HOW TO KEEP YOUR CHILD ENGAGED IN ABACUS LESSONS DURING THE SUMMER

As each school year comes to an end, parents usually ask me about how they can keep engaged during the summer. Of course every student is different, but here are some of the things that I have found help our students.

When your child starts learning something, he would initially tackle it with curiosity and excitement. As time passes, interest may start to diminish and continuing a lesson can be challenging. Losing interests in different activities is normal. Generally, children get bored easily especially if they experience struggles early on. They might lose hope and give up altogether yet it is important learn something new. There is always a tendency to get discouraged, but as a parent, you need to think of the significant benefits your child will get in taking summer abacus lessons.

Here are strategies to help your child be more interested in learning the abacus:

• Teach your child
  Learning starts at home. To avoid getting overwhelmed with the abacus, you can start by telling him facts about the abacus. Compare and contrast it with things that he can see on a daily basis like a calculator. Encourage him that when he decides to pursue a lesson in abacus, he will be able to calculate faster than a calculator someday.
• Surround your child with abacus.
  When you’ve captured his attention, surround him with abacus. Let him see for himself the advantages of learning the abacus. Soon, he will realize that the abacus is not a boring tool, and it is fun to be learning new things with other children. Like any activity, it’s always more exciting to learn with a group. Exposure to an abacus at an early age will help him appreciate it more.
• Let your child explore
  While an abacus practice should include specific drills in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, there should also be time to explore on his own. When your child is practicing, allow him to discover things new things on his own. It will help get used to the abacus and he will rely on it more.
• Get involved.
  In any lesson, one of the important aspects is your involvement as a parent. If you are learning the abacus too, it will inspire him to continue. It is comforting to know that you are there to give him the support he needs, but if that’s not possible, talk to his teachers often. You need to show your child what to do when confuses arises so it really helps if you know the basics of the abacus too.
• Encourage your child to learn.
  Your child has his own interests in life. He might show interest in sports, music, arts, and so on. Incorporate his favorites when you are practicing at home. He will more likely to participate if it’s something that concerns him. If he likes singing, maybe you can include different musical instruments during practice. Be more creative when thinking of practice exercises. Let his imagination fly and help him learn about the abacus through the things he is passionate about.
• Celebrate milestones.
  If there’s a time for learning, there should also be a time for rejoicing. After all, learning the abacus is no easy task. Every skill takes months – and even years – to master. Whether your child accomplishes something miniscule or gigantic, choose to always celebrate it. This will help your child be engaged in abacus learning. Plus, it will surely improve his self-esteem!

At JAMS, we will help your child overcome the fear of numbers. Your child will become more confident and most importantly, he will gain an important lifelong skill. For more information, just visit JamsPortland.com to learn more about the teaching pillars of the abacus.