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JAN -JUN 2020
KUMON FEATURE A Strong Start Makes A Difference
PARENTING TIPS Why Reading in Early Years Counts?
MY LIFE,
MY DREAM Ng Kye Jin Deettyalaxtmi Naidu Sundar
Editor’s Note
ON THE COVER JAN - JUN 2020 NG KYE JIN
Happy New Year! The beginning of a brand new year is always exciting as we anticipate new chapters, opportunities as well as new sets of challenges. Quoting Forrest Gump, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get”. Come what may, we at Kumon Malaysia, will continue to help our students maximise their potential, setting them on the right path to success. As the first issue for year 2020, we are featuring two inspiring Kumon students, Ng Kye Jin and Deettyalaxtmi, age 11 and 12 respectively. Be sure to read on to find out more about their unique personalities - Ng Kye Jin, an energetic boy who loves
Contents MY LIFE, MY DREAM
03
Set A Goal And Work Towards It! Ng Kye Jin
The Key To Success 04 Unlocking Deettyalaxtmi Naidu Sundar
sports and how Kumon has equipped him with critical life skills to become an athlete. On the other hand, Deettyalaxtmi isn’t just an ordinary teenager, but a talented classical Indian dancer whose ambition is to become a cardiologist! Recently, Kumon was presented with the Pa&Ma Awards for two categories - the Best Enrichment Centre and the Best English and Maths Programme. We are truly honoured to be recognised for these wins and would like to take this opportunity to thank our Kumon parents, Instructors and students for your continuous support. As you read on, be sure to not miss out on the 10 tips to encourage good reading habits in your early learners that we’ve included in the Parenting Tips section!
FEATURES Article 06 Regional A Strong Start Makes A Difference
08
Instructors’ Quotes
REGULARS
10
Local News Headine: Double Win For The Kumon Pa&Ma Awards
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Parenting Tips Why Reading In Early Years Counts?
Once again, we wish all of you a Happy New Year ahead! May this new year bring an abundance of joy, peace and good health to you and your family. Let us continue to help our children unlock their limitless potential! Love, Kumon Malaysia
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Tel: 1 800 88 1010 E-mail: information@kumon.com.my Website: www.kumonmalaysia.com INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY NOTICE The logos, graphics, pictures, design, and layout (“Contents”) of this entire newsletter are the exclusive property of Kumon Asia & Oceania Pte Ltd. The Contents contained in this newsletter shall not be reproduced or copied without the express written consent of Kumon Asia & Oceania Pte Ltd. © 2020 Kumon Asia & Oceania Pte Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Kumon Malaysia
My life, my dream
Ng Kye Jin, 11 Subject Mathematics Current Level K50 (as of Aug 2019) Advanced Level 5 years advanced Interest Badminton, Taekwondo Ambition Athlete
“
I really love sports and I want to make my country proud by winning a gold medal in the Olympics.
Set A Goal And Work Towards It! Ng Kye Jin (‘Kye Jin’) has joined Kumon
skills from his Kumon journey such as
for over six years, having started Kumon
problem solving, being disciplined as
Maths at the age of five. Kye Jin has
well as independent. Today, at the age
always loved sports and dreamt of
of 11, he has a black-belt in taekwondo
becoming a professional athlete. Kye
and achieved many other milestones in
Jin’s mother, Mrs Ng was well aware
sports. He has participated in various
of his dream and knew that she had
taekwondo and badminton competitions
to select the right learning centre for
including national and International
her son to succeed. Kye Jin’s mother
levels.
first heard about Kumon from her friend when she was looking for a learning centre that was able to help her daughter, Ng Ler-Vine who faced difficulty in Maths. At that time, Ng LerVine found topics such as multiplication challenging. As Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) examination was fast approaching, Mrs Ng enrolled Ng LerVine and Kye Jin for the Kumon Maths programme. After a few months, her daughter showed improvement and even scored an A in Maths for UPSR. From then on, Mrs Ng was convinced that Kumon helps pave a strong learning foundation in children.
On the academic front, Kye Jin excels in maths, having participated in a number of international maths competitions across Asia such as the Singapore and Asian Schools Math Olympiad (SASMO), Malaysia International Mathematics Competition (MIMO) and Kangaroo Maths, the world’s largest mathematics competition. As a confident child, he is ever-ready to take on challenges and enjoys solving maths questions. Currently, he is studying five years ahead of his school grade level. Kye Jin was inspired to attain greater heights when he read a
perseverance has paid off as he finally achieved his dream, four years later.
story of another advanced student in
A child’s success isn’t a one-off
When Kye Jin entered Primary one,
Kumon in his second year as a Kumon
journey, but a continuous journey with
he started to take interest in sports
student. Fueled with determination and
the support of their parents, teachers,
especially taekwondo and badminton.
eagerness to become an advanced
Instructor and a determined mindset.
