How to Use an Abacus to Teach Kids Math? – Math Becomes Very Easy When Your Kid knows How to Use An Abacus!

June 22, 2022

As we all know, Math is an exciting topic to talk about. The concept of the Abacus is a fascinating method that was introduced a long time back. Still, we use this concept in schools to make math exciting and enjoyable for kids. Have you ever thought about what the Abacus means? It is a specific device used for calculations. This instrument consists of a frame with rows of wires or grooves along with the beads to slide. So this looks like a game. For years, people in the Asian region have used the Chinese calculator “suanpan,” also known as an abacus. Do you wish to know how to use an Abacus to teach kids Math?

If you want to go into many details about the Abacus and this simple device, you can always check how to use an abacus pdf. It will help with the details needed so that you are familiar with the process.

How to Use an Abacus to Teach Kids Math? – Abacus for Beginners

Learning the Abacus is undoubtedly an exciting task. You need to get the hang of the right Abacus and the proper methods. 

What do you think is the best age to start the Abacus? 

Well, this concept has no age barrier. 

Whenever you feel you are ready to do it, you can begin learning the Abacus. 

But keep in mind the Abacus needs a lot of practicing and mastering the techniques so that you can use the device very efficiently. 

When you train the Abacus for kids, it is essential to ensure that the kid can count up to a hundred. Also, it is always better to start this at a very young age so that the kids will master the mental calculation skills. If the kid is a beginner, you can check on the Abacus for kids’ pdf and follow the instructions to get the idea.

 

How to learn abacus math at home? – How to Use an Abacus to Teach Kids Math?

It was a huge concern during the past years. But now, as all of the social aspects have gone online, you can quickly get in touch with a good program that will help you with online tutoring. So, you can learn the Abacus from home. Learning the Abacus from home, within your comfort zone, will be pretty exciting and practical. If not, the PFD tutorials are one of the best ways to get the needed guidance. 

For better understanding, we thought to share a few tips on some mathematical concepts of abacus math.

 

How to use an abacus for addition?

Before thinking of the branches, we believe it is essential to get to know the simple mechanism of using the Abacus.

Each bead in the lower row of the Abacus, as mentioned, is of value 1. After five lower beads are counted, the result is “carried” to the upper row. Then when both the upper beads in the upper row are counted, the result is moved to the left-most next to the column. The right-most column signifies the units column; the next adjacent column to the left is the tens column, and so on. 

Once you have learned how to count Beads on Abacus, we can apply Various strategies while learning addition. Let us show an abacus maths example.

 

The 10 Strategy is one of them. 

For example, think we are adding 9+6, we enter 6 and 9 in the first two columns, then move from 6 to 9 so that nine becomes 10 and 6 becomes 5.

So now we can efficiently operate 10+5=15. Once your child is used to this Strategy on an abacus, you can get them to do it mentally.

 

The Two 5s method

For instance, if we have to add 6+7, we enter 6 and 7 in the first two wires. The two 5s make it 10, and we’ll remain with three beads. Now adding 10+3=13 is simple.

This method works in problems where the two numbers added have a value of more than five.

Adding larger Numbers

Imagine we have to add 65+89. Students will have to show 89 on their Abacus.

The first column from the right will have nine, and the second wire will have 8. begin with the first column and add 5 to 9.

It will result in 14. Keep the digit four and pass on 1 to 8, making it 9.

Now add 9+6, which will result in 15. So, the actual result will be 154.

 

How to use Abacus for addition and subtraction pdf? – How to use an Abacus to teach kids math?

Next, we are going to discuss how to use an abacus to perform subtraction.

Subtraction is just the opposite process of addition. All you should do is borrow the digits from the earlier column instead of carrying them over. Below is an example if you want to subtract 867 from 932. 

  1. After entering 932 in the Abacus, start subtracting column by column from the left. If you remove eight from 9, you will receive 1, leaving a single bead in the hundreds. 
  1. Now, you cannot subtract six from 3 at the tens place, so you will have to get 1 in the hundreds place, leaving it with 0. Now you have to remove six six-room,13 making it 7. 
  1. Then move on to the unit’s place. Repeat the process. Because you cannot subtract seven from 2, you have to borrowone1 from the tens place, which will make seven present in the tens place into 6. Now remove seven from 12, so you will obtain 5.
  2. So, our final answer is 932 – 867 = 65

 

The Use of Abacus to Teach Place Value

Below is a simple method that is used to show the place value.

  1. The first layer represents 0-9 with the value of 1 for each bead.
  1. The next represents 0-90, and the value of each bead is 10.
  1. Lastly, the third row with 0-900 with the value of 100 for each bead.

 

Wrapping Up…

The Primary Math syllabus of Sri Lanka uses the concept of the Abacus as one of the main ways to make students understand the main principles of numbers. The abacus computer is still used to explain these concepts. So encouraging kids to follow the abacus math is one good way to train their brains.