Year 5 student Cheston studies calculus with Kumon Mathematics

Auckland student Cheston can already study university-level mathematics, and he has not even finished primary school yet.

Cheston, in Year 5 at school, comfortably studies calculus concepts, like differential equations and advanced differentiation and integration, in his Kumon Mathematics worksheets.

Since Cheston is in the final stages of Kumon Mathematics, he self-learns his way through difficult concepts. Self-learning is the ability to take in information, process, retain and understand it, without having to rely on being taught every new topic or concept.

“Kumon helps me face and handle challenges, and to gain confidence in myself,” Cheston says.

Cheston enrolled into Kumon Henderson Education Centre at the age of 3. His mother Vivien says Cheston’s Kumon Instructor individualised the pace of Cheston’s learning to his needs, helping him greatly in his progress.

“The flexibility of Kumon allows Cheston to study at his own pace, which doesn’t put too much pressure on him while helping him to grow and gain confidence,” she says.

Vivien also says Kumon will have long-term benefits for her son.

“Cheston is motivated to learn and to open up his mind to more challenges. Kumon has helped him to build a very good foundation in his learning journey and future growth,” Vivien says.

Cheston hopes to become an accountant or mathematics professor when he grows up.

Beyond mathematics and English: the full benefits of Kumon

Sometimes the purpose of tuition is to help a student catch up. Many families initially seek the support of Kumon Mathematics and English for this reason.

But Kumon goes beyond tuition. We empower students to learn for themselves, rather than preparing for a particular test or assessment. Kumon students work towards building self-learning ability, meaning they will not be dependent on the skills and knowledge of others

Key to this empowerment is advanced study, whereby Kumon students self-learn mathematics and English concepts far ahead of their school grade. Advanced study is more than knowledge acquisition. Toru Kumon, the late founder of Kumon, believed when students self-learn ahead of school grade, their character also grows. Confidence and discipline were specific character traits Toru Kumon saw thousands of students develop during his lifetime.

“Go to any Kumon centre and you can see examples of children developing as people as they develop their academic ability,” Toru Kumon once said.

Research, published in the American Educational Research Journal, backs up Toru Kumon’s belief in the link between academic ability and student’s character development. This study sampled more than 200 students in Years 2, 4, 6 and 8, and found that success in school was linked to children’s growth in positive character traits.

“With success in academic tasks in the school comes positive personality characteristics; with failure comes lower levels of regard for self and abilities,” the researchers conclude. “The relationships become stronger and more powerful as the success or failure becomes prolonged and as a consistent pattern of accomplishments emerges.”

Tan, 17 years old and a completer of the Kumon Mathematics and English programmes, says the personal development he acquired through Kumon is its most valuable aspect.

“I believe the greatest benefits of Kumon is the way it fosters characteristics such as perseverance and discipline,” Tan says. “Kumon helped me develop key characteristics that will enable me to further develop myself professionally and as a person.”

Both Kumon Mathematics and English support students to develop a daily study habit and to use self-learning to overcome challenges in their worksheets. As students build their daily study habit, they develop discipline, and as students overcome challenges using self-learning, they grow in confidence.

To learn more about the positive impacts of Kumon on the lives of our students, visit our YouTube channel.

Should you wish to enrol, please contact your nearest Kumon centre: https://www.kumonsearch.co.nz/

Kumon Mathematics and English now open in Porirua, Wellington

Kumon is now open in Porirua, Wellington, to support all children develop their mathematics and English ability.

Kumon Porirua Education Centre is led by Bharti Madnani, a former assistant from the nearby Kumon centre in Johnsonville. Being a centre assistant for nearly six years instilled in Bharti a passion for working with children and supporting her local community.

She says Kumon Porirua will have many benefits for children’s learning.

“Kumon will provide an internationally renowned learning method to Porirua, which has been missing in this area for many years”, Bharti says.

“I want all my students to become advanced students who can comfortably study beyond their school grade, and confident enough to take on new challenges in life.”

“We will help local communities and children to ensure they receive support through our Mathematics and English programmes.”

The Kumon Mathematics programme develops the quick, precise calculation skills necessary for the study of high school mathematics. Kumon English builds a high level of reading comprehension ability.

In both programmes, each worksheet builds on what has come before and prepares students for what comes next, developing students’ confidence and self-learning skill.

“Our instruction of the carefully designed Kumon worksheets will assist all students to become self-learners and gain confidence”, Bharti says.

Kumon Porirua is open on Tuesday and Friday afternoons from 3:30pm to 6:30pm. The centre is located at Level 1, 6 Hartham Place South, Porirua, Wellington.

