Build an Ancient Calculator – Abacus Kit box showing colorful beads and wooden frame for hands-on math learning.

Turn math into an exciting, hands-on adventure with the Build an Ancient Calculator – Abacus Kit! Designed for grades 1–3, this interactive math learning kit helps kids master addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division through the engaging process of building and using their very own abacus. With 30 colorful beads representing numbers, children explore patterns, skip counting, and arithmetic operations while discovering how people in ancient times used the abacus as an early counting tool to perform calculations.

Perfect for classrooms, libraries, after-school programs, enrichment activities, and Maker Day events, this abacus kit blends history, math, and hands-on play to strengthen early math foundations while building confidence, fine motor skills, and critical thinking.

👉 Make math visual, fun, and unforgettable—what will your students calculate today?

Build An Ancient Calculator - Abacus Kit

$3.00

Quantity

Grades 1-3
30 beads in three vibrant colors – explore grouping, skip counting, and complex calculations

Craft sticks, wooden dowels, and bands – everything needed to build a working abacus

Step-by-step assembly video – easy instructions to guide students as they build

Printable activity plan & challenge sheets – practice calculations, including patterns, number sense, and arithmetic operations
Understand the history and function of the abacus as one of the world’s first ancient calculators

Learn how to perform calculations using beads representing numbers

Practice addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division in a hands-on, visual way

Connect how tools from ancient times evolved into today’s calculators and computers
Subjects: Math, History, Cultural Studies

Skills: Counting, skip counting, arithmetic operations, pattern recognition, problem-solving, fine motor development

Standards: Aligned with Common Core (Operations & Algebraic Thinking)
Abacus History Overview: The earliest counting device was the human hand. As larger quantities were tracked, people used pebbles, shells, and twigs. The abacus, derived from the Greek word abakon (“tablet”), became one of the first tools to handle complex calculations before written numbers existed.

Videos:

Learning Numbers 1 To 19 On Abacus by Periwinkle (grade 1)

Subtract on the Abacus by Periwinkle (grade 1)

The History of Math by TeacherTube Math

Music:

5 Smiles by Steve Songs (preschool)