Mathematics is not an easy subject for everybody and teaching Math to your little one can turn out to be a nightmare if you are not good at Math yourself. Mathematics have always been a subject of my admiration. It challenges my intellect at all stages of my existence. I have tried very hard to capture this beast but have somehow failed in my pursuit. At this point, a kind friend of my mine introduced me to Abacus, who instinctively knew that my bond with mathematics would gradually grow.
To begin with, I know about the existence of abacus and its various applications in our daily life. A little walk down history lane, tells you that this form of mental math calculation dates back to more than 1000 years and has evolved with time. Abacus not only simplified math but also ensures that you have an alert mind, while retaining this information for a long time.
If you have ever struggled to teach your kids basic mathematics, you know exactly how difficult the situation is. One needs to learn the art of carrying out calculations mentally and this will surely help your child love this subject once he learns an easy method for calculations. Kids have a short attention span, which makes it tough to teach them subjects like Mathematics. And, if you are facing similar problems with your children, then you should consider getting them to use an abacus.
Simple calculations like the prices of three oranges or planning a party etc. can be done instantly with the power of mental math. This could also be a prime example that parents can use to teach their children the beauty of mathematics. My toddler loves to make all kinds of simple patterns and work on his color identification skills at the same time. For years his abacus tool kit sat on our drawing room shelf, unused. It was gifted by my friend to him. I wasn’t quite sure how to introduce it as a math tool for my kid, until one day when he spotted it and insisted on exploring with the abacus. I had to help him out, I was amazed to discover that the abacus can be used in so many simple learning activities. There are many activities you can do with an abacus, even before your child is ready for adding and multiplication.
Here are a few abacus activities:
• Learn Colors
• Make some Alphabets (for e.g - A, C, P, T, etc.)
• Make Shapes
• Basic Counting
• Simple Addition and Subtraction etc.
All you need to teach your kid about the abacus is how to use an abacus itself. You can choose one which has two different colored beads in each row or go for a simple one in which all the beads are of the same color. Remember that before your kid learns to do more complex things on the abacus, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication or more, you will first have to teach the concept of the abacus and how to use it.
The abacus maybe an antiquated calculator, but even today it is quite popular among many parents, students, and teachers alike. An abacus can help your kid understand all the concepts of Math and also sharpen his mental Math skills. So, start early and make your child fall in love with math through abacus training. Happy learning!!