Lesson 15: Abacus addition practice for kids
Level 2, Easy Street. Bottom beads and the top bead. Can you add five in a row?
What your child does, card by card
Adding practice. Practice day! PlayBuddy opens the lesson: “Practice time. Let's get quicker and better.”
First a reminder (“4 + 5, then 2 + 6”): the beads build 4, 9, 2 and 8, ring by ring, while your child watches. Plus 5: the top bead. Plus 6: top bead and one more.
Try it: your child works out 1 + 3 and 3 + 5, with a green ring on the next bead to move.
Add five in a row: a mission of 8 tasks with a count of right answers in a row, with the best kept. Your child must work out 2 + 2, 0 + 7, 3 + 1, 4 + 5, 1 + 6, 2 + 1, 3 + 5 and 1 + 3.
Copy me: the beads show 7, 3 and 9 and your child answers by tapping the drawn fingers, the hands window glowing.
In your head: the abacus is covered and your child works out 1 + 3, 2 + 5 and 3 + 6, showing each answer on the drawn fingers.
You're ready! You can add with every bead on the rod.
What this lesson trains
16 answers, roughly five minutes: 12 moves of the beads, 5 of them with the top bead and 7 with bottom beads. Nothing goes past 9. Then 3 quick looks in your head.
Your child’s first moves: work out 1 + 3 and 3 + 5.
Fingers and hands
Below the abacus the drawn hands show zero and 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8 and 9 here, finger for bead.
In Copy me the beads lead with 7, 3 and 9, and your child answers on the fingers: the reverse of making a number on the beads.
What PlayBuddy and PlayType say
PlayBuddy: “To add, push beads to the bar.”
Stars
Three stars for up to 1 slip in 16 answers, two stars for up to 4.