Written by Lessons in abacus training are conducted in almost all children’s play and activity centers across India. Other than this there are special coaching centers conducting simple to understand classes on abacus training for kids. What are the benefits of learning abacus? Should I enroll my child for an abacus class? Can I teach abacus skills to my kid at home? These are various questions parents have in mind. I am planning to send my kid to an abacus class as well. So thought of sharing the benefits with other parents like you.
Abacus For Kids – Facts
What is abacus?
The abacus is an ancient tool that was used in Egypt, China, Japan, Russia and different parts of Asia for performing simple calculations like addition, subtraction, division, multiplication, fractions and even square roots. The abacus that is often used to teach kids today, is the Japanese version, called Soroban. This is made of a wooden or metal frame divided into 2 parts with a horizontal beam. The upper part has a single row of beads and the lower part has four rows of four beads each to facilitate 10 based calculation.
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Abacus training can be used to teach kids simple and complex mathematical operations like square roots, cube roots, L.C.M., G.C.D., and decimal calculations.
Abacus Training - Levels
There are 9 to 10 levels in Abacus coaching, again depending on the institutes that offer training. At the end of every level, exams are conducted and certificates rewarded. Abacus competitions are also conducted at regional and national levels.
Why Should You Enroll Your Kid For Abacus Training
Normally kids learn to count using fingers. However, counting by fingers is limited to 10 due to lack of counting objects. All that changes when using an abacus to learn numbers. Kids can perform addition and subtraction on larger numbers with an abacus. Multiplication concepts get easier after abacus training. With regular practice, kids can visualize and perform mathematical operations on an imaginary abacus. Thus, abacus training is a wonderful opportunity for kids to excel in mental mathematics.
Children pick up concepts and facts in a much faster way with Kinesthetics – a combination of visual observation and physical touch. Abacus is ideally suited for this approach. The colorful beads of an abacus stimulate visual observation, allow kids to touch the beads and understand the result. Get an abacus with colorful beads. The toy like look makes kids happy enough to concentrate on abacus training to learn mental mathematics as against written exercises on paper.
Now the left part of the brain is responsible for analyzing information, languages and sound. The right side of the brain is responsible for information integration, creativity and thinking. An abacus stimulates and optimizes the working of both the right and left parts of the brain during early developmental years of a child. A child can make good use of his brain, to its fullest potential. Abacus training makes your kid mentally alert and capable of solving complex mathematical problems in later years.
Best Age For Abacus Training
The ideal age for kids to take abacus lessons is 5 to 12 years. That is the time when basic mathematical concepts are taught in school.
Abacus Lessons For Kids – Books And Courses
Check out this website for some free basic lessons in abacus training for kids. You can download abacus lessons as pdf files at www.mathabacus.com. They also have books on learning abacus for kids.
You can also contact SIP Academy. They conduct the The SIP Abacus & Brain Gym program in different states of India. Click www.sipacademyindia.com for more details.
