About AbacusPlay

AbacusPlay is a free place to learn the abacus: a guided course for children, a quick course for grown-ups, and free tools for families and teachers.

Who makes it

AbacusPlay is made by Raushan, who also made TypePlay, a free typing school for kids and adults. The two sites share the same guides, PlayBuddy and PlayType, and the same rules.

Why it is free

Abacus classes are wonderful, but many families cannot pay for two or three years of them, and many children never get the chance. We think every child should be able to learn the abacus at home, with a friendly guide and practice that checks itself. The lessons and games for children are free and always will be.

Our rules

• No accounts and no sign-up. Progress is saved in your browser only.
• No ads in lessons, in the children's games, or anywhere a child is working.
• Honest claims: we say what the research supports (faster, surer mental arithmetic and number sense) and nothing more.
• Every bead movement is drawn by our own code, so the moves are always correct.

How the lessons are made

The course follows the order abacus teachers everywhere use: reading numbers, direct sums, small friends, big friends, long sums, multiplication, division and mental calculation. One abacus engine plans every move, so the demonstrations, the hints and the checks always agree. Lessons are written in our own words and tested before they go live.

Questions or ideas? Get in touch.

Last updated: November 11, 2026