Step-by-Step Easy Abacus Tricks for Beginners

Abacus Training is great for kids and leads to confidence boost which helps the kids not only in their school academics (in the form of superfast and accurate calculations mentally) but also in numerous other spheres of life. For e.g. kids become much more confident to face peer competition and develop stronger problem solving skills since Abacus leads to right brain development. But one of the most important questions for parents is how to encourage young children to learn Abacus tricks in the most effective way?

Trick 1 – Explain the Concept of Abacus Beads and ‘Friends’ in Easy Terms

Big Friends’ and ‘Small Friends’ is the key concept in Abacus Math classes where:

• Each number from 1 to 9 has a Big friend based on certain simple rules
• Each number from 1 to 4 also has a Small friend based on certain simple rules

This concept helps to do all the calculations in Abacus. Lets look at a simple friends examples below:

Trick 2 – Must Not Erase the Mistakes, but Cut/strike Off for Teacher to Review

 This is a great secret that you will usually not get to hear anywhere else but is very effective. In the initial months of Abacus training, when a child is doing Abacus homework then they usually erase any mistakes and fill in the correct answer. Instead of this, encourage them NOT to erase, instead Strike-Off the wrong answer and write the correct answer against it. This will give an accurate report to the teacher and parents both that whether the child is doing a lot of mistakes or his mistakes are within the expected range. Just in case his number of mistakes is much higher than expected, then the teacher can probe and take timely corrective action. If we do not follow this approach then usually the teacher never comes to know the actual effectiveness of the Abacus course and the child may end up taking much longer time to gain proficiency.

Trick 3 – Train the Kids to Use Both Hands While Using the Abacus Tool

Fast calculations is one of the most important reasons for kids enrolling into the Abacus Maths classes. Now the trick to do fast calculations is to use both hands at the same time to do the beads movement on the Abacus tool such that

• One hand should be on the tool (left hand if the child is right handy, and vice versa)for the beads movement
• Second hand for writing the answers on the notepad

This is not easy and takes time to get used to. A good trainer will work with the kids and go slow initially instead of rushing through the classes. The trainer must be patient since using both the hands simultaneously is a brain exercise and needs time and practice to do effectively. He must motivate the child and encourage him in a fun way. With time and practice, children get used to processing the command from both his left and right brain and are able to do Abacus finger movement using both hands leading to such a high speed that it seems unbelievable to the naked eye. Watch here some of the demo videos of young Abacus students of the Mathcruise Training academy from where my son did his Abacus learning.

Trick 4 – Patience is the Key

Remember NOT to rush. Learning Abacus is like learning a new language of Math’s, different from the traditional Math language taught in schools. Go slow in the beginning, be patient for the first 6 months and once you build a strong foundation then you will start to see the amazing results. If any Abacus training school promises you to give results in the first month itself, do not fall into the trap since they are doing false expectation settings just to promote enrollments.

Trick 5 – Consistency: Daily Abacus Practice or Homework for 10 Min

It is a well-known life lesson that consistency can help you break even the complex barriers. Abacus classes follow the same principle and if the child does the 10 min daily homework consistently, then he will surely do wonders. Most of the time students complete their homework just 1 day before the Abacus class by spending more time, however it will not give the same results as compared to spending 10 minutes daily. Reason being that daily practice will help the student retain the Abacus concept thoroughly in his mind and he will find learning Abacus very easy.

Trick 6 – Learn with Fun

Lastly, we can make Abacus learning a fun-filled adventure for kids by following some simple tricks. Parents can compete with the kids for doing calculations so that it looks like an education game to young kids. This will encourage them to do more and more practice since all kids love to spend time with their parents or siblings, especially for playing games.

Trick 7 – Appreciate Kids in Front of Their Peers and Teachers When They Solve Questions Correctly

It is also a useful technique to appreciate kids to motivate them when they solve questions correctly. A simple clap goes a long way in motivating the kids. You can also cook their favorite food, or get them their favorite toy from the market if they perform well, so that they look forward to doing more and more questions from their Abacus homework book.

How to Look for Best Online Abacus Classes

Its crucial to do the thorough research while finalizing the Abacus classes online, and as per my research that I was doing for best online Abacus classes in Delhi, Mathcruise fulfilled all the key parameters . You must be aware that none of the tricks mentioned above are available in any Abacus books. I came to know of these tricks by talking to the expert chief trainer of Mathcruise Academy where my son joined online Abacus classes. Their chief trainer has a passion for Maths and loves to explain the tricks to the parents as well so that the parents can also contribute to Abacus learning of their child. Speaking to her you will get the confidence that you are handing over your child in safe hands. Google reviews on their website is also a clear testimony of their quality and I am happy that I made the right decision by enrolling my son with Mathcruise.