https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 03 May 2026 12:11:14 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-know-anyone-who-does-kumon-with-their-kids#post-1767619 Fri, 18 Jul 2014 11:49:27 +0000 snowjewelz 1767619@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yeah I know people that send their kids to Kumon. But then again, a lot of kids I know in a wide age range all have some kind of extra tutoring/learning thing going on besides school. In my area it's allll about getting the upper hand when it comes to education. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-know-anyone-who-does-kumon-with-their-kids#post-1767590 Fri, 18 Jul 2014 11:39:07 +0000 psw27 1767590@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I loved Kumon as a kid, but I have a personality that thrives on worksheets and repetition and dedicated attention. I think it was around 2nd grade when I was getting a little behind in conventional math class and went to Kumon for math help. Once I started, I was significantly ahead of my peers and stayed that way until high school when it got to the super hard math classes and I stopped trying... shame on me cause I really liked math up until that point and I basically haven't' done it since! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-know-anyone-who-does-kumon-with-their-kids#post-1767566 Fri, 18 Jul 2014 11:33:26 +0000 Mamaof2 1767566@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Freckles: we started with cutting at age 2 , tracing at 3 and folding 3.5-4 </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-know-anyone-who-does-kumon-with-their-kids#post-1767539 Fri, 18 Jul 2014 11:24:20 +0000 Freckles 1767539@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mamaof2: How old were your kids when they started those workbooks? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-know-anyone-who-does-kumon-with-their-kids#post-1767537 Fri, 18 Jul 2014 11:24:03 +0000 fairy 1767537@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't know anyone who does it with their kids but the absolute smartest guy I know did it when he was young. He has never received a grade other than A and was valedictorian in high school &amp; college so I think it must be an amazing program! From the article related "Varghese said he developed time-management skills, a healthy level of confidence, and an appreciation for teaching and mentoring during his nine years in the program. He started Kumon as a first grader, and by fifth grade, he was working three years ahead of his grade level in school. This advantage allowed him to excel in other subjects, including Spanish and Literature. By the 10th grade, Varghese reached Level L in Kumon Math, the beginning phases of calculus. He also scored a perfect 800 on both the math and reading sections of the SAT." Here's a video he actually did for Kumon <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEIJhgsLQhM" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEIJhgsLQhM</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-know-anyone-who-does-kumon-with-their-kids#post-1767506 Fri, 18 Jul 2014 11:14:35 +0000 T-Mom 1767506@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mamaof2: I like the books too! We received a cutting book and time telling book as gifts and they are really great.</p> <p>@looch: That's pretty cool, I want to look into that! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-know-anyone-who-does-kumon-with-their-kids#post-1767484 Fri, 18 Jul 2014 11:08:42 +0000 sunny 1767484@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>A lot of my highschool friends did Kumon starting in middle school. You could tell when someone did and someone didn't (I didn't, though my brother did). I think for people who say that it is just repeating the worksheets over and over and there isn't any value in it, I would disagree. There is value in repetition -- just ask any piano teacher. Spending time practicing something will make you better at it than if you didn't spend the time. Anyone read Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers?</p> <p>I'm not saying that kids *should be* doing things over and over, just pointing out that repeating tasks will help you get better at that task. This is why you read to your kids everyday (even if its the same book), etc. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-know-anyone-who-does-kumon-with-their-kids#post-1767451 Fri, 18 Jul 2014 10:58:00 +0000 Freckles 1767451@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Corduroy: That's so weird -so the teachers knew which kids did/didn't do Kumon? I'd have issues with that!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-know-anyone-who-does-kumon-with-their-kids#post-1767448 Fri, 18 Jul 2014 10:56:44 +0000 Mrs. Blue 1767448@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think to catch up or help in an area a kid is struggling with it could be a good thing, but I generally feel like outside of school kids should be (1) being kids, playing, etc., or (2) being exposed to educational concepts in a fun, enriching way that your typical classroom setting can't provide. