Starkids for Children Development — Al Qusais, Dubai

The activity

Abacus, explained

Abacus classes teach mental arithmetic with a bead counting frame. As a general rule, children begin by moving the beads by hand to add and subtract, and later learn to picture the frame and work sums out in their heads. Parents often choose it as extra number practice alongside school, and for the concentration and memory it asks of a child. Methods, levels and starting ages differ from one abacus programme to the next, so ask Starkids how its Mathello abacus classes are taught, which ages they suit and how a child's progress is checked before you book.