Back to the abacus

そろばん教室

Abacus Lesson Plans & Printable Worksheets

Ready-to-teach soroban lessons for three age groups, each with classroom activities, clear arithmetic goals, and a worksheet you can generate and print.

Ages 5–7 · First beads

20–25 minute lesson

Getting comfortable with the frame: which bead is worth 5, which are worth 1, and how a number appears when beads touch the beam.

Activities

  • Bead tour: name the heaven bead and the four earth beads, then clear the whole board together.
  • Show me a number: call out 1–9 and children set it on a single rod as fast as they can.
  • Mirror game: one child sets a number, a partner reads it out loud without peeking at the total.
  • Ten friends: pair up numbers that make 10 (7 and 3, 6 and 4) using two rods side by side.

Arithmetic goals

  • Read any single rod from 0 to 9 confidently.
  • Set two-digit numbers on the correct rods.
  • Add and subtract within 10 without complements.

Ages 8–10 · Complements and carries

30–40 minute lesson

The two moves that make the soroban fast: the small friend (complement of 5) and the big friend (complement of 10) with a carry to the left.

Activities

  • Small friend drill: add 4 with only two earth beads free — bring the heaven bead down and take one away.
  • Carry chains: start at 9 and add 1 nine times, saying the carry out loud each time.
  • Race the calculator: teacher types on a calculator, the class works the beads.
  • Story sums: shopping totals and change, set on the board as the story is read.

Arithmetic goals

  • Apply complements of 5 and 10 without counting on fingers.
  • Add and subtract three-digit numbers accurately.
  • Begin single-digit multiplication as repeated placement.

Ages 11–13 · Speed and mental abacus

40–50 minute lesson

Multiplication, division, and decimals — then closing the eyes and picturing the board (anzan) for mental calculation.

Activities

  • Timed sprint: 60 seconds of mixed problems using the practice mode on the home page.
  • Decimal placement: set prices to two decimal places and mark the decimal rod before starting.
  • Partial products: multiply two-digit by one-digit, shifting one rod left for each new digit.
  • Mental abacus: solve a short chain of additions with the board covered, then check on the beads.

Arithmetic goals

  • Multiply and divide with confident rod placement.
  • Work fluently with one and two decimal places.
  • Hold a three-digit running total mentally.