Zaruhi Paronyan, founder of Abacus Kids Academy of Mental Arithmetic, is an entrepreneur now residing in Philadelphia, USA. Born in Armenia, Zaruhi has founded the Academy to help intellectual development in children in the community.
The Academy uses a tried and tested method known as Abacus and Mental Arithmetic. This is designed to encourage children to develop the use of their brain in a variety of ways.
About Zaruhi Paronyan
Born in Yerevan, Armenia, Zaruhi took her inspiration from her father. Her family had a strong grounding in engineering, and her formative years were education-led. Passionate about learning foreign languages, she began learning French and English at an early age, her family having instilled into her the belief that a good education was vital to her future.
In her teenage years Zaruhi’s father founded a construction company. While studying at university, she began helping in the family business and after graduating she became her father’s partner in the business. Experience in business from a young age has had a great effect on her life since.
Zaruhi graduated from the French University Jean Moulin Lion 3, in Armenia, as a Specialist of International Business in Commerce. She later completed studies in English Language at schools in London.
Zaruhi has professional instructor status awarded by SAMA Global Abacus and Mental Arithmetic Association, and is the US Chairmen of SAMA Global, the body that administers the Abacus and Mental Arithmetic programs throughout the world.
Crediting her parents as the guiding lights that helped her reach the current status she enjoys, Zaruhi says her father is ‘an example of a person I wanted to become.’
About Abacus Kids Academy of Mental Arithmetic
Founded by Zaruhi in 2019 in Philadelphia, USA, Abacus Kids Academy of Mental Arithmetic aims to promote intellectual growth in children in the community. The Academy uses a technique widely propagated in Japan, in which children learn about mental arithmetic using the Soroban, an abacus tool.
The learning process involves teaching children to use the abacus – which can perform most mathematical tasks – and then to learn to imagine the abacus in their minds and perform these tasks without the use of the physical instrument.
This leads to greater ability in mental arithmetic, which can also help children in other ways. Mental Arithmetic as a learning process also improves skills such as concentration and listening. It develops analytical skills, and greater understanding of logic. The method has been shown to help develop the use of memory, the ability to recall information, and visualization.
By enhancing the development of both the left and right hemispheres of the brain, Mental Arithmetic leads to faster and improved ability in children between the ages of 5 and 15 years.
Achievements and Future Plans for Abacus Kids Academy
While the Abacus and Mental Arithmetic program can be found in Japan and across the world it is notably limited in the USA. Zaruhi and her team at the Academy aim to change this by launching a franchise in the USA. This will allow children from many parts of the US to gain access to the program.
For the third year in a row, academy students have participated in international competitions that take place online. Some of the students have become world champions. This year the academy plans to take part in an international mental arithmetic Olympiad in Dubai.
Zaruhi also plans to found a Mental Arithmetic Association within the USA. This will provide training for persons interested in becoming instructors in Mental Arithmetic, as well as providing learning materials for the children. She also intends to launch domestic competitions, which are popular in international Mental Arithmetic circles, to enable students to become more involved in and motivated, as well as offering a social aspect.
Abacus Kids Academy of Mental Arithmetic is a pioneering entity born from the mind and passion of Zaruhi Paronyan and her love of languages and education.
