DIY Abacus for Cognitive Development | Online Preschool Education Craft

Abacus

On the go or at home, this DIY abacus for kids is a fun hands-on way to practice counting and pattern work. Make them with beads, or try pasta! You can use this project as a tool for your child during their online preschool lessons!

Make your abacus before signing up with Playgarden Prep Online, and your child can count along with Miss Shyla during her Letter A Arithmetic Lesson.

Materials

100 plastic pony beads—Colors of your choice. We used the colors of the rainbow not just for aesthetic reasons, but also to count with clarity

Pipe cleaners—Your choice of colors

Hot glue gun

Utility knife (Scissors work just as fine, but I’ve found the knife is a faster cut with straighter lines)

Cardboard

How to

Measure out a piece of cardboard slightly large than an 8 x10—You can eyeball this, it doesn’t have to be exact!

Cut out the center, leaving about an inch around the border.

Lace ten beads onto each pipe cleaner.

Loosely measure where to place your pipe cleaners by spreading them out about a half an inch apart

Starting at the top of one side of the board, place a dollop of hot glue where your first pipe cleaner will go.

Press your pipe cleaner into the hot glue and put a small dollop on top to seal it. Make sure that your pipe cleaner reaches to the other side of the board, and has enough room to glue that side.

Repeat steps 5 and 6 all the way down one side of the board. When those ten pipe cleaners are dry, move to the next side.

Make sure that the glue is very dry on the first side, and then pull the pipe cleaner so they are taut. Repeat steps 5 and 6.

You can stop there or add a border to the inner and outer frame. If you choose to add a frame, here’s a little tip—bend the pipe cleaner around the corners rather than having a straight line stop at the corner and another one start. It’s a smoother line and softer to touch. Often pipe cleaners fray at the ends and can be scratchy too.

Steps

Skills:

Creativity
Listening & Observation

Tips with Miss Charlotte

Another tip—Pipe cleaners are not the easiest material to hot glue, as they often don’t stay where you place them. I used a butter knife to hold the pipe cleaner in place for a few seconds right after gluing. This way you don’t burn your fingers on the glue and if glue gets on the knife, wait for it to harden and peel it right off!

Online preschool is so much more engaging with hands-on tools like this one. Your child can learn every step of the way, from making the abacus, to using it to count along with their favorite Playgarden Prep teachers during math lessons.

Enjoyed this DIY project?

Join the Playgarden Online community today for more preschool activities at home!