Despite his young age, Kye Jin is very
student, he reached out to his Kumon
The Kumon journey does not just pave
mature and knew that he must be very
Instructor for guidance to help him
way for academic excellence, but also
disciplined, confident and persistent
achieve his goal to become an
equip children with critical life skills that
in order to be successful. He shared
advanced student. It is inspiring to
will help them succeed in many other
that he learned all the necessary life
know that his persistent hard work and
areas too.
3
My life, my dream
Unlocking The Key To
Success
D
eettyalaxtmi (‘Deettya’) started Kumon Maths at the age of five, following her cousins’ footsteps who were already enrolled for the Kumon programme earlier. Deettya’s mother, Mrs Thanggama, believes that Kumon goes beyond being a learning enrichment centre that is academic-focused but also helps the child to maximise his or her abilities to the fullest potential. After seven years with Kumon, Deettya has progressed five years
beyond her actual school grade level for Kumon Maths and is currently a top student in school. As a girl who is determined to achieve her goals and make her family proud, Deettya remains focused and continues to give her best in everything that she does. Through the eyes of her mother, Deettya is now more matured, disciplined and confident, especially as she attempts challenging maths questions.
Deettyalaxtmi Naidu Sundar , 12 Subject Mathematics Current Level K100 (as of Aug 2019) Achievement 5 years advanced Interest Classical Indian Dance Ambition Cardiologist
4
Throughout her journey with Kumon, Deettya experienced many ups and downs but has never once given up, as she would constantly motivate
herself when learning new content and she constantly feels excited and accomplished when she succeeds in solving questions on her own. Since joining Kumon and learning ahead of her school grade level, she feels more confident and disciplined. No matter how difficult topics may get, Deettya ensures that she never misses completing her Kumon worksheets each day. Deettya also ensures she practices good study habits, allocating time to complete her school work and
Kumon worksheets. Over time, Deettya is able to practice good time management and have a good balance between her studies and not neglecting her other interests. Deettya is also diligent in allocating time to rest, ensuring her workload is always manageable. She further shared how she learned to prioritise her time during an examination, where she set a goal for herself to allocate approximately an hour to complete the multiple-choice question section, which provided her with sufficient time to recheck her responses to ensure that she has answered them correctly.
Deettya loves dancing. She started attending classical Indian dance classes at a tender age of five. Despite having encountered various challenges throughout her dance journey, she pressed on, embracing the challenge that comes with having to master synchronicity and style. She has since successfully completed her lessons and performed in various temples. Deettya is a proud, yet humble performer who is extremely passionate about the art of classical Indian dance. In fact, she hopes that her success will in turn inspire others in her age and younger, to cherish the tradition and culture behind classical Indian dance. Her discipline and strong sense of responsibility has moulded her to be a committed school prefect and student who is always willing to help her friends in their studies, especially maths. Deettya is also an avid reader and regularly exchanges books with her friends and often discuss their thoughts over their favourite books too. Recently, her tenacity to read as many books as she could paid off as
she received the Tokoh Nilam award in school for reading a total of 204 books in a year! Deettya attributes her success to her parents, especially her mother who has been very encouraging and attentive, ensuring that she has a smooth learning experience both in school and during her Kumon classes. Her mother’s dedication and continuous support has been one of the greatest motivation for her. Also looking up to her seniors in school as inspiration, Deettya understands that there is no shortcut to success, but to work hard to unlock her best potential and achieve her goals. Deettya still has many chapters ahead of her. Her ambition is to become a cardiologist as she hopes to give back to the society. She’s definitely on the right track to achieving her dreams!
5
Regional Article
A Strong Start Makes A Difference
Studies have shown that the first five years of a child’s life are crucial to their development. It is an incredibly important time for them to develop essential learning and life skills, that has a direct impact on their future achievements in school and the adult they will become.
What makes Kumon unique and different? Children as young as four years old can enrol in programmes offered by Kumon. Its unique method of learning is tailored to suit each individual child’s ability and needs, allowing your little ones to take small steps towards their goals. Through this learning journey, your child will also become more independent, resilient and confident. Here’s how Kumon Method of Learning helps to build these early foundational skills.
