The Outstanding Sibling!

Meet two siblings, Lim Oscar and Lim Elise, who are nine and seven years old respectively and are two of the many successful Kumon students. Since they embarked in the Kumon programme in 2020, they have progressed well and are now learning maths materials that are five years ahead of their peers at school. In the beginning, they have assumed that the Kumon programme can only teach them maths. Eventually, they realised that Kumon was much more than that. Kumon also teaches them critical life skills such as self-discipline and problem solving, which are important for their future.

Oscar, who loves maths said that maths is a fun and interesting subject to learn. For Elise, her passion is more towards English, because she is comfortable with the language since young. Sharing their experience with Kumon, they admitted that sometimes they do feel some pressures because they find it difficult to understand the given examples or questions in the Kumon worksheets as they are doing advanced learning. However, with the help and support from their Kumon Instructor and parents, both of them managed to tackle all these challenges. “Due to the Kumon programme, I can now understand maths lessons more easily at school and score high marks for maths!” Elise exclaimed excitedly. She also said that sometimes she will guide her friends in school when they need help in maths and English.

They added that the Kumon programme taught them to concentrate better, to be self-disciplined and to develop problem-solving skills. “Normally we do Kumon worksheets after finishing our school homework.

Name : Lim Elise

Age : 7 years old

Achievement : 5 years advanced in Maths

Ambition : Doctor Name : Lim Oscar

Age : 9 years old

Achievement : 5 years advanced in Maths

Ambition : Pilot

Kumon also teaches us how to prioritise our tasks and manage our time more efficiently,” both of them shared. Oscar, whose ambition is to be a pilot, loves reading, playing video games and swimming. Elise loves to read books and wants to be a doctor when she grows up. In 2022, both of them attend the Kangaroo Maths and Science competitions. They admitted that the competition was tough but they took it as a challenge and were very happy to participate in it for the learning experience. Both of them shared that they like Kumon because their Instructor is helpful in guiding them the step-by-step on how to answer the given questions and to learn how to sharpen their analytical skills.

Ms. Kerena, Oscar and Elise’s mother, first heard about Kumon from word-of-mouth as well as through her social media. Her hopes were for her children to improve academically when she enrolled them in Kumon. “I know they love maths, so I wanted them to obtain a stronger basic foundation and be better in maths. But now I realised that Kumon helps them not only in academics but they also learn about self-discipline, gaining better concentration and ability to problem solve.” she added.

For Ms. Kerena, she feels that the Kumon method is truly unique. She loves the Kumon teaching method, as the saying goes, ‘If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime’. She added, “I love the concept of letting the kids attempt the question first, let them focus on their analytical thinking, rather than just spoon-feeding them by showing them immediately how to do it. From the learnings, they are able to take on more challenging problems and are now among the highest-ranking students, especially in maths.”

She also shared that both of her children have a habit of finishing the worksheets once they have started. This is self-discipline. Kumon improved their focus and gives them more confidence now. She shared that previously, Oscar was a bit shy and rather reserved, but now he is more confident as he is doing advanced learning. He also has developed the mindset of ‘I can do it!’ which really builds up his confidence level.

Through the Kumon journey, there will be ups and downs. As such, when her children face difficulties, she will encourage them to try and learn from the given examples first. “I let them do it first, just like in Kumon Centre. But if they are unable to after several attempts, my husband will give him some hints and guide him step-by-step,” she said. She also admitted that she and her husband do not believe in spoon-feeding. She added that their children never missed doing the Kumon worksheets, even during holidays. They will bring along the Kumon worksheets and complete the worksheets without reminders as they are aware of their responsibility. “It has already become their habit to do Kumon worksheets every day,” she added.

She also shared that parents need to spend meaningful time with the children. Words of encouragement and praises are important for their growth and learning journey. Also, parents need to accept the fact that each child has different abilities and capabilities. As long as the children put in their best effort, eventually, they will reach their goal. She added, “Kumon is not just all about Maths and English subjects. It is a family-oriented education. As such, Kumon will train the kids to build self-discipline, improve their concentration and be responsible for their learning – with parents supporting them along the way.