Three-and-a-half year old twins getting an early and bright start

At Kumon we are always thinking, learning, developing and applying what we learn in order to do what we do, better. We learn continuously from the programme itself, as well as from all the students working through the Kumon Programmes.

For some of the Kumon Staff this learning is first-hand, as they work with their own children through the programmes. Joyce, a senior member of staff at the Edenvale Study Centre, is doing the Kumon Programme with all three her daughters, the youngest being three-and-a-half year old twins Hané and Joané.

Joyce remembers the time and commitment it took when her eldest daughter, now five years old, started Kumon. This knowledge has been helpful when starting with the twins at Kumon.

Hané and Joané love Kumon, and are very eager to come to centre. It is fun for Joyce to see them enjoy the worksheets. They both want to write, even though they are not required to do so yet with all the worksheets, as the focus right now for them is on recitation, repetition and sight word recognition, pointing and speaking aloud as they are guided through the fun and colourful worksheets.

The twins started with the Maths Programme and then six months later with the English. Joyce feels that as second language English speakers, it is important to give them the opportunity to be comfortable in an English world. As their confidence grows in the language, the twins are starting to speak to the staff at the centre in English.


 
Joyce wants Hané and Joané to be seen separately – as individuals, which makes the Kumon Programmes perfect for them as they are able to work through the worksheets, each at their own pace. Hané knows her numbers up to 10 out of sequence and is able to recognise her words in Level 7A English independently, whereas Joané is more emotional and prefers to work with Joyce over any of the other staff members.

Working with the twins has made Joyce more aware of what to communicate to other parents with children of the same age as they work through the programme, including things to be aware of to focus on at home and not just on centre days. Things such as how their children should be holding their pencils, forming their letters correctly, sitting correctly and writing from left to right. She is also able to give parents good advice, such as, that it is easier to do the Kumon worksheets first thing in the morning, even before breakfast and especially for working parents, so that it is done for the day and during a time when the children are in a positive space to learn.

It is very rewarding for Joyce to see both Hané and Joané already making use of the skills they are learning during their play and activities outside of Kumon. Both Hané and Joané are getting an early and bright start, each in their own way.

We wish them both well, and look forward to seeing their progress through the programmes.