Review: Kumon Workbooks

I was so excited when I received an e-mail from Kumon Workbooks asking me if I would like to take a look at their educational workbooks. Both of my children are in the age range that these books are geared to, so I thought it would be great to see what they thought of them. The people from Kumon were extremely generous and sent me a large package filled with goodies. Here's what I received: Grade 4 and Grade 5 Decimals & Fractions workbooks (my 9 year old daughter is entering the 4th grade but she's a math whiz), a My Book of Easy Telling Time, a My Book of Numbers 1-30, a My Book of Rhyming Words, a Let's Fold! and a Let's Cut Paper First Steps Workbooks (all of these are geared for preschoolers.)

My daughter thoroughly enjoyed working on the Decimals & Fractions Workbooks. She thought the exercises were "challenging for your brain and a lot of fun" (I swear those were her exact words.) I thought the workbooks were incredible! The Grade 4 workbook "will help children add and subtract fractions with like denominators as well as decimals to the hundredths place." The Grade 5 book "will introduce your child to vertical form multiplication & division of decimals, as well as the addition & subtraction of improper fractions." Each page of the workbook had a lot of white space so the child has plenty of room to show their work -- that's a huge focus in our school district. All of the answers are in the back of the book which is nice for parents and teachers who don't have the time to figure them all out!

My son actually loved the workbooks aimed at his age group. He is very interested in his letters and is always trying to rhyme words. I thought the Rhyming Words workbook was perfect for him. There were lots of different activities in the books that help children learn the rhyming sounds. In addition, he is very interested in learning to tell time. He's pretty good on digital clocks (I know that's not saying much); but I've been encouraging him to learn how to read the numbers on a real clock. The Easy Telling Time book was right up his alley! He loved looking at the different colored clocks and telling me the time. The Numbers 1-30 book was ideal for a preschooler too. The book covered both number recognition as well as learning to write the numbers.

I thought the First Steps Workbooks were just precious. We received one called Let's Cut Paper! -- "your child will develop fine motor control skills while having fun using scissors to cut lines and shapes." I actually am having a hard time letting him play with this book because it's just so darn cute. Each page is a picture of an item with a line or lines for cutting practice. After the child cuts the lines, the parent can help turn the picture into puzzles, 3-D pictures, etc. The other workbook we received is Let's Fold! There are basic folding activities as well as some origami exercises. Both of these First Steps Workbooks have the cutest pictures with bright colors that any child would love!

If you would like to learn more about what Kumon has available, they have a very informative website. There is an extensive catalog of their workbooks as well as information about the books, about the company, and where to buy the books. I thought the workbooks were all terrific, and they are priced just right at $5.95 for the First Steps Workbooks and $6.95 for the other ones. I think both parents and children will enjoy these books because they combine learning with fun. I highly recommend taking a look at the various workbooks and finding some that are right for your children!