Families who wish to enrol are welcome to make an enquiry via this link:  https://www.kumonsearch.co.nz/Centre/KUMON-PORIRUA-WELLINGTON#info

A love of working with children lead Shilpa to become a Kumon franchisee

With two years’ experience, Shilpa Shetty, is the franchisee of Kumon Upper Coomera Education Centre on the Gold Coast, Queensland.

Shilpa opened Kumon Upper Coomera as brand-new centre. Initially, she was searching for a Kumon centre for her son to attend, however there were none close to her area. This motivated her to take the next step.

The Kumon Brisbane Office was also looking for a franchisee to open a centre in Upper Coomera and having been selected as the successful applicant, the rest is history.

“It occurred to me that, ‘Why shouldn’t I do this?’” Shilpa says. “I love working with kids.”

Shilpa says it is a highly rewarding role being a Kumon franchisee. It taps into her passion for working with children and nurturing their academic abilities.

“The main thing that motivates me is to help as many children as I can to think for themselves through self-learning”, Shilpa says. “With self-learning, children can attempt anything that’s challenging, whether it be in school or in life, without being scared to attempt it.”

It is through Shilpa’s hard work and ongoing communication with students and parents that she is now seeing the fruits of her efforts.

She offers the following advice for those considering becoming a franchisee.

“I think the most important thing is communication. As a franchisee, make sure you communicate with your customers not only when your students enrol, but throughout the child’s entire journey.”

In addition to Shilpa’s strong focus on communication, she says she received great support from Kumon Brisbane as she established her new business.

“I’m a year and a half into it, but I still have a lot of support from my Field Development Consultant and the Kumon branch office”, Shilpa says. “They’re constantly supporting and really do assist every step of the way, as much as they possibly can.”

Kumon is looking for franchisees open new or takeover existing Kumon centres in various locations across Australia and New Zealand. If you are interested in one of our franchise opportunities, please register for an Information Meeting.

Four tips for finding the best Kumon study time for your family

Daily worksheet study is essential for your child’s smooth progress in Kumon Mathematics and English. As a general rule, we recommend families set aside 30 minutes each day for Kumon study time. However, we know that families’ schedules are often tight with competing demands.

To assist you in finding time to ensure your child gets the daily study they need, below are some best practice tips you may like to consider.

1. Be consistent

Exactly when Kumon time should be is up to you as a parent, but we recommend that you aim for the same time each day. This will help you and your children settle into a routine, make it easier to remember when Kumon study time is, and allow you to make plans around this time.

Once your children have settled into this routine, they will be more likely to develop discipline and time management skills.

2. Schedule Kumon study time before other activities

Whether done in the morning or afternoon, Kumon study can act as a ‘mental warm-up’ before children take on other tasks such as music practice, sport or school homework. It also means children can study their Kumon worksheets before they become too tired to focus.

3. Include your children in the decision making

When you involve your children in the decision-making process, they will gain a sense of ownership which, together with your support, will help them to commit to their studies. As part of this process, you could create a Kumon study timetable which will be easy for all family members to see and refer to.

4. Try to make yourself available during Kumon study time

Kumon is a partnership between your child, their Kumon Instructor and you as a parent. Being available to monitor your child’s study can support your child to focus and make progress, especially early on in their programme. We understand this may not be possible 100 per cent of the time, but we and your children definitely appreciate the effort!

 For further tips on how to support your children’s study at home, speak with your centre to receive a copy of the Kumon Family Guidebook.

Kumon office support helped Ynna thrive through COVID’s disruptions

Ynna McDonald is the franchisee of Kumon St Marys Education Centre in Sydney. She has 15 months’ experience in this role.

Ynna became a franchisee for two reasons: her passion for children’s learning and because the role provided her enough flexibility to manage family commitments.

Ynna took over Kumon St Marys  from the previous franchisee just before COVID hit, meaning she was adjusting to her new role during a disruptive time. But the support she received from the Kumon office helped her navigate and thrive throughout change. This change included offering virtual classes, as students couldn’t come to the centre in person.

“We went to correspondence mode straight away. Everything changed with planning, everything changed with communication”, Ynna says. “But my FDC and the Branch Leader were great at always checking up on how things were going.”

“They were always trying to provide strategies if I was struggling with certain things. They helped me to make things more efficient.”

Students have now returned to in-person classes at Kumon St Marys. The centre is thriving. Ynna offers the following advice for those considering becoming a Kumon franchisee.

“If you have confidence in what you’re doing, then it will reflect in your business”, Ynna says. “You have to be prepared to dedicate extra time as a business owner, to do your job.”

“If you do become a franchisee, you will love it,” she continues. “If you are passionate about working with kids and having an influence on their education, it’s something that you could go for.”

