My Daughter is in Class 5 - Vedic Maths, Abacus, or Something Else? A Parent's Guide
What is essential to understand is that your daughter’s age is not the most important factor when it comes to beginning Vedic Maths. Every child is at a different starting point. For class 5 students (10-year-olds), Vedic Maths is preferred, although the answer is more complicated than I just stated, and you should understand that before you enroll her in anything. Let’s take a look at that answer together.
First, A Quick Timing Reality Check
You should know that Vedic Maths and Abacus are not competitors, and they are designed to be used at different stages of a child’s mathematical journey.
Abacus is ideal for use between the ages of 4 and 12 because it’s heavily based on a visual activity and hands-on learning, learning that is most naturally done by young children.
Vedic Maths is more suited to be understood at 8 years old as well as after the student develops some basic understanding of arithmetic, prepping them to understand mental shortcuts and the logic of arithmetic rather than just learning the placement of beads.
A Class 5 student is approximately 10 years old and is at an interesting confluence: old enough to appreciate the logic behind Vedic Maths, but young enough to learn the abacus. However, the question is not which of the two methods is actually better, but which is more suitable for your daughter at this point in her life.
If Your Daughter Has Not Studied Abacus or Vedic Maths So Far
This is by far the most common case, and here is the direct and practical answer: at this age, Vedic Maths is generally the preferable choice.
The reasons are as follows.
She stands to gain quicker results. Becoming proficient in the abacus is a lengthy, multiple-year process, progressing level by level, ideal for a 5-year-old with a long-term goal and many years ahead of her, but not ideal for a 10-year-old who is just starting with a long multi-year goal before the more serious board exams commence. In the case of Vedic Maths, fluency begins to be seen approximately in the next 6 to 12 months; this is important to both child and parent in order to see as well as appreciate progress.
It complements her schoolwork better. By Class 5, students have begun to work with multiple digits, fractions, and early forms of algebra. The building blocks of Vedic Maths were designed to work with calculations such as these, and therefore what she learns quickly shows up in her classwork and tests.
This product combats math anxiety. If your daughter has ever said, “I’m just not good at math,” Vedic Maths is great at switching that around. It is very encouraging for a kid to be able to solve a hard subtraction problem of the number 10 in 3 seconds to find out that he can do this easily. Small successes in trying to conquer math anxiety through confidence building are very significant.
Don't Forget About Abacus
Do not forget about Abacus! If your daughter is a hands-on learner, enjoys active learning, and struggles to stay focused, then Abacus may work for her at this age with some subtle adjustments in expectations.
Starting Abacus at the age of 10 leaves a total of 2 years in the best-practiced age range of 10-12 years, within which real proficiency in Abacus can be achieved. As Abacus focuses on the practice of bead manipulation, which, in itself, takes considerable focus and concentration, it works on memory and improves hand-eye coordination and concentration. Though she may have difficulties in reaching top-level abacus practitioner when compared to peers, who may have started at the age of 5, the benefits of focus and concentration, when practiced on a daily basis, are very real at this age.
A good practice: hands-on intuitive learners are likely to lose interest in Vedic maths quickly, but with Abacus they will remain engaged for a longer period of time. Whereas, hands-on sketching learners are likely to lose interest in abacus but will come to enjoy Vedic Maths quickly.
What About "Something Else"?
Having this kind of approach is good because, aside from Abacus and Vedic Maths, there are actually other tools that are worth considering for Class 5 students. Some alternatives that can be considered, either separately or alongside, both methods include:
Mental Maths Programs — Mental maths programs can be a good option if your daughter wants to improve her maths calculation speed without getting into deep ancient sutras or bead number visualizations. No doubt, it can be a more flexible and light option for everyday drama-free calculation speed.
Speed Maths—If your daughter is targeting Olympiads or wants to refine her game for timed maths tests, then this can be a great add-on.
Olympiad Maths Coaching — Think Olympiad-styled Coaching if your daughter is consistently scoring high and has a penchant for challenging her logic and maths skills.
These tools, when layered together, can be a good addition to Abacus and Vedic Maths. For instance, your daughter can do Vedic Maths for a specific period of time and, once this is done, can opt for Olympiad maths coaching.
A Simple Method for Making Your Decision
If you’re still thinking through all your options, consider asking yourself these simple questions.
Is she a hands-on learner or more into solving problems mentally?
Hands-on → go with Abacus. Mental/logical → go with Vedic Maths.
How much time before the pressure of exams builds up?
Little time or high pressure? → Vedic Maths. More Time? → Abacus is a great choice.
These options aren’t wrong, and they don’t have to be confused with an age chart. They’re focused on the preference of the student.
Our Honest Recommendation
To begin, we recommend Vedic Maths for most of our students. It is easy to teach and quick to build confidence and can be aligned to the math curriculum that is taught in school. After a term or two most students enjoy the abacus, so it can easily be added later on. Our primary concern, however, is to keep the students interested. Students who look forward to their math classes will progress at a much faster pace than students who are forced to complete the work. Both of these methods help achieve an interest in math classes.
Knowing the Ideal Fit for Your Child
Understanding each child individually is important. The only way to understand the unique preferences of your daughter is to observe her in action. Let’s get one of our expert tutors to conduct a free demo class. Your daughter will be assessed based on her comfort with numbers and her learning style, and we will provide you with the best possible fit for her based on this assessment. Age is not the only deciding factor.
Explore our online abacus classes and online Vedic math classes so that you know how these programs are structured.
FAQs
My child is in Class 5. Do you think it’s too late to start Abacus?
No. We think until age 12 is an ideal time for starting Abacus. Older children can still derive a lot of benefits from this, but they might progress through levels at a relatively faster pace.
Will Vedic Maths create problems in school Maths?
No, Vedic Maths teaches school Maths concepts. In reality, because of the Vedic Maths formulas, it becomes very easy for the kids to study their school math.
What is the time period required to learn this?
Children become fast at calculation and confident with Vedic math within a few months, while with the abacus, it is a little slow process.
What if she is anxious about math right now?
That is actually one of the most common issues, and both of these techniques help with that anxiety, with Vedic math being a little quicker and kids solving their first problems during one of the first few lessons they do.