Vedic Maths or Abacus for my kids? This is a real confusion for many parents.

Having done a bit of both to understand what the whole hullabulla is all about, I have a very crystal clear opinion about the needs for both.

Chill my dear parents. Its worthy as a brain challenging exercise and can be like any other brain teaser or brain activating tool out there. Even your very own computer games, IPad games, Android games on mobile phones, Wii games are of the same category.

All these tools helps the brain in either of the one ways or more. It could be by improving the observation power, memory power, speed of brain response, accuracy of the response of the brain, attention paid to the details, flexibility of the brain to adapt to new situations and problem solving ability.

Abacus 

• Abacus is ancient mathematical tool which looks like the kindergarten slate with colorful beads we played with. At that time no one knew or taught the value of having beaded slate. 🙂
• Abacus deals with learning the basics of Maths like addition, subtraction, multiplication and division by using the beaded tool call Abacus. Initially the kids are taught additions using beaded. Later they get attuned to not using it but mentally using it.
• Abacus is now found all over the country. It is more to do with the feeling of the parents that my kid is loosing out on something if I don’t put him/her into an Abacus class!
• So Abacus falls in the category of
• Improving the speed of the mathematical solving ability.
• It does improve attention.
• It improves the accuracy of the problems to an extent.
• It does improve the flexibly of the brain to adapt to newer tools and methods of problem solving.
• It does not improve memory.
• It does not improve imagination.
• It does not improve personality
• It may improve the confidence when the kids start to apply.
• It may add to the confusion as mostly the classes of Abacus content do not coincide with that of the school course curriculum topics.
• It becomes complex and confusing in the later stage.
• And one must remember that is why the modern Mathematics did not adapt it for higher advanced Mathematics.

Vedic Maths

• Vedic Maths is also an age old way of solving mathematical problems.
• Vedic Maths uses short cuts to solve the lengthy problems. Lengthy in terms of the size of the numbers and lengthy in terms of the number of steps needed to do the problems.
• Now Vedic Maths is also gaining popularity though a bit slower that Abacus may be due to the early start by the Abacus marketing efforts.
• Vedic Maths thus falls in the category of:

• Improving the speed of the mathematical solving ability.

• It may help in improving the memory as each vedic maths trick or short cuts have to be memorized.

• It improves the flexibility of the brain to adapt to new solutions and tools.

• It also improves imagination as it encourages children to think and develop short cuts on their own.

• It does not improve personality.

• It boosts the confidence of the kids once they master the tricks and start applying.

• It helps kids in the entrance exams when the speed and accuracy of the problem solving ability is most critical.

• It helps to simplify the solutions in entrance exams which are objective type only but in board exams it should be used to verify the answers as the steps to do the problems is accounted for and not just the result by the examiners.

Cost / fee of Abacus and Vedic Maths.

Abacus is pretty cheap considering the kind of fee parents have to pay.

It ranges between RS 400 – RS 900/- per month with classes only once to twice in a week. So that turns to RS 50- RS 100/- per class.

Vedic Maths is not really easily found in cities. So books and works are available to learn on your own. Range RS 200 – RS 2000/- per book.

The right age to do the course of Abacus.

The right age to learn Vedic Maths