Kumon is looking for franchisees to open new or takeover existing Kumon centres at various locations across Australia and New Zealand. If you are interested in one of our franchise opportunities, please register for an Information Meeting.

Three top tips for your child’s Kumon study space

The bedroom, the living room, the study room; these are some of the spaces where children might go to knuckle down and complete their study. There are different approaches. The place your children study at home will vary, depending on factors such as age and how much parental guidance they need.

Kumon’s perspective is children should study in a place free from distractions and in an area that will become their regular study space. But how do parents set up the best Kumon study space for their children?

Below are three tips parents can follow.

 1. Choose a space with good lighting

Good lighting is particularly essential for your child’s study environment. We encourage parents to choose a space with enough natural or artificial lighting which allows your child to clearly see what is written on their worksheets. If your child studies in the evening, we recommend providing a desk lamp that can be easily positioned, or has adjustable brightness. Lighting that is too dim or too bright can quickly fatigue the eyes.

2. For pre-schoolers, provide a chair small enough for their feet to be on the floor

Ensuring that your pre-schooler’s feet are firmly on the floor is a simple and effective way to help maintain their concentration. Touching the ground stops little children swinging their legs and helps them maintain good posture. We recommend ensuring the desk and chair height match so their arms are comfortable.

3. Have a ready-to-use set of all study equipment

The Kumon space should have pencils, a sharpener, an eraser, and a digital clock so children can write their start time and finish time. We recommend providing a digital clock with no internet connectivity, otherwise this device could be a distraction.

For further tips on how to support your children’s study at home, speak with your centre for a copy of the Kumon Family Guidebook.

Neither too hard nor easy, Kumon’s ‘just-right’ level of learning

A core approach of the Kumon Method of Learning, is to provide each student with work that is at the ‘just-right’ level, the point between work that is too easy and too hard. This allows each student to stay motivated and make strong progress in their learning.

Kumon can be said to utilise the Goldilocks Effect through the approach of the ‘just-right’ level of learning. The Goldilocks Effect is an analogy to the character of Goldilocks and her preference for porridge that is neither too hot nor cold, but is the ‘just right’ temperature for her. It is used in a wide range of disciplines, including developmental psychology, biology, astronomy, economics and engineering. [1]

For example, in their book The Grand Design, theoretical physicists Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow used the Goldilocks Effect to explain the ideal distance for a planet to be positioned from a star to sustain life. [2]  In child development, it can refer to providing children with material that is neither too easy nor hard to maximise learning. [3]

Kumon Instructors, who create and update individualised study projections for each student, maintain the ‘just-right’ level for each student. Through their monitoring and observations of each student’s progress, they assign the worksheets that students are ready to learn next. Instructors also regularly communicate progress with students and their parents.

These actions help create the specific conditions students need to continue making strong progress.

“As long as we discover the potential of each student and ensure they study at the ‘just-right’ level, then each child will progress at a rate that will surprise not only their parents … but also themselves,” said Toru Kumon, the founder of the Kumon Method.

Should you wish to learn more about Kumon and the ‘just-right’ level, please contact your nearest Kumon centre: https://www.kumonsearch.co.nz/

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[1] Colman, A. M. (2008). A Dictionary of Psychology (3 ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

[2] Stephen Hawking, L. M. (2010). The Grand Design. Random House USA Inc.

[3] Pintrich, P. R. (2006). Understanding Self-Regulated Learning. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 3 – 12.

Alan continues his advanced Kumon Mathematics study, virtually

Virtual study with Kumon provided 6-year-old Alan a flexible way to continue his strong learning progress throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Alan has been enrolled into Kumon since he was in kindergarten. He studies the Kumon Mathematics programme two years ahead of his school grade level. Once the COVID-19 pandemic reached New Zealand and Australia, his father Dhinesh transferred Alan from in-centre to virtual study.

“I have my elderly parents living with me, so I and my family wanted to cut down the risk of exposure to COVID as much as we could”, Dhinesh says. “I think that was the key factor in our decision to have Kumon completely at home.”

Alan, meanwhile, says he really enjoys studying Kumon at home with virtual support.

“It’s really, really quiet and with no distractions and it makes my dad spend more time with me,” Alan says.

Virtual study involves Alan attending virtual classes once or twice a week. In addition, he studies his Kumon worksheets for a small amount of time each day at home. His parents support by marking and recording the results.

Alan’s Instructor supports by creating an individualised study projection, providing regular progress updates to his parents, and assisting Alan to solve a difficult problem when he can’t work it out for himself.

Alan would like to be an astronaut when he grows up.

Some Kumon centres throughout Australia and New Zealand are offering options for virtual mathematics and English study. Should you wish to learn more, we welcome you to contact your nearest Kumon centre.