How to Get Your Child to do Their Kumon Homework

Getting kids to sit down and focus on homework or extra-curricular work can often feel like an uphill battle. The key is to find strategies that align with your child’s developmental stage, interests, and learning preferences. Below are some helpful strategies tailored for different age groups, including both early learners and school-aged kids, to make their learning experience more engaging and productive.

Strategies for Early Learners (Ages 3-6)

For younger children, the focus should be on making learning fun, interactive, and predictable. At this stage, kids often have shorter attention spans, so it’s important to keep things light, visual, and rewarding. Here are some strategies to try:

1. Visual Timetable

Create a colorful, picture-based daily schedule that includes Kumon sessions alongside other daily activities like playtime, meals, and nap time. This helps children visualize their day and provides a sense of structure, making it easier for them to anticipate when it’s time for learning. Post the timetable up in the kitchen, at their desk or in another highly visible spot as a daily reminder.

2. Sticker Chart

A sticker chart is a simple yet effective way to track progress. Each time your child completes a Kumon session, reward them with a sticker. When they fill up the chart for the week, offer a small prize or a fun activity as a reward. This encourages consistency and helps them associate effort with positive outcomes. For students studying on Kumon Connect this is built in! Students accumulate stars for every day they complete their work.

3. Storytime Integration

Make Kumon time part of a larger, enjoyable routine by pairing it with story time. For instance, once your child finishes their Kumon work, read them a favorite book or tell them a story. This creates a positive association with learning and helps your child look forward to their tasks. Check out Kumon’s Recommended Reading List!

4. Educational Toys and Games

Incorporate educational toys or games that complement what they are learning in Kumon. For example, counting blocks or puzzles can be great tools to reinforce early math skills in a playful way. Counting steps is another great activity and it gives them a chance to get to higher numbers. This brings an element of fun and interaction to the learning process.

5. Short, Frequent Sessions

Young children have shorter attention spans and energy levels can vary throughout the day, so breaking up learning into small, manageable sessions can work well. This could be as short as 5-10 minutes to complete their Kumon work, and progressively work up to longer stretches. This prevents them from feeling overwhelmed and helps them stay focused.

6. Interactive Tools

Tech-savvy young learners often enjoy interactive platforms for both fun and learning. And many schools incorporate technology into their learning curriculum. While screentime is worth monitoring, a digital platform can make learning more engaging and dynamic. Unlike passive activities such as watching videos or playing games, Kumon Connect encourages active engagement and progress is monitored by their Instructor. Students interact with the content through daily exercises that reinforce key learning concepts. Students also use a stylus just like a pencil, so they get to develop their fine motor and hand-writing skills. For students just learning to hold a pencil/stylus, either a triangular stylus/pencil can be used, or a gripper can be added. 

Strategies for School-Aged Kids (Ages 7+)

As students progress through the Kumon Program, they develop independent learning skills, but they also face more complex tasks. At this stage, it’s crucial to give them more ownership of their learning routine while still providing guidance and support. The following strategies can help make Kumon work more manageable and rewarding for older kids:

1. Personalized Rewards

Tailor rewards to your child’s specific interests. This could range from a little extra recreational screen time to a favorite snack or a favorite activity. They may not be motivated by the same rewards they were as younger kids, so involve kids in the discussion of coming up with rewards. By offering incentives that are meaningful to them, you’re more likely to motivate them to stay on track with their Kumon work.

Over time they may see that working speedily gives them more time to do other things like pursue hobbies or play with their friends or that doing Kumon makes school homework easier. Perhaps doing Kumon allows them to help other kids at school. Acknowledging these benefits can help nurture their intrinsic motivation so that they need fewer external rewards.

2. Goal Setting

Set clear, specific goals for their Kumon work and track their progress. For example, break down a larger task into smaller, achievable steps and celebrate when they hit milestones. This helps build a sense of accomplishment and encourages your child to stay focused. In Kumon this could be aiming to complete their current level or next level by a certain date, or even mastering a specific concept or skill by a deadline.

3. Use Technology

As students move into high levels of education, technology will become increasingly important. At the college level, they may be expected to complete a lot of their work using a laptop or tablet. It’s important that children learn to see technology as a tool for learning. A digital platform like Kumon Connect offers students a place to actively engage in the learning process by combining the benefits of hand-written work and an interactive learning platform.

4. Independent Study Time

No matter your child’s age, give them the opportunity to learn to manage their own study time. If they have their own device, have them set an alarm for themselves so they know when it’s time to do their work. And they can use a timer to set boundaries for their sessions. This encourages them to take responsibility for their learning and fosters independence.

5. Visual Progress Tracking

Create a visual tracker, such as a wall chart or digital app, where your child can monitor their progress. Seeing how much they’ve accomplished over time can be a huge motivator and give them a sense of achievement. In Kumon Connect, they have this feature built-in! Both parent and student can monitor their progress over time and in real-time. There is also a star chart tracking daily work completion, so for students needing a little more incentive, this tool can help keep track. Additionally, if a student gets 100% on their first attempt of the worksheet set, they get a visual of their score with falling confetti to celebrate.

6. Parental Involvement

Show interest in what your child is learning by discussing their Kumon work with them and helping with challenging problems. Your active involvement reinforces the importance of their studies and offers emotional support when needed. Even for older students, check to make sure they’ve completed their work. While the goal is to build independence, it’s important to monitor that work is being completed as assigned and offer praise and encouragement along the way.

With the Kumon Connect app, you can log in and see your child’s current study records and study history in real time.

The myKumon Portal is another great way to stay up to date on your child’s progress. You can see your child’s progress for the past few months as well as their achievements and awards. It also has lots of great parent resources.

7. Real-World Applications

Show your child how their Kumon skills can be applied in everyday life. Math is all around us. For instance, they can calculate change when shopping or measure ingredients while cooking. And reading skills have endless applications. Some of their favorite movies might have been based on books that require high-level reading ability. Find ways to connect Kumon work to your child’s hobbies or passions. For instance, if your child loves sports, explain how math can be used to understand game statistics. This helps them see the practical value of what they are learning.

By tailoring your strategies to suit your child’s age, interests, and developmental stage, you can transform Kumon practice (and other homework or extra-curricular tasks) into something more enjoyable and less of a struggle. By selecting an approach that’s right for your child, you’ll help your child develop a love for learning that lasts well beyond their Kumon sessions.