Developing motor skills
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Your child’s mastery of their finemotor skills, or the use of hands, will allow him or her greater independence, as well as good handwriting skills. Handwriting is
such an important skill to have for future reading, communication and written expression. This is why it is important to make sure the building blocks for handwriting are solid. Before the young ones are able to write letters and numbers, they will need to have proper pencil grip and a certain level of pencil skills. Kumon understands just how important fine motor skills can unlock a child’s full potential, and its Pencil Skills Programme is specifically designed to develop a child’s ability to write. Our exercises gently progress children from colouring pictures with a thick crayon to carefully drawing straight and curved lines, as well as intricate design with a pencil. We know there are many stages before a child can write with dexterity, and our programme and our Instructors
develop early learners through all the stages. As children continue to progress with Kumon, they’ll eventually be able to join their letters, form sentences and write neatly with speed and accuracy.
Instilling academic ability and skills Kumon develops academic ability in our early learners. They are exposed to their very first reading and mathematical concepts. Depending on their ability, the early learners enrolled in Kumon Maths will be learning to count, read, trace and write numbers, whereas those enrolled in Kumon English will be learning to recite words, phrases and short sentences, as well as tracing and writing the alphabets.
These worksheets are colourful with attractive pictures to keep the little minds engaged while learning.
their little milestones and achievements to encourage our little early learners.
Our early learners will learn to read and follow instructions, and to follow a clear study flow – academic skills that are important to prepare them for school later.
“Parents should give their children acknowledgement and praise; they should be patient and should not rush; they should not easily become angered and should strive to provide their children with things that interest them,” Mr. Toru Kumon wrote in The Strengths of the Kumon Method on how he thought parents should support their child’s development.
Nurturing good attitude towards study Children are keen to learn by nature and our engaging worksheets facilitate their learning while keeping their interest burning. Our Instructors and assistants help by assigning worksheets that are “just-right” for them. Our Kumon Instructors and assistants, as well as our Kumon parents can help to support this interest by praising and celebrating
Having observed that the common traits in Kumon Centres, where Instructors have nurtured many children to become excellent students, Mr. Minoru Maeda, president of Kumon Asia and Oceania, shared his hope for our Kumon Instructors.
“Both Instructors and parents can convey to young children the feeling of ‘let’s enjoy learning in the Centre’, so as to spark their interest and learn actively, and grow up to enjoy learning,’” Maeda wrote in one of his monthly messages to Instructors. “Instructors, I hope you and your assistants can also respond to early learners with smiles, and do not forget to praise and encourage them,” he continued. When children are young, they are learning sponges. Every new experience, every word they learn, every behaviour they adopt, are all about honing and molding the holistic child, which will eventually form the basis of their lifelong journey.
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Feature
Ms Tan
Hwa Ch
Kumon M
oo
alaysia
“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” – Laozi Kumon very much embodies this quote. The first few worksheets of a new topic are presented in a strikingly simplistic manner in order to promote a fundamental understanding in the students; especially in early learners. The complexity of the worksheets slowly builds upon itself in such a way that allows the students to see the connection from one level of understanding to another. The Kumon progressing system also allows me as an instructor to ensure that the fundamental building blocks are not forsaken as student progress further in their Kumon journey.
Welcoming children who just learn for the first time is the most nervous moment, and yet at the same time, it is fun.
Ibu Earlyn Yolanda
Kumon Indonesia
When they dared to enter the classroom they have just met, it was actually their first extraordinary achievement. By getting enough information beforehand, we try to get to know them better and make them feel comfortable. By fully supporting them, they will not feel alone. The next step is to direct and give them opportunities to do anything independently, like looking for their worksheet folder, preparing stationeries, even taking off shoes by themselves. We give praise for no matter how small the progress they can make in Kumon center. Our hope is to make them go home smiling and ask their parents, “When will I come back to Kumon center?”
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Instructors’ Quotes I’ve learned that young children love routines, being able to complete a task successfully and be showered with praises. By starting at each of their ‘just-right’ level, our early learners experience success each time they complete a set of Kumon worksheet and activities in the Centre.
“
Expectations are clearly communicated to parents/guardians of early learners. Their support and encouragement make a world of difference to our early learners!
Ms Cindy Koh Kumon Brunei
The path of learning poses many challenges, conquering them needs great courage and perseverance.
