Strong Study Skills Lead to Success In and Out of the Classroom

Emma, 10-years-old, Level I (Math)

Discipline, concentration, self-confidence. These are all traits that young athletes normally develop in karate. Similarly, these are also many benefits of the Kumon Math and Reading Program.

Emma, who started studying Kumon at the age of four, credits the perseverance she developed throughout the Kumon Program for helping her succeed at karate, one of her favorite extracurricular activities.

Now, at the age of 10, she continues to apply those traits and is excelling in the classroom, where she’s studying three years above her grade level, and flourishing in karate with many gold medals.

Emma tells us a little bit more about how Kumon has helped her both in and out of the classroom.

How has Kumon helped you beyond academics?

One of the biggest things I’ve learned from Kumon is to persevere. I’ve been able to apply that in my karate training, which I like to do in my spare time. Some katas (forms) in karate are hard to learn and memorize. No matter how long it takes, I always try my hardest and push through because I learned from Kumon that sometimes learning new materials or a new subject can be difficult at first, but the difficulty only lasts for a short time.

What keeps you motivated in Kumon?
One thing that keeps me motivated in Kumon is the fact that I will have to learn this math in the future, so why not try to learn it early. I figure if I learn it now, then when the same material comes up in school, I’ll already know how to do it.

“Not everything is going to go your way. Kumon definitely helps you persevere through that. It’s not just academically helpful. It also helps you motivate yourself.”—Emma