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when is the best time to start kumon maths and is it worth it? anybody know?

samm2 wrote:when is the best time to start kumon maths and is it worth it? anybody know?

My DS is in Year 4 and he is doing Kumon Maths only because his school doesn't do times tables (or there is no evidence of it), it is more for him to get to grasp with doing additon/multiplying in columns.But he hates it , (we will be seriously thinking about it next week) I'd rather him do some maths he really enoys doing.

There is a ( very long) discussion about Kumon here

http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/ ... lit=+Kumon

My son started kumon and attended it for one year before we pulled him out .In my opinion he was not using his full ability and getting by on "auto pilot " to copeby the learn by rote method
The actual workbooks were monotonous and in fact there was very little being taught there
At out local centre most of the helpers/teachers were teenagers and this inspired little confidence for us

My wife and I now work with him regualrly at home and he seems to have picked up concepts far quicker than when he was at kumon.

Both my very able child and less able child hated it and i hated all the marking I had to do! The ceremonial burning of their materials when we quit was fun though!

samm2 wrote:when is the best time to start kumon maths and is it worth it? anybody know?

if the child is not sharp/fast in basic maths like addition/subtraction/division/multiplication then kumon is useful.

kumon maths helps a child doing VR (sequencing and other maths questions of Maths) only if the child is not fast in basic maths

Kumopn is boring, mindless and expensive. The company preys on parental insecurities and should not be encouraged.

zvrk wrote:

samm2 wrote:when is the best time to start kumon maths and is it worth it? anybody know?

My DS is in Year 4 and he is doing Kumon Maths only because his school doesn't do times tables (or there is no evidence of it), it is more for him to get to grasp with doing additon/multiplying in columns.But he hates it , (we will be seriously thinking about it next week) I'd rather him do some maths he really enoys doing.

We have stopped Kumon Maths soon after this post.

katel wrote:Kumopn is boring, mindless and expensive. The company preys on parental insecurities and should not be encouraged.

Based on my experiences I really could not have put it better myself.

If you want to improve their basic arithmetic skills and knowledge, nothing beats Schofield and Sims Mental Maths books. Just put it into your daily routine from year 3 or 4 (Book 1, 2 or 3, depending on your child's ability at the time of starting). 5 to 10 minutes to do one section a day of 10 questions (either A or B), a little longer for section C, but aim for no more than one section a day. Go over it there and then if you have time; if you don't, keep it until the best time for the child in the evening. Resist spending more than 15 minutes going over it. Anything they are stuck on will keep to the next day and a clearer head.

Much cheaper than Kumon at £2.45 a book plus more expensive answer book of about £6 which will ultimately make your life easier. No driving to a centre. No wondering why you are shelling out money when ultimately you can do a better job.
That said, it only works if you stick to this regime and find those slots in the day for your child.

I know several children who have moved up maths sets/tables within months of doing the above. It can also be tedious but it is effective enough.