In order to equip early learners with the right study approach for advance learning, we build a systematic learning plan and work together with parents to achieve our learning goals. Guiding and motivating students to keep trying, praising and encouraging them frequently, we want to build young and confident self-learners who enjoy studying on their own!
Ms Barbra Tan
Kumon Singapore 9
Local News
Best Enrichment Centre English and Maths Programme
Headline: Double Win For Kumon For
THE PA&MA AWARDS At Kumon, we recognise this and that is why we believe that holistic learning is key in providing students with a strong learning foundation, equipping them with critical life skills such as independence, perseverance and discipline. The Kumon Method, introduced by our founder, Toru Kumon over 60 years ago, remains relevant today as its unique approach allows a child to unlock his or her fullest potential. In 2019, Kumon has won the Pa&Ma award, held in conjunction with the magazine’s 18th anniversary celebration. Kumon was recognised for two categories, namely for the Best Enrichment Centre and the Best English and Maths Programme. These two award wins further affirms the efficacy of the Kumon Method and we are committed to continue to pave the way for many more students to be successful in academics and beyond. Last but not least, on behalf of the Kumon team, we would like to extend our heartiest appreciation to our Kumon Instructors, parents and students for your continuous support – THANK YOU!
In Reference to Potential Magazine, Issue 2, 2019 – Update With reference to Issue 2 (2019) of the Potential Magazine, we would like to apologise on the oversight for the grammatical errors reflected within the articles. The affected articles have since been revised and you may read the updated version from Kumon Malaysia’s Facebook page. Thank you for your kind understanding and continuous support. 10
Parenting Tips
Why Reading In Early Years Counts?
Reading is one of the most essential skills children need to learn for lifelong success. It helps to form the building blocks of language and literacy in the first three years of a child’s life. Enjoying books and reading stories from an early age will help to increase children’s ability to understand words, develop creativity and imagination. It also helps in their speech development too. How to encourage good reading habits in our little ones? Try these 10 easy tips to encourage good reading habits in your child by making them fun.
1 Create reading spaces for your little ones
6 Make reading fun
Fostering a love of books and of reading gives your little ones a
As you read to your child, point out interesting objects or
great start in life. By creating a cosy, comfortable reading nook,
characters, the “red balloon” in Goodnight Moon or “Jerry
you will give them every reason to fall in love with the world of
Jordan” in Dr. Seuss’s ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book to
books and reading.
them to trigger their interests.
2 Set an example
7 Talk about what your child is reading
Be a role model and read in front of your child. Watching you
After your child has finished a book, talk about what
reading books or newspapers shows your child that reading is
happened or what his or her favourite part was. This helps
important. You can also encourage him or her to join you with his
to develop and enhance their comprehension skills.
or her own book.
3 Reading with your child
8 Reading beyond home Teach your child that reading is more than just books. It can
Set aside some time to read to your child. It is a time for closeness,
transcend from indoor to outdoor too. Practice reading street
laughing and having great conversations together. This great
names, road signs, instructions, and more. Show your child
bonding will also help him or her to become lifelong readers.
that reading is everywhere.
4 Visit your local library
9 Praise your child
Visits to child-friendly libraries will make your child want to read.
As you read to your children, you may notice certain small
Making reading fun can be easy with a library card. Let your
achievements. It could be them completing a book in one
child pick out a book of their choice - one that caught his or her
sitting, or repeating the word “balloon” after you. Celebrate
attention from the Children’s Section.
these little achievements by praising them and let them feel
5 Pick books at the just-right level
good about reading.
Help your child find books that are not too hard or too easy.
10 Read each night
Children have better reading experiences when they read books
Make reading part of your child’s bedtime routine, and they
at the right level. You can check your choices by having your child
like routine. A good cuddle and bedtime story can help calm
read a few pages to you. If your child struggles with reading the
them down, and sleep better at night.
words, try a different book.
Reading should be fun, not frustrating. If you are unsure of what are the age-appropriate books to select for your child, the Kumon Recommended Reading List (RRL) is a good resource to help you get started with. The RRL consists of 380 carefully curated titles, intended to help students find books that they will enjoy reading, and to encourage them to read books from a wide range of genres and styles. The RRL can also be viewed here: http://www.kumon-english-rrl.com/
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The Origins of the Kumon Method
After more than half a century, his philosophy still continues to help many children develop the ability to reach for their goals and dreams. Kumon offers learning opportunities in more than 50 different countries and regions around the world. Handmade materials created by Toru Kumon for his son (Takeshi) in 1954.
Toru Kumon (Founder of the Kumon Method)