sewpeaceful Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 My kids will be doing 4th and 2nd in the fall. It is not uncommon now for little one to toddle in and want to join us and "do school". I have been considering Kumon's My First workbooks so I have something to pull out when she toddles in (she'll be 2.5 when we start lessons back up in August). I am not looking, at it to truly accomplish anything academic (she knows her alphabet, counts to 15 on her own, her colors and her shapes... seriously, she is more than fine). I just want something fun for her to be able to "do school" and start an attempt at motor skills. I have already grabbed wooden jigsaw puzzles (not the nobby ones), Mr.Potato Head, Leap Frog Fridge Magnet thing-a-mabob, etc. Oh, and I had the sense to store away the Little People Castle so I can put it in her school box for this year since the olders will be doing SOTW2 (:D). Anyway, are the Kumon wkbks worth the price?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto3innc Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 This year my littlest one (3) loved the easy mazes, the cutting one, the Pasting, and alphabet games. The mazes were so popular I ended up getting my 5 and 6 year olds their levels of those. For me, they were worth it. My 3 yo really enjoyed them-and she's hard to entertain so it made for some happy quiet time:001_smile:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewpeaceful Posted May 12, 2011 Author Share Posted May 12, 2011 . For me, they were worth it. My 3 yo really enjoyed them-and she's hard to entertain so it made for some happy quiet time:001_smile:. Well I guess that makes the workbooks priceless! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 I had a similar experience. The cutting and then the cutting and pasting and the mazes and folding were all really fun. However, and this won't save you money, I suggest you get a few different kinds and limit the access. It is so easy for a kid to blow through the entire 'I can cut' book! I have a selection but I say 'today you get to do this page and this page' and then I give them a different book with a different skill and offer one or two pages. Or, pull the book apart and copy the pages or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewpeaceful Posted May 12, 2011 Author Share Posted May 12, 2011 AAAA... i like the copying idea. Fortunately, we are talking 2.5yo so the attention span is only but so long anyway BUT you are right, if she really likes it... And I do seem to recall they have come out with a "More" series - More My First Book of Cutting, More My First Book of Coloring.... Okay, I'm convinced (it wasn't going to take much...), I will grab the My First series... but now maybe I should consider the More My First too!:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flobee76 Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 I am using Easy Mazes, Coloring, and Tracing for our 4yo DS. He loves them, but I do have to limit him to just a few pages at a time, or else he'd be done in 20 minutes. I forgot about the cutting/pasting. I should pick that up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MellowYellow Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 My boys love them. I copy them so I can re-use for future children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoforjoy Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 The cutting one was a big hit here, too. Mazes, too. I would say, though, that I didn't think the Kumon workbooks--other than the two mentioned--were much more fun for DS than the Rod & Staff preschool workbooks. Those are 4 for $9--so a lot cheaper than the Kumon books--and somewhat similar, although less colorful, and would absolutely fit the bill for a little who wants to "do some school" while older siblings work. I'd probably go with the Rod & Staff set, and then pick up a couple of Kumon books that you think your child would particularly enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2boys030507 Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 I have found the Tracing book to be great to get ready for writing. I also found a simple cut and paste book at Borders. I to limit the number of pages a day. In fact, with the cut and paste my son has to do at least 3 pages in other books first. This gives me more time and forces him to work on many skills. All of this is his choice and he does it about two days a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyto4 Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 The Rod and Staff books are a good, inexpensive option, as a pp already mentioned. But, the Kumon ones are great, and we have invested in some of them. I find that spending money on things that keep preschoolers happily occupied and learning is a good choice for me:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sahamamama Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 (edited) They were for me! When my twins were babies, my preschooler wanted to do Kumon pages nearly every day. Two years later, we were doing Kindergarten with the oldest, and the twins (3 years old) enjoyed the SAME Kumon pages. :D I pulled all the pages out, cut the edges off, and put each page in a plastic sheet protector. That was one thick, well-used 3-ring binder (for at least three years). I would take out a few pages from each section, give the girls a fine-tipped wipe-off marker and an old washcloth, and let them have at it. Well worth it. (I did put them in old clothes or art smocks on Kumon days, though. That way I didn't have to be a control freak with the markers, KWIM?) Tip: Never keep your permanent Sharpies near your wipe-off markers. :glare: :lol: We used these for several years: Easy Mazes Mazes Tracing Numbers 1-30 Uppercase Letters Lowercase Letters We also used Cutting for all three girls, but obviously they each had their own books. ;) At the end of the twins' third year, before they turned four, I took all the pages out of those well-worn sheet protectors and just handed them the pile. They went through about 250 two-sided pages in, oh, about two days! LOL! They sure had fun with it. My oldest had her own Kumon math books last year (Simple Addition, Counting Coins, Easy Telling Time), but she did these in pencil. I am thoroughly convinced that they have helped her become so strong in math. In fact, the Kumon was so beautifully incremental and clear, I think the Kumon taught her much, much more than the Horizons Math K which was our main program. Kumon was always in the lead in teaching her concepts (still is, in First Grade), while Horizons reviewed and reinforced what she had already learned. This year for First Grade, she has her own Kumon math books (Telling Time, Dollars & Cents, Addition, Simple Subtraction, Subtraction, Simple Multiplication, and Mazes Around the World [she LOVES this]). She gets this glow when she sees a maze page. They frustrate her to pieces, but she LOVES them. What a trip. She works at them, then finishes triumphantly, and announces, "Now THAT was a tough one, let me tell ya." IMO, Kumon workbooks (the math books, anyway) do a wonderful job of leading the child to make her own connections with the topics. When we would "introduce" a concept in Horizons, my daughter had already grasped it through repeated exposure via Kumon. I'm sold on it. HTH. Edited May 12, 2011 by Sahamamama Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewpeaceful Posted May 12, 2011 Author Share Posted May 12, 2011 She works at them, then finishes triumphantly, and announces, "Now THAT was a tough one, let me tell ya.". I love it! What a cutie patootie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 I thought the cutting ones were fairly good. They have others that continue in complexity from them too. I had one child who did a lot of origami, so the folding books were never remotely interesting. But another child quite liked them, at a younger age. They are on very nice, thick, shiny paper, unlike some other cutting things, so that helps justify the price. I didn't use stickers or early maze type things. I didn't think they would be worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 Yeah, I wouldn't copy the cutting ones. They are made from a nice thick paper and that helps with the cutting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laughing lioness Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 My 2 notsolittles LOVED Kumon workbooks. We did many and were never disappointed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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