After months of enrollment in Kumon, one must wonder how I can be a more effective parent as my child develops skills that propel them beyond their school grade level. Parenting a child studying advanced topics can be rewarding and challenging. As your child continues their Kumon study, their needs also cope with the increasing challenges in their academic life. Here are ways you can continuously guide and support your child in reaching their full potential and, eventually, academic success.
Be Their Advocate
In the Center, your child’s Instructor understands the varying needs of each student – from a child who just enrolled to a child in elementary school doing high school-level math. The Instructor is an advocate who helps address your child’s needs, like when they feel challenged to do more at their worksheet level. At home, your child needs you as their advocate as well. Learn to listen to their needs and work hand-in-hand with the Instructor to ensure your child constantly feels challenged academically. You can provide supplementary materials, such as books and other materials that they can use to test their mettle.
Take a Backseat Ride
Allowing your child to make decisions for themselves can be one of the hardest things to do as a parent. You might worry that they know too little about life and commit mistakes. However, an advanced student has a brain that works differently from other kids their age.
Now that their Kumon study has unlocked many skills, the curiosity to venture out and face challenges is awakened. It is natural for them to seek difficult math problems to solve and complex passages to conquer. Your job is to guide your child by providing access to opportunities where they can be challenged. It could be a debate or math competition. Let them thrive in an environment where their current academic level can shine.
Allow Them to Commit Mistakes
It is a parent’s instinct to be protective of their child – ensuring they have a soft landing whenever they fall. However, not allowing them to experience scrapes and bruises might curb their growth in preparation for real life.
An advanced student will always have a nose for new things to conquer. As parents, you must encourage them to try these exciting things out – even if they encounter difficulty or fail. Balancing the need to protect your child and allowing them to rise over adversity is a key to successful parenting. If they fail, tell them it is merely a stepping stone towards success. Have faith in your child to face challenges, as their Kumon study has prepared them for this.
Focus On the Effort
In Kumon, Instructors acknowledge not only the intelligence of each student but also their efforts. This enables each child to develop a growth mindset and lifelong love for learning as they feel valued for their hard work. Praise both your child’s intelligence, efforts, and achievements. This act will instill in them a sense of appreciation for hard work that will empower them to do and achieve more towards their academic success.
Continue Challenging Them
No matter the difficulty of the current curriculum your advanced child faces, it will eventually become easier for them as they master each concept. Continue providing avenues of learning opportunities for your child to keep their minds sharp, such as continuing their Kumon study.
Kumon’s curriculum is designed to enable students to advance beyond their school grade level. By helping your child advance further, we empower them not only to have an academic edge over their peers, but also to develop a more positive attitude towards school, improved concentration skills, better study habits, increased accuracy, and the ability to work independently.
Being a parent to an advanced student is fulfilling but it is not without its challenges. Allow Kumon to remain your partner in this journey of raising an amazingly gifted child on track towards academic success and continue witnessing the power of transformative education.
