! If your child freezes at the sight of fractions or division, or if your child cringes at the mere thought of solving something, he/she won’t even try to answer the question above.

The number one reason your child may hate math so much is his/her weak calculation skills. However, if you boost his/her abilities and confidence when it comes to this area, your child will not struggle with math! Also, supporting your child as he/she does Kumon worksheets at home will help you understand why the Kumon Method of Learning is designed this way.

According to our founder, “Calculation is the breakthrough to math. If you master calculations…it will be a breakthrough to high school math where algebra is predominant. If primary students become good at fractions, equations…they will love math in high school.”

Tokuhiro Kimata, the author of The Value of the Kumon Method, understands why problems other than calculations appear in school curriculums. However, he firmly believes that it will be much more beneficial if your child has good command over calculation, which will be needed to solve more complex problems in higher math. The best part is, your child can quickly develop his/her calculation skills even by just doing his/her Kumon worksheets at home.

Thus, do not fret if the Kumon Math Program doesn’t mirror your child’s school curriculum or doesn’t feature too many word problems. Through continuous Kumon study, your child will be able to conquer his/her math subject—and gain the other benefits of Kumon, such as confidence, discipline, and a love for learning.

Reference: The Value of The Kumon Method by Tokuhiro Kimata

News

July 9, 2020

Providing Children with the Appropriate Books

Home Study, Reading, The Kumon Method

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Reading has a lot of benefits for children. It increases their knowledge with the various events in society, boosts their reading ability and vocabulary, and allows them to experience the imagination’s wonder. Experts recommend that children start reading at an early age and that a wide range of books from various categories is made available. It is also advisable for parents to begin building their children’s mini library at home to get their children used to reading a wide variety of books.

One of the aims of the Kumon Reading Program is to encourage children to develop the habit of reading a variety of books so that they can continue learning throughout their lives. According to the late Kumon chairman, Mr. Toru Kumon, “if children are given books appropriate to their abilities, they will show an interest and start to read them.” With this, parents must provide their children with the needed guidance for them to come across a variety of authors, stories, and views. However, deciding which books are appropriate is a difficult and lengthy task considering the time and effort it takes.

Here are some tips on how you can develop criteria to assess just how appropriate certain books are:

Age

Consider the age of your child and the books that certain age groups usually chose. For example, babies and toddlers love board books and picture books, beginner readers like short stories with pictures, while grade school children generally choose short chapter books. Once you find the age-appropriate book for your child, you can sit with him/her and read the book aloud, especially if your child hasn’t developed his/her reading ability yet.

Ability

Be familiar with your child’s reading ability so that you will be able to check if the words used in the stories are appropriate for your child’s reading ability, and if the scenarios presented can be easily understood by your child. It is better to build your child’s reading ability by starting with easy or just-right books since starting with difficult books might put them off reading for good.

Interests

Ask your child what stories he/she prefers and consider books that capture his/her interests and educate him/her at the same time. Some prefer funny stories, while others love factual books. Some like interactive books that invite interaction like repeating rhymes and words, while some love books filled with illustrations.

Recommendations

Talk to other parents and teachers about books that they could recommend. Also, the Kumon Program has a Recommended Reading List, which you can acquire from your Kumon Instructor. This list consists of 377 titles from 298 authors. The books mentioned in the list are various award-winning literature and popular books that cover a wide range of topics from adventure, fantasy, science fiction, nature, and biographies.

Above all these, one thing must always be remembered: choose books you think your child will enjoy! Children who enjoy books are far more likely to keep reading and exploring various authors and genres. Please share with your child a simple rule regarding reading time at home: reading is fun!

News

June 1, 2020

Explore, Be and Do More!

Home Study, Kumon, Kumon Completer, Kumon Success Story

belleperez

Math genius. Young mathematician. Gifted child.

These are just some of the monikers that are often associated to Io Aristotle Nikolai Calica. His parents, Mr. Ianne Calica and Mrs. Melissa Prudencio Calica, share that he was already a force to be reckoned with when he was just five years old.

“Io was part of the top 10 and even became a chess champion in school. He beat the grade five and six students for a chess competition in school. He then started to become serious about math and chess – waking up as early as 6 am to play chess or read books about chess notation. This prompted us to visit a psychologist, thus we found out that he is gifted.”