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-know-anyone-who-does-kumon-with-their-kids#post-1767402 Fri, 18 Jul 2014 10:37:15 +0000 T.H.O.U. 1767402@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If I felt like by 3rd grade she wasn't getting enough from public school education, I would consider supplementing. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-know-anyone-who-does-kumon-with-their-kids#post-1767327 Fri, 18 Jul 2014 09:59:07 +0000 Corduroy 1767327@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't like the disparity Kumon can create in the classroom. In grade school so many of my peers were in Kumon that we spent zero time on arithmetic. Non-Kumon kids were allowed calculators and we just moved on to math concepts rather than addition/subtraction/etc. We used to have "human calculator" races that put the Kumon kids against the non Kumon kids with calculators. It seemed unfair to have our math teacher point out how behind we were regularly. </p> <p>My arithmetic skills never caught up. I did complete many levels of college calculus and entered a math &amp; science field so maybe it didn't matter in the end. Except in a meeting yesterday I said 7x6 is forty.... and trailed off because I wasn't sure. I felt awesome about that.</p> <p>I'm not sure what I would do if LO was in the same situation. I think workbooks at home seem like a happy medium. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-know-anyone-who-does-kumon-with-their-kids#post-1766877 Fri, 18 Jul 2014 06:43:54 +0000 Mamaof2 1766877@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Not at a center but they have books you can buy on Amazon that are awesome! Tracing, folding, cutting, reading. I love them and so do my kids! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-know-anyone-who-does-kumon-with-their-kids#post-1766874 Fri, 18 Jul 2014 06:41:53 +0000 looch 1766874@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My experience with Kumon is limited to knowing that there is a center in my town and that you can buy workbooks at Barnes and Noble.</p> <p>I struggled with math as a kid, I think it's becase I can't visualize in my head, so I either had to memorize or work it out to get to the answer. It kind of shot my confidence and I while I did complete one year of college algebra with As, I never felt confident in my ability to do math.</p> <p>So, this is going to sound insanely crazy, but I recently learned that Danica McKellar of the Wonder Years is also a published mathmetician with books aimed at making math approachable for girls. I've ordered all 4 of the books and plan to begin working through them when my son gets a little older so I can help him/answer questions in plain language.</p> <p>sorry to go so off topic, lol. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-know-anyone-who-does-kumon-with-their-kids#post-1766568 Thu, 17 Jul 2014 22:00:34 +0000 spaniellove 1766568@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@matador84: Hahaha, I remember similar mischief! And...resorting to a calculator because I just could not stand the homework anymore. One day my dad came home and caught me. He was angry but also felt a little bad that I was forced to do so much. </p> <p>In my case I was already ahead of my private school classmates and my stepmom thought Kumon could get me to like the 99th percentile, which was ridiculous. I got so much more out of real enrichment and G&amp;T programs since it's not the being ahead that matters but the learning. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-know-anyone-who-does-kumon-with-their-kids#post-1766558 Thu, 17 Jul 2014 21:56:21 +0000 T-Mom 1766558@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My DD's BFF does Kumon. She is definitely doing much more math than my DD (we don't do anything extra outside of school). I believe she also does Kumon for reading. From what other parents have told me, it basically provides structure. You go there, do the worksheets, and do the homework worksheets every day. She said that the teachers there don't really teach, but rather just proctor the kids' doing worksheets. I don't think it's for us, but I can see why people do it. My brother did Kumon in elementary school and I don't think it really benefited him much. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-know-anyone-who-does-kumon-with-their-kids#post-1766553 Thu, 17 Jul 2014 21:55:07 +0000 spaniellove 1766553@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Ugh, Kumon. I did it growing up and hated it! It was totally rote and honestly taught me nothing. As a child I couldn't understand why they had me doing the same worksheet over and over and over, and why they kept emphasizing my failures. I loved school but hated Kumon. IMO it may not jive well with your educational philosophy! