Math Craft: Abacus

I have recently started tutoring kids, especially with the foundations of math. Counting to 100 can be a challenge for young kids. While working with one of my favorite dudes, we decided to make an Abacus to help work on these skills. An abacus is one of the world’s first tools used for counting, making this an excellent math craft.

Supplies:

Cardboard box

Scissors

Beads: 10 different colors with 10 of each.

Glue gun

Glue sticks

Tape

Pipe cleaners (or sticks)

Let’s Make an Abacus

First, we cut the front and back out of a box. Then we cut the middle out of each piece, making a frame.

Next, we divided the beads into 10 groups of 10, meaning you have 10 different colors of beads and 10 beads of each color. Then you string the beads onto the pipe cleaner, putting a single color on each pipe cleaner.

Then it is time to glue the pipe cleaners down. You will want to hold it very tight or tape it down so that the line is straight.

After gluing all 10 pipe cleaners down, you add the top to your abacus. Then wrap it in tape.

An abacus is a great way to talk about counting, place value, adding, subtracting, counting by 10’s, etc. This will be a tool we can go back to over the next few weeks as we discuss these different topics.