What age level is Kumon Math 3A designed for?
Kumon Math 3A is the equivalent level of 5 years old.
In Kumon, the A materials for all subjects are at the level equivalent to 6 years old. 2 and 3A are for 5 year olds, 4A and 5A are for 4 year olds, and 6A and below are for 3 year olds... I think it is generally correct to think that the Kumon Math 3A is for 5 year olds, 4A and 5A for 4 year olds, and 6A and below for 3 year olds.
What kind of materials is Kumon Math 3A?
The aims of the Kumon Math 3A materials are as follows
To further improve the ability to write numbers and the understanding of number sequences developed up to 4A, and based on this ability, to master addition of two through three, and to develop the ability to move on to the 2A materials.
The most noteworthy addition is the introduction of addition. This is the beginning of a full-fledged study of arithmetic.
Let's take a closer look at the content of the Kumon materials. Kumon Arithmetic 4A consists of 200 printouts, but let's check the breakdown.
| material number | content | | | --- | --- | 1-60 | addition up to 100 | | 61-70 | addition up to 120 | | 71-130 | tasu1 | | 131-160 | tasu2 | 161-180 | tasu3 | 181-200 | tasu3 | up to 181-200 | tasu4 | tasu5 | tasu5
More than 60% of the material is made up of addition. Let's look at each of them in detail.
Addition to 100 and Addition to 120
The content here is almost the same as that covered in Arithmetic 4A. The maximum number increases from 100 to 120, but other than that, there are no major changes in the content, and it is a form of revenge for the previous content.
Addition 1, 2, and 3
Finally, addition begins. The first question is "What is the next number after 3? and gradually they will understand the meaning of the symbol "+1".
Add up to 3
Students will solve formulas to add 1 to 3 to the original number. The goal is to be able to read the meaning from the symbols without guidance.
What is the key to Kumon Math 3A?
The key to success in Kumon Math 3A is to realize the importance of parental follow-up.
The content of the material before and after material number 70 differs greatly
The atmosphere of the printouts and the content of the questions are completely different between "addition to 100 and 120" up to 3A70 and the addition after that.
The contents of the printouts up to 3A70 do not differ greatly from the previous printouts. The contents also question the ability to write numbers and to understand the sequence of numbers, and the printouts also have colorful illustrations.
From 3A71, however, the atmosphere changes drastically. The printouts are now black and white, and there are no animal characters. The questions will be addition, which is a big change from what we have been doing so far.
Of course, the students must be able to write numbers in order to answer the addition questions, so there is continuity in the teaching material. However, it is not surprising that the person solving the printouts may be puzzled.
Your child is likely to feel resistance to printouts after 3A71
For your child, the material after 3A71 will cause a great deal of stress. Until now, the changes in the content of the material have been small, so it has been difficult for them to not understand the next content. Even if they didn't understand the content at all, they could be distracted somewhat by the characters in the printouts.
However, from this point on, the materials simply contain content related to the problem. If you don't understand the content, there is nothing you can do about it.
Moreover, if your child is from a family that started Kumon Math when he or she was 3 or 4 years old, by the time he or she reaches Math 3A, he or she will have become accustomed to it to a certain extent. If you let that familiarity take over, you may find that you are not able to follow up with your child as closely as you would like.
Let's get over the hump by providing a generous amount of follow-up from parents.
This is where the key to success in Math 3A comes in, whether or not parents are able to follow up with their children.
At this stage, the concept of addition itself is not that complicated. The concept of a sequence of numbers has been covered in the teaching materials up to this point. Once the student understands that "+1" represents the next number, solving the problem is not that difficult.
The difficult part is getting the students to understand what this symbol means and what they are supposed to do to solve the problem. The point is not so much to learn a new skill, but rather to understand the concept.
For children at this stage of learning this material, it is difficult for them to understand concepts from just the words on the printouts. The key to success in Kumon Math 3A will be how well the concepts are communicated in conversations with parents, and whether or not the parents recognize the need for such communication.