Counting with Beads

Heretofore, John has shown no interest in or understanding of counting along with the rosary beads. Each evening, we pray the family rosary and he hasn't followed along, needing to be prompted at every single bead, "Another Hail Mary, honey." It didn't seem that complicated to me and I didn't know why he wasn't understanding the concept at five years old.

Then this week, the abacus was introduced in our new math curriculum. John learned how to count one bead at a time, to make "stairs," and to see things in unit of fives.

That very night, John suddenly had a light in his eyes during Rosary time. He asked me to show him how the beads work, so I did. He began counting along. He'd shout out, as if having a "Eureka" moment: "We're on Bead Four! Six more left! We're on Bead Five . . . five more left!" It was so delightful that I actually laughed my way through the Rosary that night.

Interestingly, starting the night he discovered how the beads work, his involvement in praying aloud increased greatly. He went from praying only his one assigned decade in a mumbling voice to asking to pray all the decades and doing so in a loud, manly manner. I know it won't be that way every night, but it sure has been enjoyable.

Chris and I are loving the improvement!