How good is kumon maths for a 3 year old?

it really depends on what you mean by "good". Kumon is rote practice which depends on doing something over and over again daily till one has mastered it. It's boring and needs discipline on both parent's and child's part. Our son likes Maths, doesnot like Kumon all the time, but he has been going since he was 3.5 and is doing very well.

Having said that we know what we are aiming for - which is arithmetic through rote. He gets practical application and out-of-box thinking through his day school. We don't plan to continue Kumon beyond a certain point.

It really depends on one's goals, interests and the child himself / herself. It is not going to help in international school assessments - if hat's what you are aiming for.
 
Thanks for coming back. I wanted to understand whether it's worth sending her to kumon at 3 and will that add value instead of doing nothing at home. I personally likes ucmas abacus but they don't teach in English and it's too early for a 3 year old. What other options should I consider other than kumon?

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I sent DD to kumon for help when she's struggling in elementary school. I think it helped tremendously. However, I think it helped because it forced kids to actually do their homework. It's a pity that DD can't bear the heavy work. Then we switch to this site beestar. It's teacher recommended, full of all real life word problems, challenging stuff to help her thinking. But for a 3yo kid, I think kumon work is much too heavy...
Lisa
 
Hi,

I guess for a 3 year old kid it is not necessary to send her to Kumon Maths. My girl is now 5 and I've been teaching her simple calculation concepts at home myself. The tools I used are anything handy you could find at home, with the help of some story books or soft toys!

Try it!
Maggie Ka Ka
 
I also heard Enopi is pretty good, a bit less rote, a bit more concepts. Still similar stuff in my eyes. I wouldn't start a child too early unless he or she really enjoys it though. There's a reason why Germany band 'extracurricular' activities for kindergarten age kids.
 
I guess we are taking about three year olds here who would be learning to count, quantify etc. Hands on practice is all they need with real things/material. If any one needs further clarification or advice , I can send some links.😊

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Yes, would love to see some links on this.

My boy is 3. 5 years old now. He keep skipping 15 when counting from 1-20 and weak with text recognition. However when i teach him math with my fingers he seem quite alright. More info would be go. thanks!!
 
I think it depends on what kind of school you want to send your kid to after kindergarten. I feel this kind of rote style learning would be good preparation for local schools / Asian curriculum (eg. singapore international) but as far as western curriculum schools are concerned, Kumon's teaching style and learning method is very different and might not be as helpful as you think. Besides, at this age, I don't feel there is much that Kumon can teach the kid that you wouldn't be able to do, Kumon is perhaps more useful for older kids
 
Just wondering though, do you think a bit of rote learning can help a child enhance their discipline or the ability to sit and concentrate, or would it kill his interest in learning?

Our boy is now 3.5, totally active. According to all his teachers (be it Montessori or ESF or interest classes in the past) all said his concentration is quite weak in comparison to other kids his age. He has Sensory Integration issues and has improved a lot after doing a year of therapy, but still spaces out or removes himself from class when he lost interest, which is way faster than other kids his age.

He is going full IB in an non-Asian through-train school so at least he won't be asked to sit like a log in class any time soon, but i am still worried...
 
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