I teach abacus/mental arithmetic and I'm always asked, is it good?

Yes, I would answer "It is good because you'll learn to handle big problems fast with good guessess, within a certain percentage of error or so".

You'll learn to do arithmetic fast, in that way you can spend your time thinking about what the numbers mean. Use that rapid arithmetic skill in the examination battlefield and you know you have the right weapon.

(Updated 31 Dec 2008) Now that you know what your child will be required to do in Primary One for Mathematics, the question is how can you help prepare your child so that he/she can cope with the subject.

With proper guidance, it should not be too difficult for the average child to undergo the following progress schedule.  Please note that this should NOT be taken as a definitive guide to gauge the ability of children!