Why Mental Arithmetic Is Essential?

Last updated: 30 September 2026

Mental arithmetic is the ability to perform calculations using the brain without involving machines like calculators, computers, etc., and even papers. Like exercising is important for us to stay healthy, similarly mental arithmetic is vital for stimulating the brain. These skills are best achieved during the early years of development.

Let us showcase how mental arithmetic helps in stimulating the brain and what benefits does it provide:

• It helps in generating a better sense of numbers. This means that it develops an ability to understand how numbers interact together
• It increases the logical thinking ability of an individual as the brain is consciously involved into dealing with the numbers while performing calculations
• It enhances the speed of doing computations by performing mental mathematics that helps in the quick derivation of solutions

Mental arithmetic plays a crucial role in our daily routines as we unknowingly do mental math when we exchange currencies or estimate time.

Mental Arithmetic in Your Child's Everyday Life

Currencies and time are only two examples. A child's day is full of smaller moments where a quick sum happens in the head, often without anyone noticing. The table below shows six such situations. Calculators and AI tools are everywhere today, yet these small sums still matter, as we explain in our article on why your child's brain still needs to do the mental math in the age of AI.

How to improve mental arithmetic skills?

Mastermind Abacus, an Abacus training institute, offers Abacus course for children that acts like a brain development tool along with amplifying their mental arithmetic. We teach mental maths to children in the right way!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is mental arithmetic the same as mental maths?

Yes, for most parents the two terms mean the same thing: working out a sum in the head without a calculator, pen or paper. Mental arithmetic usually refers to addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, while mental maths can also include estimating, comparing and spotting patterns in numbers.

My child can open a calculator on the phone in seconds. Why practise sums in the head?

A calculator gives the answer, but it cannot tell your child whether that answer makes sense. Mental arithmetic builds number sense, so a child notices when a bill, a score or a result looks wrong. We have written more on this in our article on why mental math works like a cognitive insurance policy.

Is estimating an answer also mental arithmetic, or must it always be exact?

Estimating is very much a part of mental arithmetic. In daily life we often need a quick, close answer, such as roughly how much the shopping will cost or how long a journey will take. A child who can estimate well also finds it easier to check exact answers in school work.

Which daily routines can I turn into mental arithmetic practice?

Almost any routine with numbers works. Ask your child to total two items before you pay, work out how many minutes are left before bedtime, or share fruit equally at the table. Keep it light and playful. Our parents' guide to developing mental math skills has more ideas you can try at home.

How many minutes a day should my child spend on mental arithmetic?

Short and regular works better than long and occasional. A few minutes of focused practice every day, added to the small sums that come up naturally at home, is usually enough to keep the skill growing. For ready practice sheets, you can use our abacus worksheet generator.

How does an abacus, which is a physical tool, help a child calculate in the head?

Children first solve sums by moving beads on a real abacus. With regular practice, they begin to picture the beads in the mind and move them mentally, without the tool. This step is what turns bead work into mental arithmetic. You can read more about the journey from a physical abacus to a mental math tool.

How early can children begin mental arithmetic?

Simple counting, comparing and sharing games can begin as soon as a child shows interest in numbers. At Mastermind, the abacus programme is for children aged 6 to 14. For children aged 5 to 6, we have a separate programme, Lingo Bingo, at our offline centres.

We do not have an abacus centre close to home. Can mental arithmetic be learnt online?

Yes. Mastermind runs live online abacus classes for children aged 6 to 14, with a teacher guiding the class in real time. The course has 10 levels of three months each, with two one-hour classes a week. You can book a demo on our live online abacus classes page.