kumon for 5 year old - yes or no

[yes or no]

while i have stayed away from the pressure so far, more than half my daughter's classmates go for kumon lessons.
i do know that regular practice helps... but won't i achieve the same by buying workbooks and getting my DD to do them at home...?

[teacher mum]

Are you concerned about something, or are you just worried she won't be able to keep up?

I have seen kids come along in leaps and bounds after attending Kumon, but then a lot of kids hate it and just shut down, therefore essentially not doing anything but waste time and money. I couldn't imagine sending a 5 year old there.

In all honesty, at this age, I'd probably do a bit with her at home and see how she goes. (I will warn you though that even teachers have trouble teaching their own kids, so don't feel too discouraged if you feel like it's not going well!  ) Keep it relaxed. At this age, I would stick to number games and tactile activities, like plastic counters and perhaps some cards (like snap for recognition of numbers etc).

[nope]

No

Who cares what everyone else is doing. You should only care if your child is learning and understanding what they are suppose to at that age.

[Kumohno]

I think it's better to stick with methods used at school so I've always avoided Kumon and places like that, plus they give homework and as far as I'm concerned, homework should be something that only late primary and secondary school kids get.....not 5 year olds.  There's plenty of time for homework when they get to secondary school and ironically, sometimes my secondary school aged children get less homework now than they did on occasions at primary.

But if your child is having problems with maths, you should probably talk to the teacher at school first and get extra work from them if that's what you think is needed - different teachers teach in different ways and she might just get confused if she has two maths lessons and two maths teachers.

[NMS1]

I would also say "no".

Kumon is very structured and is likely to put her off studying unless she is really the studious type.

My daughter has just started local school and we did send her for Chinese classes last year but we chose a centre which was very play-based and only gave them about 5-10 minutes homework to do each week.

I would have a chat with the teachers and see if she is falling behind with anything. If not, just spend time reading and playing games involving numbers with her at home - that should be enough at her age.

If she is lacking in one area, look at all the possibilities before signing up for any classes - my guess is that she won't really need any at this stage.

[teacher mum 2]

I'm going to disagree with the above.  I know lots of expats are anti kumon but go and look in the kumon centres at Pandan Valley, Sunset Way, Henry Park and other expat areas on a weekday after 3.30.  Now count the number of Tanglin/UWC and SAS uniforms you see in there!  The parents of these kids like the Western education system but many find the maths education lacking.  Like it or not, being proficient at maths requires some rote learning - there's a reason Singapore, Korea and Shanghai top the Maths rankings worldwide.  In my opinion, the combination of Kumon rote learning and hands on Western style maths is a good one. 

As teacher mum said, some kids shut down though, so if that happens, just pull your child out.  Many kids thrive on it though and the top maths sets in these international schools are full of Kumon kids (there are exceptions to this of course)

No point asking your child's teacher because 9 times out of 10 they'll say 'no'.  Most teachers see Kumon as an affront to their teaching and educational philosophy.  You're the parent, do what you think is best and if you see it's not working, then stop.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

You could also do workbooks at home, but that is easier said than done.  Good luck with whatever you choose.

[Kiasusue]

go and look in the kumon centres at Pandan Valley, Sunset Way, Henry Park and other expat areas on a weekday after 3.30.  Now count the number of Tanglin/UWC and SAS uniforms you see in there!

Isn't it a bit kiasu to put your kids in Kumon just because there are a lot of kids with SAS, Tanglin or UWC uniforms in there 

[teacher mum 2]

go and look in the kumon centres at Pandan Valley, Sunset Way, Henry Park and other expat areas on a weekday after 3.30.  Now count the number of Tanglin/UWC and SAS uniforms you see in there!

Isn't it a bit kiasu to put your kids in Kumon just because there are a lot of kids with SAS, Tanglin or UWC uniforms in there 

Yes it is, and that wasn't what I was suggesting.

[Kumon workbooks]

Our two kids have been taking Kumon classes through one year. Personally I like the idea of steady workload, especially it has been taking only 15 - 20 min per day. It can not make any harm to the child, that for sure. Have to admit both of them hated it.
This year I have bought Kumon books and also some other exercise books and we try to do every day, again about 15 min. Now they know that this is expected, and no problems with motivation. Also there is more variety than with Kumon only.

Actually, I wonder why nowadays schools encourage kids to read every day (surely important), but the daily work in mathematic is not emphasized.

So answering to OP question I would say: practice books are as good as taking regular Kumon classes, but you might struggle with motivation. Good luck.

[singapore math]

is very different from kumon

[observation]

if you hang around these types of kids often, you will notice part of the makeup of very successful, super-achievers is fantastic time management + very good self-discipline  (often instilled since young). they're not merely bright.

i can say firsthand being gifted (or being tested as being in top-tier 95% percentile) ,smart and quick on the uptake to grasp concepts does NOT guarantee those consistent As and results if you lack those skills. or cannot be bothered with sitting through h/w and practice.

incremental h/w discipline expectations, starting from a young age achieves this.
Kumon or whatever, what it achieves as well is the early discipline of h/w expectations.

[minti]

yes or no , yes I think doing regular exercises in a regular and discipline manner. Kumon is good as there is a systematic progression according to what the kid already know and there is also the element of peer pressure.

If there is some one at home that can get the kid to do homework/exercises regularly and the kid is already learning self study and discipline, there is no need to be pressure to take kumon just because everybody is doing it.

[oneandone]

Our daughter wasreally struggling in math.  It was knocking her confidence badly.  We tired many things until a good friend mentioned Kumon.  Her kids went and hadn't mentioned to anyone for fear of snide comments from others, so decided to keep quiet.  Her children were doing well as a result. So we decided to give it a go and it made the world of difference.  The homework is plenty and a pain at times.  Our daughter went twice a week for a year.   She no longer goes as she's holding her own very well now and he confidence has rocketed.

[Kumon parent]

I'm a Kumon parent. My boy was 6 when he started; he's now 7. He is naturally interested in numbers so Kumon is right up his alley. You need to understand that Kumon is not for every child. Some people call it "death by worksheets" and that's true. Worksheets are to be completed on a daily basis, 7 days a week, even over Summer and Xmas breaks.

My child is quite happy to sit down and get on with his daily Kumon worksheets. Timing and accuracy is the essence and he enjoys the challenge. He is now in year 2 (British curriculum) and is in the top Maths group in his class. Kumon has helped with learning his multiplication table as well.  Kumon does not work/ complement the British Curriculum but what it does is that it gives him a) major confidence boost, b) headstart in arithmatic and c) time discipline. The Kumon method does not work beyond that as it doesn't cover shapes/ geometry and it doesn't do word problems. I don't see Kumon as a long term solution. My boy currently enjoys it so I'm happy to let him get on with the worksheets. The minute he starts dreading his Kumon work, that's when we will call it a day.