Abacus after two years: continue, pause or move on?

Mohan Krishna

My child has been doing Abacus for about two years and is no longer excited about the classes. Mental maths has improved, but weekends are crowded. Parents who stopped, did you feel they lost anything important? I would especially value recent experiences from the last one or two academic years.

9 comments

  • oz2539

    Ask the child what part feels hard before adding another class. In our case it was not the subject; it was copying slowly from the board. We changed our approach after about a month because the first plan was too hard to sustain.

  • Padma Priya

    A 20-minute focused block worked better than a one-hour 'study time' in our house. Once the timer ended, we stopped even if everything was not perfect. Our child reacted better once we explained the change in advance instead of announcing it on the day.

    edited

    • Mohan Krishna

      Thanks for saying this. Online advice often makes normal family life sound much more organised than it really is. A short trial period helped us decide without committing for the whole year. In our house, the practical routine mattered more than the ideal plan.

    • Asha Thomas

      This is close to what my spouse is suggesting too. I may have been overcomplicating it. We reviewed it again after one school term instead of deciding forever. We are in Thrissur, so local logistics may be a little different.

    • th1163

      Did your child take time to adjust, or was the improvement fairly quick? The biggest gain was less conflict at home, not just better marks. We only reached that conclusion after trying the other approach first.

  • eo9470

    For projects we help with planning, materials and safety, but the child's hand should be visible in the final result. Otherwise it becomes a parent competition.

  • xl8585

    Ask the child what part feels hard before adding another class. In our case it was not the subject; it was copying slowly from the board.

  • kx9616

    A 20-minute focused block worked better than a one-hour 'study time' in our house. Once the timer ended, we stopped even if everything was not perfect. We reviewed it again after one school term instead of deciding forever. We are in Chennai, so local logistics may be a little different.

    • Mohan Krishna

      This is close to what my spouse is suggesting too. I may have been overcomplicating it. We noticed this more clearly once we stopped comparing with classmates. I would still test it for a short period before making a long commitment.

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  • Aparna N

    For projects we help with planning, materials and safety, but the child's hand should be visible in the final result. Otherwise it becomes a parent competition. The biggest surprise was that the practical routine mattered more than the option that looked best on paper.

    • Maya Mathew

      Did your child take time to adjust, or was the improvement fairly quick? We reviewed it again after one school term instead of deciding forever. I would still test it for a short period before making a long commitment.

    • Amit Bansal

      This is close to what my spouse is suggesting too. I may have been overcomplicating it. We reviewed it again after one school term instead of deciding forever. We made the change gradually rather than all at once.

  • vu1320

    A 20-minute focused block worked better than a one-hour 'study time' in our house. Once the timer ended, we stopped even if everything was not perfect. The teacher-child fit mattered more than the brand name for us. In our house, the practical routine mattered more than the ideal plan.

    • Mohan Krishna

      That is reassuring. We are trying to avoid making this a bigger issue than it needs to be. We reviewed it again after one school term instead of deciding forever. In our house, the practical routine mattered more than the ideal plan.

    • cf2822

      Thanks for saying this. Online advice often makes normal family life sound much more organised than it really is. The teacher-child fit mattered more than the brand name for us. In our house, the practical routine mattered more than the ideal plan.

    • Dinesh K

      Same here. The logistics are what make the 'ideal' option difficult in real life. The biggest gain was less conflict at home, not just better marks. I would still test it for a short period before making a long commitment.

  • bn3994

    A 20-minute focused block worked better than a one-hour 'study time' in our house. Once the timer ended, we stopped even if everything was not perfect. My spouse had a different view initially, so we tried it for a few weeks before deciding.

    • Mohan Krishna

      This helps. I am going to add this to the questions for our next visit/meeting. The teacher-child fit mattered more than the brand name for us. Your child's response may be different, but this was our experience.

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