Firstly, it’s important to point out Kumon’s maths and English programmes can benefit all children of all abilities, as explained in our previous blog . Our centre in Harrogate is very inclusive and all children aged 4-17 are very welcome to attend. We can help any child of any ability.
This week’s blog however, happens to focus on children who perhaps have demonstrated a level of intelligence which could be seen as ‘above average’, possibly even intelligence which warrants the label ‘gifted’.
Gifted children, especially young gifted children, can sometimes drift into the background in education, as they are very likely to be meeting all the teacher’s expectations and working well. As a result, the gifted child, on occasions, might not be stretched and challenged as much as they could be. This is by no means of criticism of our schools, many teachers do regularly challenge more able pupils with differentiated work. But the level and depth of this differentiation can vary.
Before explaining how Kumon can help gifted children, lets first explore common traits gifted children demonstrate.
Is my child gifted? How can I tell?
A gifted child quite likely:
While this list above is not exclusive, and the gifted child may not demonstrate all of these traits, they are often useful indicators of higher than average ability in children.
So how can Kumon help gifted children?
Kumon’s maths and English programmes essentially pay little or no attention to a child’s age or to which year group the child is in school. Initially, we use our diagnostic tests to assess the child’s ability and each child then begins our maths or English programme from a starting point specifically appropriate for them.
For some children, who perhaps find maths or English challenging, this might involve going ‘back to basics’ and improving their confidence by building from the bottom up.
On the other hand, for a gifted child, this might involve a starting point which is immediately advanced relative to their age.
A good example of how Kumon can help harness the ability shown by a gifted child can be seen in Nina, who has attended Kumon in Harrogate since she was 6 years old.
Nina’s parents recognised early that she was demonstrating above average ability in mathematics. The Kumon maths programme has helped Nina harness this ability and introduced her to elements of maths beyond which those which are typically taught in primary school.
She quickly progressed through the ‘four operations’ of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division and was soon applying these skills to fractions. Algebra came next and Nina is now working on level H of our maths programme, a page of which is shown below. Nina is still only 11 years old and is in Year 6.
Nina is now confidently handling maths questions which are typically taught in Year 9 of high school. She is 3 years ahead of many of her peers when it comes to maths. Nina definitely is stretched and challenged in her local school; her primary school teachers and her parents deserve a lot of credit. In addition, studying with Kumon helps enhance this and gives Nina the opportunity to advance even further.
Nina’s prowess with maths is not unique amongst our students at Kumon in Harrogate. There are many children who have progressed way beyond their school grade in maths and English. We do not push the children, we just give them the tools to develop their ability at a pace which is right for them.
Right now, Kumon is offering a one week, no obligation free trial period. If you think attending the Kumon Centre in Harrogate can help your child, book your appointment here before the 16th March.
You can find out more about how the free trial works via this video
*Sponsored Blog by Kumon Harrogate.
