DIY Abacus for Kids' Math Learning

Use beads, pipe cleaners and craft sticks to make an Abacus to aid in learning mathematical concepts!⁣ ⁣ You’ll need:⁣ 5 Pipecleaners – cut them in half.⁣ 100 Beads.⁣ 4 Wide Craft Sticks⁣ Hot Glue Gun.⁣ ⁣ Directions:⁣ ⁣ Thread the pipecleaners with the beads. You will want ten beads on each strand. We alternated the colors of the beads to help our kids intuitively grasp the concept of number correspondence (the concept of moving one bead for each additional amount), and to help them review odd and even numbers.⁣ ⁣ After the pipe-cleaners are filled with the beads, glue them evenly spaced onto the craft sticks. You will want ten strands of ten beads each on the abacus.⁣ ⁣ WAYS TO USE AN ABACUS TO LEARN:⁣ ⁣ Count the individual beads on each thread. See if your child can count to 100 independently.⁣ ⁣ Create a pattern with the beads. You start the pattern and let your child fill in the rest of the pattern with the remaining rungs of beads.⁣ ⁣ Get the flashcards out. Help your children understand number correspondence as they “solve” the cards.⁣ ⁣ Encourage your kids to develop mental math skills by teaching them how to group numbers and find complements to solve double digit addition problems.⁣ ⁣ Practice skip counting as you count beads in groups. This is one of the early “steps”, helping your child master multiplication.⁣ ⁣ Separate a group of beads and ask your child to split the beads into two equal groups, or into three groups of the same size, etc. This will help prepare your child for division.⁣ ⁣ For the kinetic child, let them practice their homework with an abacus. It will help foster their confidence.