IO Competition — *Io wins another Math competition*

Io’s fascination with numbers can be traced back to when he was as young as two years old. Being a math teacher at the University of the Philippines, Mr. Calica introduced Io to math and eventually became his first math teacher. But as time passed, the practice of downloading worksheets online became difficult for Mr. Calica. With this, the idea of enrolling Io in Kumon came up. This is something Io himself affirms when asked why he enrolled in Kumon. “I enrolled so I could learn more complex things in math. If I didn’t enroll earlier, I would have a lack of math.”

Aside from knowing people enrolled in the program, Mr. Calica acknowledges that Kumon is something structured – a method with a curriculum and worksheets that are all well thought of and prepared, and a method that allows a child to progress with his ability in mind and with him exploring and enjoying the process.

According to Mr. and Mrs. Calica, Kumon has helped further Io’s advancement in math and other subjects. He started attending upper-level classes while doing grade six math even when he was just in grade one.

We enrolled him in a music class at the University of Philippines – Diliman and let him sit-in for calculus and algebra-trigonometry classes. It has been successful as the teacher loves him and he has even gained friends. Since he is also the school representative for school competitions like MTAP, MTG, Math Quiz and Sudoku, Kumon has really helped Io develop mental calculation skills.

Mr. and Mrs. Calica have noticed three notable changes in Io ever since he started Kumon.

First, Io learned patience. He used to hate waiting for a long time; but through Kumon, he learned to exert effort and time to understand a problem before answering or to understand a topic before progressing to the next level.

He has also experienced repeating worksheets and failing, which has made him realize that not all things can be achieved immediately in one try. He has to work hard to reach his achievements.

Second, Io developed discipline and perseverance after learning the value of trying again and again.

As parents, we believe that learning involves repetition and failure. Io needs to do things again and again to better understand. And if he fails, he will be able to learn a lot about himself from failure.

Third and last, Io has become very goal-oriented.

He sees his progress and achievement when he goes to the Center. But he also makes it a point to write down his progress and his next goal in his notebook.

As parents of a Kumon student, Mr. and Mrs. Calica constantly take note of four things when guiding Io. First, do not force the child to do something.

If he needs rest, let him rest. Make a way for the child to want to do it – not for the sake. Find a way to make the experience more fun and creative for the child.

Second, Kumon cannot develop the child alone – parental involvement is also necessary.

It is always a 50-50 effort between the Center and the parents. Always check on how the child is doing in the program. Make time for the child and be present to guide the child especially in the initial stages of his Kumon study.

Third, learn to listen to the child.

Do not simply impose what you want the child to do, or what you want to happen. Know what the child can do and cannot do by simply listening.

Fourth and last, always persevere.

If parents think of something as a burden, then it becomes a burden. The time will come when the child can do things on his own and achieve so much – parents must simply be there to support and guide the child toward academic and character development.

Uncategorized

May 7, 2020

The Power of Praise

Home Study, Parenting Tips, The Kumon Method

belleperez

Actions speak louder than words. But according to child psychologists, children—especially the younger ones—need great doses of verbal praise to be reminded that they are appreciated and loved.

Praising our children shows that we are pleased with their efforts, not just their accomplishments. As we affirm them for their good work, we let them feel a sense of pride, joy, and confidence. Sincere praise from parents reinforce good behavior because they encourage children to keep doing their best.

In Kumon, we recognize the power of praise, and as with any form of power, we would like to harness this one with care.

There is an art to giving praise. Although praises empower children, insincere compliments do the opposite. We don’t want to mislead children with empty and vague compliments. Here, then, are some tips on how we can go beyond ‘Very Good!’ and ‘Excellent!’

Be specific with your praise. ‘Good boy!’ or ‘That’s nice!’ are non-descriptive praise and are therefore ineffective. Such words do not describe the child’s behavior or the action done. Why are we commending him? Are we happy because he didn’t leave his toys after playing or because he shared his toys with his siblings? Give specific praise such as, “That was very thoughtful of you to share your sandwich with your sister.”

Give appropriate praise. It is important to praise him for his behavior as it occurs and when the behavior is appropriate. An excellent artwork on his uniform, for example, should not be commended no matter how well he drew it because doing so encourages the child’s inappropriate behavior

Be enthusiastic. If we look stern or bored when offering praise, the child may not be happy and convinced about it. The secret to effective praising is doing it with eye contact, sincere smile, and genuine, specific remarks.

Avoid the ‘sting in the tail.’ This refers to praise that ends with criticism which wipes up the initial positive comments. Try not to say, “Good job for cleaning your play area – sadly you don’t do it every day.” Don’t give positive and negative remarks simultaneously.

The next time we see our child doing something remarkably good, go ahead, and shower him with the right praise. Such appreciation will develop his confidence – confidence that will surely make him shine.