Last Updated on October 7, 2023 by Editorial Team
It is believed that the Abacus was first used 5,000 years ago by Chinese merchants to facilitate their buzzing trade transactions. Rightly regarded as the first-ever calculating tool, Abacus still maintains its relevance in today’s age due to its strong fundamental nature and easy-to-understand techniques. Not only does it stimulate logical thinking, but it also enables increased concentration and better visualization.
It is easy to regard the abacus as an ancient tool that belongs in the trade markets of China, but it can be a great way to imprint strong fundamentals on the blank minds of children.
But you might be wondering where to start. In this post, we have curated a list of the best online abacus training for you!
Abacus training classes to look online
1. Abacus Math From Scratch – UDEMY
With a course rating of 4.4, this can be an ideal course to begin your abacus journey. If you’re a beginner with no prior experience of using the calculating tool – sign up without hesitation! From teaching you simple and mixed addition and subtraction to performing quick mental math, this is the most beginner-friendly course. This course provides 78 lectures and 7 hours of content, 43 downloadable resources, and Full lifetime access. The course can be accessed on mobile and TV, and a Certificate of completion is also provided.
You will receive comprehensive lessons on how to perform basic mathematical operations using the abacus, place numbers on the abacus, understand multiplication and division, know all the complementary numbers for 10 and so much more through this program. It is recommended that you work using an abacus for this program. This course tries to make it as fun as possible to understand the different aspects of the abacus and absorb them.
2. Online Abacus Learning Portal – ABACUS MASTER
ABACUS MASTER targets beginners and advanced learners. A beginner who wants to master the tool – ABACUS MASTER provides a platform that covers all topics from basics to advanced abacus calculation techniques. The main focus of this course is on the Anzan practice of an abacus, where users mentally visualize an Abacus to do calculations with incredible speed and accuracy without a physical Abacus.
This course is structured into eight levels, making it easier for everyone to learn and assess. Keeping the need for practice in mind, it continuously provides worksheets and periodic tests. Expert assistance is provided through Skype on a regular basis and a feature of customizing your worksheets as per your learning progress. Lastly, a certificate of completion to add to your merits
3. Abacus Mental Math
The targeted audience for the course is 5 to 13-year-olds. There are grades in abacus learning with 10 being the grade for novices and 1 for abacus experts who can work with the tool with enhanced expertise. Going from grade 10 to grade 1 takes at least 3.6 years if you practice/learn at least one abacus lesson per week. However, the main highlight of the course is its Soroban training and Anzan method which would enable a child to learn visualizing math with just 3 months of abacus training, ditching the conventional methods of abacus learning that take ‘too’ long.
If that’s not enough, it also comes with a reward system that allows students to receive badges, rankings, coins, and diamonds, making practice more fun and exciting for the student. Every account comes equipped with a personal goal-setter. It develops consistency in students and teaches them to stick to their plans while rewarding their efforts along the way.
4. ABACUS masterclass – UDEMY
This is a beginner-level course for strong fundamentals. This course is perfect for you if you are a parent or a guardian of kids above six years of age and wish to teach abacus to your children, or you’re a teacher willing to master a new skill. This course would enable you to identify and understand the importance of all the parts of the Abacus. Learn to count up to eight to nine-digit numbers. You will explore the fundamentals such as how you can hold the Abacus right.
The best feature of the course is speed writing – for both left and right-handed students. This course is designed considering everybody who is willing to learn. The course is divided into easy-to-digest chunks for the comfort of learning. You can begin to use the abacus for simple mathematical operations and start practicing them.
5. Smart Kid Abacus
With their motto as ‘Building generations in a smarter way,’ the course begins for children as young as 4 years old! The course is divided into eight levels – 5 basic levels and 3 advanced levels. Special courses for teacher training are also provided. Starting the first level with numbers 1 to 50, it goes up to the grand level with highly advanced techniques. Holistic brain development is the focus of this program. There is the understanding that brain plasticity and the potential to retain is much higher when children are younger. That is why the program has been designed for children of a very young age.
This course enables better visualization, concentration, memory retention and recall, and greater listening skills. Systematically divided and subdivided into levels, this course offers short 45-minute lessons for easy accommodation into the daily schedule. Children will be taught how to use the left and right sides of the brain simultaneously to absorb abstract concepts and improve their retention, concentration, and analytical skills while being creative.
6. Online Abacus Classes by JAMS
The course is set to establish a strong foundation. Students can enroll in the course at any skill set – from beginner to advanced. With customized lessons targeted for different skill sets, an online abacus class by JAMS is a perfect tool for learning and polishing the skills. With just 3 to 6 students in one class and the classes divided into sessions of 30 minutes to 1 hour for beginner to advanced levels – it gives a perfect opportunity to learn systematically.
Children are constantly assigned homework to keep their brains active. Even though the learning might appear to be classroom-based, the idea is to help young minds think differently in every situation and apply the learnings into practice to improve academic capability as well as life skills. From improving confidence to time management abilities, this is yet another Abacus program that is focused on holistic growth.
7. Abacus Online Tutorial
It provides a paid and a free version for different needs. Perfect for all age groups – it teaches using the Japanese abacus technique called ‘soroban.’
The main focus of this course is on understanding the basics of soroban and performing calculations on it efficiently. Using animations and games as a method to engage the children, this course is best for people who love to learn through pleasure. It mixes creativity with competitiveness.
The idea behind this program is to reshape the way that children think and boost their confidence and self-esteem through tried and tested methods. Children who are weak with numbers to begin with find it very easy to cope and understand the different concepts of mathematics much better through this program. Learning does not have to be a tedious experience for young children anymore.
Our ranking criteria
While the detailed list above would help find the right class for you, let us set some accountability to ease your confusion further! How did we come up with this list, and what were the criteria and parameters that helped us decide? After the basic shortlisting, the courses were selected and ranked on the following specifications:
- The ratings of the course
- The reviews of the users and the experiences shared
- The structure of the course and whether the progress from basic to advanced is systematic
- The ratings and experience of the instructor
- The fee structure to establish feasibility
- The prerequisites for starting the course were kept to a minimum
How will the online abacus training classes benefit you?
It goes without saying that by enrolling in one of these online abacus training classes, you can start towards becoming thorough at abacus. The unsaid perk is that each of these courses is carefully compiled so that they do not come off as boring, thus making abacus learning a fun and interactive experience.
By enrolling in any of these courses, you can expect to benefit in the following ways:
- Ability to use an abacus tool (based on the course you are enrolling into)
- Improve hand and brain coordination
- Enhance arithmetic skills and the ability to perform basic calculations
- Boost cognitive abilities such as increased focus and concentration, memory retention, etc.
- Enhance logical and decision-making skills.
- Boost confidence and reduce the disinterest in math; these courses may also help you overcome math phobia.
Final words
Abacus is a great way to begin the mathematics journey. Not only does it improve the child’s mathematical skills but it also contributes towards personality development by boosting self-confidence and busting stress and anxiety. More than a tool, it is an opportunity to excel in math, while also developing the ability to perform basic calculations in a span of seconds.
We hope this compilation of the online training courses will help you make more informed decisions quickly. It is said that ‘the brighter you are, the more you have to learn,’ so here’s to taking that first step toward a more fulfilling life!