Kumon Versus DK Publishing Wins in Children's Workbooks

We began to homeschool our 8- and 5-year-old out of necessity when we woke up to the fact that our children were not learning at their current school, and we had no other option at that point. So, after researching workbooks and curriculums, I have concluded that the best workbooks for young children are put out by Kumon. I especially like the math books by Kumon, such as "My Book of Addition" and "My Book of Subtraction" even when compared to the workbook "Math Made Easy: Second Grade Workbook."

My 8-year-old uses both of Kumon and the Math Made Easy books, but I think he builds a stronger foundation based on the Kumon philosophy. The Math Made Easy book does a good job introducing required concepts, but the book moves more quickly than Kumon. This is not to say that the Math Made Easy books are for "quick learners" it is to point out a difference in philosophy.

With the Math Made Easy book, DK Publishing, the books progress by grade as do many other series. The skills are appropriate and they are all covered thoroughly. The big distinction that I see with Kumon is that Kumon uses a philosophy to start the child at simple at the beginning of the book. A parent may initially pick up a Kumon book and think that it is not advanced enough. However, the child starts out with confidence and works the seemingly simple problems, and then unbeknownst to the unsuspecting student each page gets gradually harder.

The beauty of Kumon over other workbooks, such as the DK Publishing books, is that the graduation to more and more difficult work for the children is so subtle that the children do not get frustrated. By the time a student moves on from one page, he or she has worked so many problems that build the foundation for the next pages that it becomes an almost seamless transition to the next level of problems.

I feel that the DK Publishing books move from one topic to the next too quickly, and even though I am not trained in early childhood education, I do not always feel that the topics are linked. For example, because counting money is part of the curriculum it is included. But, it does not always seems to flow naturally from the previous topic. I understand that standardized tests are very important. The DK Publishing books advertise that they teach and help prepare children for these tests. This can be important, but the downside is that it results in a book that gives the appearance to teaching to the test rather than really trying to make the concepts part of the child's being.

Kumon books apply this same philosophy to all of their books. It is especially useful for children learning to read who have experienced frustration. All of the books are labeled by suggested age rather than grade, which I also like. An example of how basic the foundation is that Kumon starts the student with are the books for 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds include fun things such as mazes to develop eye-hand coordination and color-by-numbers that actually engage the child.

Kumon does a good job making illustrations and pages that are clear, uncluttered and straight to the point. Other books often make the page too busy for children who really have to work to concentrate. They are distracted by colorful cartoon characters and such.

For me and my boys, Kumon has worked. The philosophy of gradually increasing the challenge has been great for my children's style of learning.

There are Kumon centers, which serve as after-school supplemental learning. You can buy the books without enrolling or participating in the centers. However, I would venture to say that given how much I like the Kumon books, the centers would probably be worth the effort for some students.s