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In this age of calculators, computers, and Artificial Intelligence, why are we talking about Abacus Math?
We are talking about it for precisely that reason. With all the technology our children can now access, as parents, we all want our children to have the ability to calculate quickly in their head.
If surveyed, most of us equate this ability to mental sharpness, good grades, admission to great colleges, a great job, and a great future.
Some children are born with the natural ability to be great at Numbers and Mental Math.
The GOOD NEWS however, is that, this ability CAN BE TAUGHT.
With practice and the right guidance, any child can learn and develop the ability to visualize and do math mentally. Not only will they learn Mental Math, but also benefit from all the other advantages of developing this skill.
Abacus Math takes advantage of plasticity of a child’s brain to develop Visualization. This helps the child develop not only Mental Math skills like those in this video but also delivers other lifelong benefits through Visualization and Right Brain Development.
Abacus Math Taps Into Plasticity Of the Brain
Without getting too technical, which honestly is beyond me anyway (LOL), I am going to lay down some geek talk that explains plasticity of a child’s brain and how it can be trained to develop amazing mental math ability.
At birth an infant has all the neurons (neurons are basic cells making up the brain) that it will ever need. The brain weighs approximately 2/3 pound. The brain starts to develop and different neurons begin forming connections (synapses) to each other.
During early and middle childhood, the brain forms and refines a complex network of connections. It is a period of rapid change in the brain. Although the process of forming these connections is biologically driven, individual experiences alter and promote these connections in a big way. A great example is language. During early years, the brain strengths connections for the language that the child hears regularly. Over the years, the brain eliminates connections for other sounds due to which most adults have a difficult time learning new languages.
By the time the child is 5 years old, the brain increases to 80% of its adult weight (about 3lbs). A child’s brain reaches its adult weight by the time the child turns 14 years of age.
Prior to age 14, repeated experiences can form and transform various important connections in the brain. Connections strengthened through regular use become stronger and more complex.
On the flip side, connections in the brain that are not exercised are considered non-essential. The brain prunes them over time to allow the brain to operate more efficiently.
Abacus Math learning takes advantage of this plasticity to build brain connections that help children excel at mental math. In fact, by using the Abacus, children are simultaneously developing their abilities to visualize – Visualization & Mental Math go hand in hand. By Visualization, children learn to see picture of the abacus in their brain to “see” the answer rather than “calculate” the answer.
The window of opportunity to develop this amazing ability is best taken advantage of during age 4 to 12.
Abacus Math Leads To Right Brain Development
For those of us not in the medical field, we’ve all seen enough pictures to know that our brains have a vertical ridge running down the center of our brains. That ridge divides the brain into almost two equal sections. One section is called the Left Hemisphere or Left Brain and the other section is called the Right Hemisphere or Right Brain. Although they look very similar, they are very different in the functions they perform.
With that said, it’s important to understand that both sides of the brain are important and work together all the time. However there are some interesting differences in how they operate. The left brain is sequential in nature. It is logical and analytical. What and how we learn in school stimulates and exercises primarily the left side of the brain. On the other hand, the right brain is simultaneous in nature. It has the ability to see the big picture and interpret things contextually.
Said differently, we can also say that Left Brain is about knowledge.
Right Brain is about Creativity, Big Picture thinking, Focus, and Concentration.
In the global economy today where knowledge work (left brain activity) is exceedingly outsourced, it is important to exercise the right brain just as much to develop creativity and outside the box thinking.
If you want to dive deeper and really geek out on the difference between left and right brain, there’s a wonderful book by Daniel Pink – “A Whole New Mind. Why Right Brainers Will Rule the World”.
Conclusion
For all the reasons discussed above, Abacus Learning delivers huge benefit to children in the ages 4-12. It does so by taking advantage of the brain plasticity at that age. Not only does the child develop amazing mental math skills which can lead to a great educational career; like getting into Gifted and Advanced Programs early in school, excellent grades, and great colleges; they also develop and hone their visualization abilities. This gives them an advantage to write their own ticket in their professional life by become a creative worker. Professions like architect or a designer rather than a knowledge worker who follows predefined steps to accomplish their work.
Download this FREE Parent Guide to learn how Abacus Math delivers amazing Results for children in a relatively short period of time – “Shockingly Simple Path to Early Math Success”