5 ways of encouraging children to reach their academic potential

Toru Kumon

Every parent or guardian believes in the potential of their child and has great dreams for his or her future; we've explored five ways you can support your child as they work towards building a bright future for themselves:

1. Identify strengths and weaknesses
   Being able to identify your child's academic strengths and weaknesses through a frank discussion with them will allow you to assess their current ability together. Once established, some extra practice could be dedicated to their weaker areas to ensure there are no gaps in their learning and that they can progress confidently, and additional focus can be placed on their strengths to enhance their interest in, and engagement with, this topic.


2. Set goals
   These are valuable ideas for self-development, and ones which are beneficial for children to learn. Goals help us evaluate ourselves - where we are now, and where we would like to be. Setting goals will get your child thinking about the possibilities and potential for their future and how they can go about striving for it.


3. Give encouragement
   Words of encouragement give children a real confidence boost. Acknowledgment of their hard work and skill will really motivate a child and spur them on to try even harder. Also, being involved and showing an interest in your child's study will let them know they have your support and backing.


4. Use supplementary resources
   There are plenty of resources widely available to help children learn and develop including educational toys, study guides, books and software programmes. Why not visit the library together and have your child pick out their own book? This will encourage greater engagement with the content as well as vocabulary growth and oral fluency. Kumon has its own Recommended Reading List with over 380 books in a variety of themes and genres suitable for readers of all abilities.


5. Attend study classes or complete daily study at home
   Study classes do not merely benefit those struggling at school, but also those who need to be challenged beyond what they are currently studying. Additionally, daily study at home will reinforce their learning from school whilst refining their study skills and accuracy, and boosting their stamina and focus.

At Kumon we believe there is always room for growth and improvement. Available in 50 counties and regions across the world, the Kumon Method of Learning has been accepted all around the world because of its belief in the limitless potential of all human beings, and our pursuit of that potential through the systematic implementation of individualised education.

Students on our maths and English programmes are striving towards their potential every day with each worksheet they complete, and our Instructors are always thinking about what else a student can do, motivating and encouraging them to independently take learning into their own hands.