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-know-anyone-who-does-kumon-with-their-kids#post-1766527 Thu, 17 Jul 2014 21:44:42 +0000 Freckles 1766527@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My friend has two of her girls in Kumon. She feels that it will give them an edge in school since they will have the basics down already. With the way math programs are at school, i may put our kids in Kumon or do something similar with them at home. I didnt do Kumon but my dad gave me math homework/drills during the summers. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-know-anyone-who-does-kumon-with-their-kids#post-1766485 Thu, 17 Jul 2014 21:21:11 +0000 mamimami 1766485@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It seems super popular where I live. A friend who's a 3rd grade teacher says she can always tell when kids have done it because they're so far ahead of the others in nath. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-know-anyone-who-does-kumon-with-their-kids#post-1766476 Thu, 17 Jul 2014 21:18:00 +0000 matador84 1766476@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I did Kumon growing up! My brothers did also. I HATED it, but I have studied it a lot now as an educator. It takes a lot of discipline...I had SO much homework. I just remember thick packets every night and I would hide it because I hated doing it! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-know-anyone-who-does-kumon-with-their-kids#post-1766468 Thu, 17 Jul 2014 21:15:04 +0000 yoursilverlining 1766468@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had Kumon tutoring in high school; but my math background was a school system that didn't teach long division, let alone fractions, etc. I needed help; and it worked. I mean, I'm not a math wiz but I was able to pass my math SAT and college math courses, and I'm not completely math impaired.</p> <p>I wouldn't use it for young children who are already adequately taught in order to "get ahead", but it was definitely an academic lifesaver for me! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-know-anyone-who-does-kumon-with-their-kids#post-1766455 Thu, 17 Jul 2014 21:06:47 +0000 lizzywiz 1766455@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Kumon is really popular with the well-ish to do schools in our area. I share your concern re: children having a chance to be children. There is NO evidence (that I am aware of) supporting the idea that being able to do academic tricks sooner is better. In fact, there is evidence that indicates that regular students and over prepared kinder students even out by 3rd grade, with no longterm benefit to the over prepared kids. So, for the love of all that's holy, let 'em play! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-know-anyone-who-does-kumon-with-their-kids#post-1766406 Thu, 17 Jul 2014 20:46:50 +0000 mrsjyw 1766406@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrbee: Yea it's mostly just double checking/grading their workbooks etc. But, all of us that tutored were private tutors as well, so the owner (my friend's mom) had us do tutoring sessions at her center! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-know-anyone-who-does-kumon-with-their-kids#post-1766370 Thu, 17 Jul 2014 20:37:24 +0000 Raindrop 1766370@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>In college... I nanny/tutored a girl that went to Kumon. She was in 5th grade and I looked after her for about 3 months. She was pretty smart. She was also an only child and her parents gave her lots of attention when it came to education so I am not sure if it was just Kumon that made her pretty smart or the parent attention. Maybe a combo? :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-know-anyone-who-does-kumon-with-their-kids#post-1766328 Thu, 17 Jul 2014 20:31:58 +0000 mrbee 1766328@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrsjyw: Ah I thought that most Kumon centers don't offer much tutoring? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-know-anyone-who-does-kumon-with-their-kids#post-1766315 Thu, 17 Jul 2014 20:30:28 +0000 mrsjyw 1766315@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I know a lot of older kids that do it because my friend owns a Kumon center and a lot of our church/youth kids go!</p> <p>I used to work there in high school as a tutor! :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-know-anyone-who-does-kumon-with-their-kids#post-1766308 Thu, 17 Jul 2014 20:29:48 +0000 mrbee 1766308@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Had lunch with my friend this week, and he swears by Kumon:<br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumon" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumon</a></p> <p>His son is entering kindergarten this fall, and can already read, add numbers, add by 5, add by 10s, and all sorts of other fancy things. It sounds great, but I also worry that kids can't just be kids any more. Haven't decided where I net out on all this.</p> <p>Do you know anyone who does Kumon with their kids? </p>