The human brain is very much akin to a knife. If left to itself, it becomes dull and unusable. The elderly have been proven to become afflicted with Parkinson’s Disease when certain neurons in the brain either gets impaired or dies. Or, in other words, the risk skyrockets when the brain is not as active as it used to be when in young age.
As such the reasonable thing to do would be to engage and sharpen it. For children, parents can opt to start them off on the journey in unlocking the limitless potential of a growing brain as early as the age of four.
Just one of many options available, the KUMON Method is a world-recognised education method of learning that teaches mathematics and reading for a much younger demographic.
The KUMON programmes differ slightly depending on the country, but the common thread that binds each programme together is how they are worksheet-based.
Tailoring Right Mindsets
Imagine someone attempting to do something else that requires muscle memory, such as playing video games, learning a musical instrument or a technical sport such as football. If the person does not have an interest in doing any of these muscle memory-intensive activities, they are simply not going to be able to learn and grasp the technicality as fast as someone that does have interest.
The same applies to education and improving the mental strength for accruing knowledge.
Repeatedly engaging KUMON’s worksheets will most certainly ignite a child’s interest, as it begins at a fairly easy level. Progression will be seen when these worksheets become easier, igniting a spark to take on increasingly harder and more complex worksheets.
Through this foundation, a child’s mental agility will progressively increase, and the evident by-product that parents will see is not only their children’s increase in enthusiasm and discipline to continue pushing onwards, but also aspects such as decision-making.
Fortifying Mental Capacities
Research has shown that the connectivity between neurons in the brain can be significantly altered with experience, where through practice, neural networks are able to grow new connections while also strengthening existing ones.
This means a child will experience neural growth through their actions when attempting KUMON’s worksheets, as the latter will require children to employ several different skillsets such as efficient learning strategies, asking the right questions and practicing constantly.
Termed “growth mindset”, this is a system of inculcated belief that children are able to sharpen their brains with effort and the right learning strategies, such as giving them the time and room to learn through consistent practice.
The effects of a proper growth mindset was seen in a child development study by Lisa S Blackwell and her colleagues, where 7th graders from a public secondary school in New York City were split into a control group and a group that received training in growth mindset and to apply the idea to their schoolwork.
It resulted in the control group showing declining grades, while students in the growth mindset group that showed increasing effort and motivation that led to a clear rebound in grades.
Beyond proven
The above are naturally included in KUMON’s meticulously crafted, self-instructional and step-by-step worksheets. These worksheets cater to the child’s personal ability and are targeted to give them a daily brain workout on English and Mathematics.
With more than 25,000 centres in more than 50 countries worldwide, KUMON has been helping kids reach their potential for more than 60 years. It also owns the largest education franchise network in Malaysia with more than 200 centres nationwide.
At KUMON, a Year-End Special Promotional Campaign is currently ongoing, where parents can enjoy one and a half months of study at the price of one month. Registering new students before Nov 7 entitles parents to receive a free Kumon bag.
For more information, call 1800-88-1010, visit KUMON MALAYSIA
