How to Use an Abacus to Teach Kids Maths?

There are many ways to teach numbers and math to kids. Some can be fun and exciting, and some can be just plain boring. Abacus has been used for centuries and is still widely used by merchants, traders, and clerks in Asia, Africa, and elsewhere. The earlier versions were made using stones or beans that moved in grooves on sand or tablets of wood, metal, or stone. The modern abacus is mostly constructed in the form of a bamboo frame and has beads that have to be slid on wires. Experts, who vouch for the tool, believe the Abacus helps your child concentrate better and calculate faster. This blog discusses how to use an abacus to teach maths to children. Let’s check it out.

5 Ways to Use an Abacus to Teach Kids Maths

Children of different age groups are engaged in different levels of Abacus classes. The first level starts with children using the actual Abacus instrument. The second level includes visualization, where the children visualize the Abacus in their minds and do the calculations.

Learning abacus math is fundamental in the budding years of a child. A child often starts to visualize the abacus bead movements and perform calculations in mind while learning the abacus. The difficulty increases with each level, and so does the child’s ability to focus. The five ways to use an abacus to teach maths to kids are as follows,

• Use Match My Move method
• Teach Counting Game to Kids
• Teach Money With Abacus
• Teach Multiplication With Abacus
• Use Of Abacus To Teach Place Value

Let’s discuss it in detail five ways to use an abacus to teach maths to kids

• Use Match My Move method

Make a start position on the abacus by putting all the beads in the same row. Make sure that all the beads on each row are on the same side. Start at the top row and move some of the beads to the other side of the abacus frame. Make sure that your kid is looking at your move as you move the beads.

Now ask your kid to follow what you did and do the same with the beads on the row below. Your kid will have to move the exact number of beads in the direction that you moved your beads in the row above. Now make your move again in the next row and ask your kid to follow it carefully. Your kid will again have to follow your move and match it in the row below.

• Teach Counting Game to kids

You begin by changing two or three beads to one side of a row and ask your little one to count how many beads have been moved. You can also ask them to count the remaining beads in that row. In this way, your child will soon learn the technique of counting.

• Move beads from right to left (or the other way). Do this slowly, so that your child can observe how many beads you have shifted and how many you have left behind.
• Make sure there is space in the middle of the row to shift the beads if and when required.
• Ask the child to move the exact number of beads to the other side and count the number of beads moved. Now, urge them to count the number of beads left behind.
• Ask the child to count the total number of beads by shifting them to the center.

Also read: Tips to improve your child’s math skills

• Teach Money With Abacus

It’s very easy to teach money with an abacus. The 100 beads equal one dollar. Each individual bead is a penny, five beads is a nickel, a whole row of 10 is a dime, and you can even arrange the beads into four groups of 25 to represent four quarters.

• Teach Multiplication With Abacus

To demonstrate how multiplication works, ask your child to enter 5 on the abacus 4 times. Explain that the abacus shows the number 5 taken 4 times, which is written 5 x 4. Have the child find the product. The purpose here is not to have your child memorize the product of 5 and 4, but to grasp the underlying principles behind multiplication: 5 x 4 = 5 + 5 + 5 + 5 = 20.

Check out: Benefits of having math tutor

• Use Abacus to Teach Place Value

An abacus is an excellent resource for helping your students understand the concept of place value at any level. It can help them visualize the meaning of the places and internalize the grouping strategy behind them. An abacus shows clearly the two columns, ones (units) and tens which students can manipulate themselves until they can completely internalize this concept. I have created a 2D set of place value mats and abacus cards to help translate the concrete to the iconic stage of learning for students.

Conclusion

With the numerous benefits of learning abacus, preschools in Abu Dhabi have incorporated the abacus into the early schooling of a child. We are all born with an immature brain, which is why it is really important to nurture the brain in early childhood by using the correct learning tools. So parents need to introduce their kids to the abacus at the beginning of schooling. Having abacus skills will also enhance your mathematical skills.

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