Review on 🧮 Melissa & Doug Abacus - A Timeless Wooden Educational Toy with 100 Beads for Counting by Kevin Witherspoon

I bought this to show my 4 year old granddaughter a simple addition. To be honest I have no idea how the ancients used the abacus, but I figured adding small numbers would be a good use. I asked her to move one bead to the right in the top row, then one bead in the second row. Before I could ask her to count the 1+1 beads and move the total to the third row, she was already counting them. "I don't need no more noise, Grandma." She began to move, counting the beads on the bottom rows. Then she started drawing the number 3 over and over again. "Look at my beautiful grandmother number 3!" Well. In any case, she's still a bit young for math. Take your time. I misinterpreted the online images where the beads seemed larger to me, so the abacus is smaller than I expected. An assembly is not required. It looks well put together except I can almost guarantee that one step from her 2 year old brother will break the flimsy dowels holding the beads. Don't take it out when your child is awake and hide it when you're done playing. My grandson found it anyway and did exactly what I expected. He played it aggressively and I stopped him just in time as he lifted his foot to jump on him Price Note: This item often changes in price from day to day. I paid less than $12, but today it's $10.99. Toys from this brand are often more expensive than educational toys from other brands. (One out of print puzzle went into my cart for $12.99; today it's between $24 and $40. I saw it last night for about $74 with change!) I often look for matching knockoffs. I also try to buy toys that are made in the USA (US material standards) to ensure the safety of my grandchildren. Toddler still loves to put things in mouth. Finally, the recommended age range is 3-5 years, but 3 years is too young for anything other than bead weaving. Children are ready for math when they are ready, not before. You can't turn a kid into a genius by showing them memory cards! And just because your kids know their numbers and how to count them doesn't mean they're ready for math functions. By the way: I had to ask my children to refresh my memory when I couldn't remember the old mnemonics for order anymore. Mathematical Operations: In case you're wondering, it's "Excuse me, my dear Aunt Sally." Obviously, this 64-year-old grandmother isn't ready for algebra.