How do you know your child is studying at just the right level?
Have you ever noticed that when your child wants to do something, they can concentrate on it for a long time, perhaps longer than you ever thought they could? They can’t sit still for 5 minutes when you’re trying to get something done or are finishing up an important call but will build an entire city made of Legos, sit at the table working on a compelling jigsaw puzzle, or design an art project of their choosing, for hours. This is the power of motivation that can occur when they’re working with materials that are “just right” for them.
“Just right” does not mean that the work is easy. Instead, it is the right level of challenging and motivating. When children are motivated to work on material at their ability level, they can surprise you with their concentration and focus!
Similarly, when Kumon study is at a “just right” level, students may find learning more enjoyable. The “just right” level at Kumon will enhance your child’s motivation to learn, teach them how to study, and develop their ambition to learn more.
Takeshi Kumon, who was the first Kumon student, said about the Kumon Method, “I think it is a method to learn how to gain knowledge.” In other words, children come to Kumon to learn how to learn. They are able to accomplish this when their Instructor individualizes the lesson plan to ensure it is at a “just right” level for them.
In addition to motivation, there is an element of understanding the concepts in the worksheets. Over the course of your child’s Kumon journey, the Instructor will continue to provide each student with the appropriate worksheets for them, regardless of their school grade level. Kumon aims to enable students to become independent by fostering in them the mindset and skills for self-learning.
Instructors and Center Assistants develop students by having them study the Examples in the worksheets, encouraging them to always “give it a try” – even if it’s challenging. Your child’s Instructor will try to get them to use their knowledge of concepts learned in previous worksheets to do their current worksheet successfully. If your child gets stuck, the Instructor might ask:
- “What do you think is the next step?”
- “Can you explain up until which point you understand?”
- “Can you underline the words in the passage where the answer can be found?”
Instructors ask these questions because students learn from the worksheets.
This combination of focus, motivation, and understanding forms the basis of ensuring your child’s “just right” level of study. Every child is different, and each child has a different level of ability. Toru Kumon, the founder of the Kumon Method and Takeshi’s father, believed in this idea of “just right” learning in order to overcome children’s differences in ability and thus pursue the potential of each child individually.