Short Bead ChainsIndividual Beads Nylon (GAM)

Short Bead Chains lay each square number out as a line the child can follow with a finger, and the very same beads then fold into a square. Counting the chain bead by bead and afterwards counting it in skips turns multiplication into a quantity you can see, long before the times tables are named. Folding the chain is also the check, because a count that was right leaves the line covering the square exactly, with nothing over and nothing missing. The long chains and the cubes take the same idea further once skip counting is secure. The beads are nylon rather than glass, and the work belongs to the three to six age group.