Nurturing true grit in children

Kumon instructor Nor Aishah said children who face challenges daily will discover solutions themselves and end up feeling better for their achievement.

WHEN it comes to assessing a child’s success in school, many recent experiments and tests conducted by child psychologists suggested that rather than brain power, the solution lies in the child’s character.

These results reveal that non-cognitive skills like persistence, self-control, curiosity, conscientiousness, self-confidence and grit are the reason for the child’s success at school and in life later on.

Grit itself refers to the passion and perseverance for long-term goals despite setbacks.

Kumon instructor Nor Aishah Osman said that when it comes to grit, a student cannot become an advanced learner without strengthening his learning skills.

At Kumon, experience is crucial to moulding a child’s character and it usually starts off simple enough by solving easy solutions, before progressing to problems at the student’s right level, which implies the process being individualised.

Once the student surpasses his own level, there is no stopping, as he can continue to challenge himself in higher levels than his own in school.

Kumon worksheets are planned in such a way that they are a step-by-step guide, with new twists and elements added so students are exposed to different components of the solutions to a complicated problem.

Nor Aishah said that this form of self-learning requires patience. “Some children get frustrated when trying to solve the problems,” she added.

But when they persist and face these challenges daily, they will eventually discover the solution themselves and end up feeling better for their achievement. “This gives them motivation, self-confidence,” explained Nor Aishah.

Working with parents, Kumon instructors help shape the attitudes and confidence early so that student are self-reliant by the time they enter college.

R&D development manager Rupeshsingh is happy with his daughter Dhaani’s progress at Kumon.

When Rupeshsingh K. Bess enrolled his five-year-old daughter Dhaani in Kumon, his expectations were that she should inculcate good learning habits and develop better concentration — both traits that after just 18 months have become intrinsic to her.

Daani has already developed endurance, and she relishes spending 15-30 minutes each day dedicated to working on her mathematics and English worksheets.

“She is committed and she looks forward to working on even more homework,” said Rupeshsingh, research and development manager.

“She has developed the tenacity to want to achieve more,” he concluded.

Final level Kumon student Aleem (left) with his father Amirullah Harun, is a straight-A student at school.

For straight-A student 15-year-old Aleem, being at Kumon made a big difference when he progressed towards secondary school. His father, quantity surveyor Amirullah Harun, enrolled him at the age of five-plus.

“By then, there was already a big gap between me and my classmates, for when I was in Form 1, I was already working on trigonometry while my classmates were still figuring out algebra.

"My mindset about fear has already been changed thanks to Kumon,” Aleem added.

Kumon’s main objective is for primary school children to be able to tackle secondary school materials by strengthening their foundation before proceeding to higher level work.

Kumon is having its Year-End Special Campaign now whereby those signing up can enjoy one-and-a-half months study with only a month’s fee. Parents who register their children before Nov 9 can also get a free (terms and conditions apply) Kumon bag.

¦ For more details, the terms and conditions, visit www.kumonmalaysia.com/promotion, call 1800 88 1010 or visit its Facebook page @Kumon Malaysia