The Kumon Method is an educational program that does not compare students with one another. Rather, Kumon is defined by its emphasis on self-learning and students' abilities to set goals and solve unfamiliar and challenging tasks independently. Instructors foster this ability in students by working with them to set goals for completing the worksheets that have been carefully constructed to allow them to advance by working with the materials on their own.

Toru Kumon developed the prototype for the Kumon Method of learning in 1954, when he was working as a high school mathematics teacher. His goal was to create a collection of original questions that his son would be able to continue doing on his own, and which would allow him to make gradual progress as he developed his math skills.

Toru Kumon believed that, to develop most people' s scholastic abilities, the most important thing would be for them to first determine how to find joy in their studies. In order to accomplish this, he developed a system based on the standpoint of the individual.

Toru Kumon believed that what was possible for one child was possible for others, and thus he set out to bring the Kumon method to as many children as possible.

Kumon Studies is offered in Japanese language, English language and mathematics. Students must take two or three Kumon classes, supervised by a Kumon instructor, and extra instruction is also possible.