We have been using the Linear Abacus Games Book Pack for the past few weeks. My 10-year-old found the Games Book Pack easy to use and enjoyable. He usually finds it hard to stay focused on maths, but using the games pack, he was intrigued to explore the games further.
After playing one game in the book, he made his own version of the game and investigated the concepts introduced, extending on them, sometimes successfully and sometimes not. I love how adaptable and open-ended this system is.
What’s Included in the Linear Abacus Games Pack?
The Linear Abacus Games Pack includes:
- A 100-bead string
- A 30-bead string
- A 10-sided dice
- A 6-sided dice
- An instruction booklet
- Two small carry pouches
- A solid cardboard storage box
Exploring Mathematical Concepts Through Games
Not only does the booklet state what is needed for each game and the instructions to play, but it also contains explanations of mathematical terms before entering into the games, as well as pictures to explain the thought processes and extending questions to ask the student to solidify the concepts learnt and show understanding.
The book is set in order from easy to harder games and concepts, covering topics like place value, addition and subtraction, through to multiplication, square numbers and fractions.
You can play each game again and again and still find ways to explore the concepts in more detail or develop their thinking skills.
The Flexibility of the Linear Abacus Games Book Pack
The best part of the Linear Abacus Games Book Pack is that my son could pick any game to play; he didn’t have to follow the book in order.
So no matter which game you pick, there’s an explanation from a previous game if prior knowledge is needed, which I found brilliant.
We jumped into the triangular numbers game, and there was a brief explanation of square numbers using the abacus before beginning the game.
Are There Any Downsides?
The only downside that I found was that occasionally some of the games needed additional equipment, though it wasn’t too hard to figure out a way around it, e.g. Google Roll Dice for a 20-sided dice.
Using the Games Pack With Different Ages
In addition to my son, my 7-year-old daughter loved playing the games too. She was able to follow along with the instructions as I read them.
Both children loved using the dice in the games, as it gave them an additional layer to their play. They enjoyed being able to make shapes with the beads.
It was easy to play with multiple ages and levels.
Our Linear Abacus Review: Would We Recommend It?
We will definitely keep using the Linear Abacus Games Book Pack in our home to practise mathematics.
Homeschool Parent Lyndal completed this parent review of the Linear Abacus Games Book Pack with her 7 and 10 year old children. The review period was conducted between September and October 2026.
